Champions Retreat Golf Club, is a 27 hole, private
golf club
A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety ...
, located in
Evans, Georgia
Evans is a census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Augusta and is part of the Augusta metropolitan area. The population was 29,011 at the 2010 census, up from 17,727 at the 2000 census.
Evans ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
14 miles from
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...
. It is the only course in the world with three nines designed by
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
,
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...
, and
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
, the Big Three of Masters fame who combine for 13 Masters titles, 34 Major victories and 159 tournament wins.
In 2019, the course began co-hosting the
Augusta National Women's Amateur along with Augusta National Golf Club.
History
![Big Three Photo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Big_Three_Photo.jpg)
Legendary professional golfer
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
chose the 1999 Masters Champions Dinner as his setting to recruit two other greats –
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
and the late
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...
– to share in his dream of a 27-hole, private golf club located just outside of
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
. Nestled along the
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...
, the three nine-hole courses inhabit a former untouched timber plot and are built around an Island, a Bluff, and a Creek.
The legends designed nine signature holes of championship golf together, sculpting from the foundation of more than 365 acres of skyward Georgia pines, long-standing hardwood, and wetlands. Opening its doors in 2005, Champions Retreat is the realization of their collective vision.
The three nine-hole courses inhabit a former untouched timber plot and are built around an Island, a Bluff, and a Creek. With three distinct properties to choose from,
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
handled the designation of the land by writing “Island,” “Creek” and “Bluff” on the back of three index cards.
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...
had the most seniority and had played in more Masters than
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
or
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
, so he selected first. He drew the “Island” card.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
drew second since he had won more green jackets than
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
and pulled the “Bluff” card, leaving Player with the “Creek” property.
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2019
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was announced in April 2018 by Chairman
Fred Ridley
Fred Scobie Ridley (born August 16, 1952) is an American amateur golfer and golf administrator who won the U.S. Amateur in 1975, was elected president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 2004, and then became chairman of Augusta Nat ...
during his annual press conference at the Master's Tournament. The 54-hole, stroke-play tournament will feature an international field of 72 players. Invitees were determined by awarding winners of other recognized championships and using the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Champions Retreat Golf Club hosted the first 36 holes over two days on Arnold Palmer’s Island nine and Jack Nicklaus’ Bluff nine. The entire field then plays Augusta National for an official practice round followed by the final round taking place at Augusta National. The final round features the top 30 competitors who made the cut. In the event of a tie after 54 holes, the winner will be decided by a sudden-death playoff.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
provided pre-event promotion across NBCUniversal’s portfolio, while
Golf Channel
Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply Golf) is an American sports television television network, network owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, it is currently ...
delivered the highlights, live reports, and news coverage throughout the event, including onsite during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat.
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2020
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2020 didn't take place due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2021
In a statement issued on January 12, 2021, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced that the Club intends to conduct the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals as scheduled. Both of these competitions also intend to host a small number of patrons. Augusta National Women's Amateur 2021 is scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 3.
Seventeen-year-old
Tsubasa Kajitani became the first international ANWA champion and the first winner from Japan at Augusta National in any tournament with her playoff victory over Wake Forest's
Emilia Migliaccio in 2021.
Augusta National Women's Amateur 2022
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was held in 2022. The first 36 holes were contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in
Evans
Evans may refer to:
People
*Evans (surname)
*List of people with surname Evans
Places United States
*Evans Island, an island of Alaska
*Evans, Colorado
*Evans, Georgia
*Evans County, Georgia
*Evans, New York
*Evans Mills, New York
*Evans City, ...
, Georgia on March 30 and 31, 2022. The entire field then played Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 1. The final round took place at
Augusta National
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...
on Saturday, April 2
In her first appearance at the
Augusta National Women's Amateur, 16-year-old
Anna Davis
Anna Davis (born March 17, 2006) is an American amateur golfer. In April 2022, Davis won the third Augusta National Women's Amateur at the age of 16. Davis shot a final round 69 (−3) to finish one under par, defeating Ingrid Lindblad and Latan ...
became the event's youngest champion in 2022 by shooting a 3-under 69 to finish at 1 under and win by a single stroke.
Facilities and grounds
Champions Retreat is acclaimed as one of the best golf properties in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
The property encompasses more than 365 acres of Georgia pines, long-standing hardwood, and wetlands.
Island
![Island_Five](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Island_Five.jpg)
The Island Nine at Champions Retreat shares the personality of Palmer’s architectural vision. The course is flanked on one side by the broad Savannah River and on the other by the Little River. The hardwoods and pines along the riverbank have been preserved and the fairways have been raised to take advantage of the vistas overlooking the marshy waters.
Bluff
![Bluff_Eight](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Bluff_Eight.jpg)
Numerous mounds and rolling hills are seen throughout the Bluff course, with mature Georgia pines spread throughout. Very little dirt was moved during the construction process allowing the course to fit within the existing terrain and its surroundings. There is a great deal of variety in the routing, featuring uphill and downhill shots, as well as a balance of right-to-left and left-to-right holes. The Bluff course was designed by
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
.
Creek
![Creek_Nine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Creek_Nine.jpg)
The Creek course provides many opportunities for an experienced golfer. Designed by
Gary Player
Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
the opening four holes play in a wetland area while the remaining part of the course moves upland through native hardwood trees. Adding difficulty, the ninth plays over and around a large lake on the right, allowing players to finish with a variety of shots.
References
External links
ChampionsRetreat.comOfficial website
Augusta.comcoverage from Augusta Chronicle
Aerial viewfrom
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...
Guide to Augusta Nationalat Golflink
Tour of Champions Retreatat Golf Digest
Champions Retreatat Business Jet
Master's 2019on Golf Digest
{{Authority control
Masters Tournament
Golf clubs and courses in Georgia (U.S. state)
Golf clubs and courses designed by Alister MacKenzie
Sports venues in Augusta, Georgia
Sports venues completed in 2005
2005 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)