Mulliganz has busy first week

Mulliganz Golf Course opened last week and the first week of play on the “work in progress” was a rousing success.
John Turner, Joel Poe and Leigh Poe held a “soft open” of the course, formerly known as Twisted Pine Golf Course, last Wednesday and, from Wednesday through Sunday, over 200 golfers played the 9-hole course — and over half of those golfers were from out of town.
Three days before the opening, last Sunday, an impromptu scramble was held at the course and 56 golfers participated.
Work at the course is far from finished. When the Mulliganz group first leased the course from the City of Hazlehurst last summer, it had suffered from years of mismanagement and neglect. The first step in revitalizing the course was to completely rebuild the greens — digging up some six inches of the surface, placing new soil on the greens as a base, and sprigging the greens with new grass. That work was expected to allow the new owners to open the course some time in October, 2024.
But then along came Hurricane Helene.
The storm not only devastated Hazlehurst, but decimated the golf course, blowing down and destroying most of the old, tall pine trees that bordered the fairways throughout the course. What was left after clearing the storm debris was an almost tree-less plain of a golf course.
While it will take decades for trees to cover the course again, there has been extensive work done, altering water hazards, redirecting water flow, eliminating and changing sand traps, expanding the practice range, upgrading the watering system, etc.
Additionally, much work has been done to improve the pro shop/restaurant and expand parking.
And the greens? The newly sprigged greens are smooth and soft, barely resembling the old greens which were hard-packed, bumpy and sparsely covered with grass.
The damage caused from Hurricane Helene will be apparent for years to come. But after a few good growing seasons, the course should be a real eye-pleaser.