The Matchbox, the new short course at Tobacco Road, has all synthetic grass playing surfaces.
Tobacco Road | Ryan Barnett
A new short course – The Matchbox — is debuting Aug. 1 at Tobacco Road in North Carolina’s Sandhills and it might just be a trend-setter in the golf world. Or at least an exemplar.
Tobacco Road is the latest golf destination property to embrace the Par 3 course movement, with its 12-hole addition coming 28 years after Mike Strantz created the original – and often polarizing – 18-hole layout. Like its older sibling, The Matchbox is outside the box… and occasionally under the tree canopy.
That’s because The Matchbox was constructed using synthetic turf that’s blended into the natural landscape, for teeing areas and green complexes. The course was built in just six months – with no irrigation or mass clear-cutting of trees. With the synthetic turf, there’s no concern about the shade from the existing tree canopy and playing conditions will be consistent.
While other U.S. facilities have incorporated artificial grass – from nine-hole courses in Alaska to short courses at public layouts such as Grand Patrician (W.V.), Skamania Lodge (Wash.) and Shortland (Ore.) – Tobacco Road is the first property with national renown to adopt synthetic turf surfaces throughout.
“It could be a trend setter for other courses and we invite anyone interested to come see it for themselves,” said Tobacco Road owner Mark Stewart, whose family opened Tobacco Road in 1998. “Our footprint is 7 1/2 acres including the 2-acre pond, so maybe it’s a good way for an existing property to utilize a corner of their property that is currently vacant.”
Water conservation and sustainability are topics of interest and scrutiny in the golf industry and that played into the decision-making process for Stewart, who noted how difficult it would have been trying to establish and maintain new turf this year with parts of North Carolina experiencing drought conditions.
“We believe that there’s a place for synthetic at green grass facilities besides practice range tee areas,” said Stewart. “At the very least having a synthetic green for practice areas would give a facility options during the routine maintenance closures.”
Synthetic greens themselves are getting more popular and commonplace, whether they’re of the backyard variety or indoor venues (from TGL and commercial simulator locations with short game practice areas to more traditional facilities).
The 12-hole Par 3 course at Tobacco Road plays across 7 1/2 acres and winds through the pine trees.
Tobacco Road | Ryan Barnett
105-Yard Max
Winding through the trees near the 12th and 13th fairways of Tobacco Road’s 18-hole layout, The Matchbox features holes that range from 40 to 105 yards. The course was created by Carlton/Marshall Golf Design and Mark White, the latter of whom was one of the original shapers at Tobacco Road and learned his craft under Strantz.
The third hole features an 80-yard blind tee shot from one of the tee boxes, while the seventh hole has a 60-yard shot over a cove, and the ninth plays through two large mounds that were inspired by the famed opening hole at Tobacco Road.
“The overall concept is to keep it fun with bold features and heroic shot values but also provide a short-game challenge for those who really want to test their wedge game,” said Marshall.
As for the playing conditions themselves, Stewart said he’s happy with the performance of the synthetic turf and highlighted that the process was facilitated by the USGA’s GS3 ball that’s engineered to provide superindendents and other course officials with insights on playing surfaces as well as actionable data.
“We have measured the firmness, smoothness, trueness and speed, and have found them all to be within acceptable parameters for natural grass turf,” said Stewart.
The result is one of the most unconventional short courses in the game. And just maybe it’s one that starts a movement.