King-Collin Golf Design has built a reputation for packing plenty of fun into small golf courses, with its nine-hole Sweetens Cove ranking as the No. 1 public-access course in Tennessee.
Now Rob Collins, the firm’s principal designer, has taken a similar approach at an historic nine-hole municipal course, the newly renamed Overton Park 9 in Memphis. Collins and his crew recently completed a renovation and the course reopened in late June, putting the focus squarely on fun and accessibility.
Perhaps the best part at the 2,275-yard course: Kids play free. And nobody pays much, as the online resident rate for nine holes is $7 and the seniors rate is $4.
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The project was completed at just under $2 million, the managing Overton Park Conservatory reported, with most of that coming from private donations. King-Collins started work in January of 2021 in renovating the tired muni.
Built through old-growth forest and using the existing footprint as a starting point alongside a nature park, Collins designed a series of half-par holes with only one, No. 8, stretching beyond 300 yards. The course is wide and playable, with most grass cut at fairway height but with more than 10 acres of native grasses that still require a touch of accuracy without being overly punitive. Pop-up mounds and bunkers offer challenge without threatening the loss of too many golf balls.
King-Collins Golf Design broke into the national scene with Sweetens Coves in Tennessee. (Courtesy of Sweetens Cove)
The closest comparison Collins could think of to his work at Overton Park is Winter Park Golf Course, “which is great,” he said. Near Orlando, the municipal nine-holer frequently known as WP9 was renovated by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns in 2016 and has become a darling of the community as well as traveling golfers, and its short length combined with incredible greens complexes have earned high regard while thrilling players of all levels.
Collins said he was presented a similar opportunity in Memphis.
“Overton Park, for us, was an interesting exercise and an opportunity for us to expand our creativity a little bit and show a different side of ourselves,” Collins told Golfweek as the project neared completion. “We didn’t move a ton of dirt there, and it’s just a small course. The greens are right on top of the ground, all that kind of stuff. It’s a different look for us, but we were still able to kind of put some creative, neat features and quirks into it that give it its own special flair and personality.”
King-Collins, which is based in Chattanooga, has been plenty busy as of late. The company in 2021 opened another nine-holer, Inness in Accord, New York. The firm will soon open its first 18-hole layout, Landmand Golf Club in eastern Nebraska, and other projects include construction of Red Feather Golf Club in Lubbock, Texas.
“The way I think about it is, every project is a form of a question, or a problem,” Collins said. “Each one has a different way to answer it. And mine and (business partner Tad King’s) responsibility is to, No. 1, figure out what’s that question that we’re being asked. And then, what’s the best answer to it? Each one’s different. We have to go to each project and figure out how to go that end result that’s the best possible answer for each site.”
At Overton Park, a big part of the problem solving involved the reimagining of a community treasure that would be playable for kids and seniors, never too tough but always interesting. The formerly tiny greens have been replaced by much larger putting surfaces, including one punchbowl green. Most of the freshly contoured course is cut at fairway height, but there are stretches of a tall fescue blend.
“Really, it’s about providing the most enjoyment for the greatest number of people,” Collins said. “Anyone can play it.”