Wicker Point Golf Club is Open!

By Roger Holliday, V.P. of Hospitality

If you’ve not heard, Wicker Point Golf Club teed it up last week—with a bang!

Charter members were invited to play a round on Thursday or Friday—and the feedback from the golfers has been tremendous.

Charter members were also invited to take part in a special treat. Russell Lands hosted a reception on the event lawn under the stars. But the real stars of the show were Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coore, and Scotty Sayers, the three principals of Coore & Crenshaw. Coore & Crenshaw is one of, if not, THE top golf course design firms in the world—and designers/architects of Wicker Point.

Pictured from L to R: Scotty Sayers, Course Superintendent James Morgan, Ben Crenshaw,
V.P. of Hospitality Roger Holliday, President & CEO Tom Lamberth, Director of Golf Matt Sheppard, and Bill Coore.

As chairman of Russell Lands, Ben Russell was to hit the official inaugural tee shot. The crowd gathered around, and after some exaggerated waggling, Ben Russell commented, “Wrong Ben!” He then handed his driver to Ben Crenshaw (two-time winner at Augusta National’s famed Masters Golf Tournament), who proceeded to demonstrate why he’s known as “Gentle Ben,” with his calm demeanor under the pressure of the crowd.

Then the Coore & Crenshaw threesome had a “closest to the pin” contest on The Foothills, the name anointed by Bill Coore of the largest putting green in the Southeast. Crenshaw won the contest, of course, but all three were within 12’ after stroking the 75’ putt over the extreme undulations.

After some introductory comments from Tom Lamberth, Russell Lands’ President and CEO, the Coore & Crenshaw folks captivated the audience with some fun tales of the work they have done on Wicker Point over the last four-plus years.

Needless to say, they were quite proud of the work they did on their only golf course in Alabama!

After fielding several questions from the attendees, Bill and Ben stayed at the reception mingling with the crowd and having their pictures taken with the guests.

All in all, it was an awesome evening and a great way to kick off Wicker Point Golf Club, the centerpiece of The Heritage.

To learn more about Russell Lands and The Heritage opportunities, please reach out to one of our sales associates at 256.215.7011.