Members of the Walter J. Travis society gathered on Saturday, September 19 at the recently-restored and renovated Great Dunes course on Jekyll Island. The weekend started with an informal cocktail gathering at the Jekyll Island Club, the historic center of life on Jekyll Island from 1888 through 1943.
On Saturday morning, the Jekyll Island Authority delivered an exceptional presentation on the history of the island and how important golf has been to Jekyll. Walter Travis has played a part in that story since 1900 -well before he actually built the Great Dunes course. Local historian Andrea Moroccan gave a very detailed history was many excellent photos of the Great Dunes course from its original form.
Noel Jenson, the deputy Director of the Jekyll island Authority, provided a great description of the current status of golf on the island, with a look towards a future that will be anchored by the Great Dunes course.
The true highlight of the morning presentation was hearing the course architects Brian Ross and Geoff Stein describe the project in detail, from discovering lost bunkers to archaeological excavations to the original green complexes.
After a wonderful southern buffet style lunch, we were treated to a spectacular day of 18 holes of some of the finest seaside golf on the East Coast. As Brian and Jeff described it, “a walk from the forest to the beach and the back” visited nine of Travis‘s original holes, linked with nine holes of Dick Wilson‘s original Oleander Course. These have been re-imagined as Travis tribute holes, bringing to mind features from Garden City golf club, North Jersey Country Club, Country Club of Troy and Hollywood Golf Club.
The day concluded with members gathering at a local dock side restaurant for fresh seafood and stories of the day. If you have yet to attend a Travis Society outing, look for the 2027 schedule after January 1st, and make plans to meet your fellow Travisians and play one of The Old Man's courses.
All images courtesy of Travis Society member Ben Herm.
