The Ford Field & River Club

The original course at Ford Plantation opened in 1986, commissioned at a reputed cost of $11 million by InterRedec, a holding company once controlled by the Saudi businessman Ghaith Pharaon, who remains to this day a fugitive from the American authorities after leaving the country in the 1990s to avoid fraud and racketeering charges.

The property changed hands after the demise of Pharaon, becoming known as the Ogeechee Golf Club, though it since changed its name to Ford Plantation in honour of Henry Ford, the automobile magnate who developed the estate in the 1920s and 30s.

Fast forward to 2014, when club members dug deep to finance a major $7 million renovation of the layout, resulting in the total closure of the course for more than one year to allow major drainage issues to be addressed, along with the rebuilding of every green and bunker.

Tim Liddy carried out most of the onsite work on behalf of Pete Dye (as he’s done with many of the old master’s projects down the years), constructing new continuous tees, re-positioning the green at the signature 10th hole and removing most of the trademark railway sleepers that once buttressed many of the lakes and lagoons.

The facility has recently renamed itself The Ford Field & River Club.