This Pawleys Island, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course has re-opened. What they changed

Golfers can tee off again at Pawleys Plantation.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course re-opened Oct. 2 after being closed since May 22., according to a press release from course owners Founders Group International.

Pawleys Plantation is located at 70 Tanglewood Drive on Pawleys Island.

The Pawleys Island golf course was closed due to renovations. The clubhouse was renovated and a new restaurant was opened, according to the press release.

The course changed too. Bunkers throughout the course were overhauled with large traps on holes one through four, seven, eight, 10, 12, 16 and 18 were either downsized or turned into native areas.

The project was supposed to restore Pawleys Plantation back to Nicklaus’ original design, Founders Group International President Steve Mays said during an interview in August.

“Our philosophy is when it’s time to do a renovation... We want to go back and recapture the entire size of the green as it was intended,” Mays said back in August.

He added that some of the bunkers were turned into native areas because they were easier to maintain and also created natural hazards for players.

“I think it will give the golf course a much better look than we had pre-renovation,” Mays said in an August interview.

Course greens were also enlarged by 48 percent, closer to their original size. But Pawleys Plantation was not the only Jack Nicklaus-designed course to have its greens expanded.

In August, Long Bay Golf Club in Longs, SC also re-opened to the public after renovations to its greens. However, Mays said expanding greens is not a new design trend across its portfolio of 21 Myrtle Beach golf courses.