On this edition of Tee It Up Grand Strand, host Shan Coughlin joins Golf General Manager Raymond Reyes on site at Sea Trail Golf Resort to discuss the 54-hole facility and the recent renovations completed just in time for fall golf season.
“We are excited to announce that we’ve completed the renovations on the Jones Course,” Reyes said. The bunkers were renovated a year ago and the cart path renovations took place in spring of this year. “And wow,” he said. “Just that transformation of the cart path and bunkers has really complimented what was already here – what Mr. Rees Jones saw from tee to green, and man, what a spectacular golf course.”
About the bunkers, Coughlin added, “Hopefully, you aren’t in them [the bunkers] too often, but if you are, they certainly are much easier to get out of.” Bunkers have been a common complaint at courses up and down the Grand Strand, but the newly renovated bunkers at Sea Trail Golf Resort are “pristine,” Coughlin explains.
Reyes agreed that as a business plan, course designers and staff always need to pay attention to bunkers and cart paths and be especially sensitive to old trees and the layout of the land. The staff of Sea Trail Golf Resort will continue to be strategic in planning during the beautification process of the courses and are excited about it, he said.
Reyes, who has been a PGA member for nearly 20 years, has been in the golf industry all his life, and feels very passionate about it. Acting as the golf general manager at Sea Trail Golf Resort for about a year now, Reyes explained to Coughlin that he loves being here on the Grand Strand in Sunset Beach and he knew he was going to a special area. He admires the area’s passion for golf, passion for tourism, and passion for the PGA.
Reyes said he can’t believe how many relationships he’s built during his time at Sea Trail Golf Resort, and enjoys how receptive people are to what he and the resort are doing. He is especially looking forward to the fall golf season and believes Sea Trail has a lot to offer.
During fall golf at Sea Trail Golf Resort, Reyes said, “We are green. We will be really green. Our golf greens, with the cooler temperatures, get really, really good. And so for the next couple of months, we will be really good.” He added that they’ve set themselves up to be really good for the winter season as well, because the resort staff does an overseeding project, where it turns the Bermuda grass into rye grass. The golf staff has already started process on the Willard Byrd golf course, and will move over to the Rees Jones and Dan Maples courses later. In approximately 30-45 days, the rye grass will start to appear on the courses and will continue to grow there until spring.
Reyes explained he is really hoping to attract more people to the courses this fall, and bring in more visitors. He said he wants to get people out to see the courses so when tourism comes around in the spring, they’ll return. “Sea Trail will be green and we’re going to look really, really, really good,” he said. Coughlin encourages golfers who are still setting up their fall golf packages, to be sure to include Sea Trail in their stops. There is great wildlife, beautiful mature trees, and the Sea Trail club house goes on forever, she said.
In addition to scenic attributes, the resort has a lot to offer. The golf club hosts numerous events, including a lot of golf tournaments. Furthermore, the resort has its own convention center, and plenty of lodging, as well as other fun activities. So, people visit the resort for all of those reasons, as well as the near proximity to the beach, which is only a quarter of a mile from Sea Trail Golf Resort.
To see a list of events, to book a tee time, or to take advantage of the resorts great rates, visit www.seatrail.com or call the Sea Trail golf pro shop toll free for booking at 1-800-508-1204. Sea Trail Golf Resort is located at 75 Clubhouse Rd, Sunset Beach, NC.
“I couldn’t be happier at Sea Trail,” Reyes said. “I wake up every morning and say, ‘I can’t wait to see the green grass and sunny skies.’ I’ve been saying that all my life.”
For more about Sea Trail Golf Resort, you can also check out their feature page www.TheGolfDirector.com for links and other great information.