Course opens june 8th. Playing down after 6 shouldnt be a problem. Lifts run weekends in june, july, sept and oct. Course will be free to play if you want to hike when lifts are closed (no uphill traffic when lifts running). All day lift pass $8.
Design has changed since my last post. Still going with red and blue, crushed stone tees and the new DGA Mach X baskets. The par 65 course will be 18 holes (2 practice baskets and driving range field) with the front and back 9 each separately descending from the top of the lift. So you need to ride lift twice to play 18. Front 9 (par 30) will be a relatively easy walk compared to the hiking involved on back 9 (par 35). The course has many holes deep in the woods where you will forget you are at a ski resort, but each 9 finishes with long ski trail bomber holes. Hole 18 is a par 5 down Swain's widest trail, "Clark". This soon to be signature hole boasts over 550 ft of elevation drop with a length of 1,665 ft!!! (Is this the longest par 5 in the world?!?) Don't let the length fool you tho, with that much vertical drop it is reachable in 3 (if the wind is cooperating).
I'm currently finishing the work on the wooded holes and tees and we look to be on schedule for opening day, but I haved accepted a job at another establishment closer to my home, so I won't be involved in the running of the course maintenance, operations or tournaments. However, I am confident that I am leaving Swain with a top notch DGC that I am extremely excited to be able to play.
