South Carolina state senator Dick Elliott, the owner of Eagle Nest Golf Club, compares course architects to homebuilders. If an architect and a builder do a good job, people become attached to their work, grateful for the creation of a product that brings joy over an extended period of time.

Elliott contracted with Hall of Fame architect Gene Hamm to build Eagle Nest in 1972, and the two developed an acquaintance that has spanned decades. Eagle Nest was one of the North Strand's first layouts and it stood the test time, maintaining popularity in golf's most competitive market.

Like a good home, a golf course needs the occasional update and Eagle Nest's time had come. There was never a question about who would get Elliott's first call.

"I called 'ol Gene Hamm to come out of retirement to come back and redo the Eagle Nest and bring a new character, a new charm to it," Elliott said of a project that kept the course closed from May 28 through its September 1 reopening.

That new charm included an overhaul of the course's greens complexes. Hamm reshaped all the greens and oversaw the installation of MiniVerde, one of the most popular new strands of bermuda grass. The MiniVerde emulates many of the properties of bentgrass but is better able to handle the South Carolina heat.

The remade greens have much more undulation in them, and Hamm reshaped the green-side traps to enhance the course's challenge.

"Every (green) that was old and original is new and innovative," Elliott said. "If you knew the old Eagle Nest, you've got a new learning curve because there is no putt on any green that is the same. They have more character and a lot more speed."

The project also included the reconstruction of several tees, most notably numbers  4, 8, 16, 17 and 18. Hamm toughened his original design by adding length to holes that were already billed the most difficult finish on the Grand Strand. The tees on 16 and 17 were moved back approximately 25 yards and the fairways re-cut, giving the Eagle Nest staff more options in how they want to set the course up.

A new championship tee was added on No. 18, lengthening the hole for golfer's that play from the tips and bringing a lake into play

"(The course) is very playable, very golfer friendly," Elliott said. "It can be set up where it's difficult, too. It probably has as much range as any course on the coast."

Eagle Nest is a 4-star course, according to Golf Digest's "Best Places to Play" guide, but the enhancements have improved a layout that has been a comfortable home for golfers visiting the Grand Strand for more than three decades.

"I think (Hamm) did a magnificent job recreating and making much better what was already a good product," Elliott said.