Andrew Green has cultivated quite a reputation as a restoration savant, overseeing the freshening of classic designs at legendary locales such as East Lake, Scioto, Inverness and Oak Hill.
Likewise, Mark Enderle has an impressive track record of breathing new life into private golf communities that failed to meet their potential. He and his Storied Development team infused their moxie and resources to bring about spectacular transformations at Boot Ranch in Texas and Talisker Club in Utah, along with The Grove outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
Andrew Green (left) and Mark Enderle
Both Green and Enderle had achieved notable status in their respective fields of expertise. But they wanted more. Missing from their résumés was an original creation carved from an undisturbed parcel of real estate where their creativity and imagination could spring forth from the land in a compelling fashion.
Therein lies the genesis of Firefly – a new private community 30 minutes south of Nashville in Spring Hill, Tennessee, encompassing more than 700 acres – that unveiled Green’s first original design in September to rave reviews.
Whereas most developments require the golf course architect to route the layout around predetermined home sites, Enderle took the opposite approach during his initial discussions with Green, presenting the designer with a blank canvas upon which he could deploy his creativity with no constraints.
“Our admonition to Andrew was for him not to worry about where the houses are,” Enderle said. “His job was to take the best 200 acres and make sure he built a great golf course. We’ll figure out where the houses are going to go afterwards. The golf needs to be as good as it can possibly be.”
And Green delivered in a spectacular way. The bold design of the signature championship course incorporates the rolling landscape cut from mature hardwood trees and native rock formations in a natural setting, featuring six different tee options while stretching to 7,325 yards. Likewise, a nine-hole short course was incorporated into the plans as an extension of Firefly’s family-friendly concept for residents.
“This had never happened to me before with other projects I’ve looked at in the past,” Green said. “The design challenge is usually figuring out how many lots could you get fronting the golf course. It’s a true testament to Mark and his entire team for understanding that when you build something that somebody wants to be a part of the rest takes care of itself.”
Firefly was created to be played with a firm and fast links-style approach rather than the traditional aerial attack commonly found in modern designs. Keen attention was given to subtle shaping of green contours and bunkering that offers a sense of timelessness from the outset.
After years of offering a fresh look to classic designs crafted by some of golf’s legendary artists, embarking on his first original concept brought about a fresh perspective for Green.
“There’s always gonna be critics that love or maybe question different things that you do in this business,” Green said. “But there was a sense of pride and accomplishment that I probably didn’t even fully realize what that meant until I teed it up on the first day. It was a cool opportunity to appreciate the journey that I’ve been on the last 25 years. Firefly sort of connects some of the dots of the things that I thought were important to bring to the site. Everything I have experienced and learned kind of came flowing out in the work that we did there.”
Firefly was created to be played with a firm and fast links-style approach rather than the traditional aerial attack commonly found in modern designs. Keen attention was given to subtle shaping of green contours and bunkering that offers a sense of timelessness from the outset.
“In some kind of crazy way, my past work actually taught me some restraint at Firefly,” Green said. “You don’t have to always be pushing for the biggest, greatest, boldest. A great golf experience is a collection of golf questions that engages you while feeling connected to the ground. I learned that in the last 20-plus years of doing restoration work, understanding why the greats of the game did the things they did.”
The gated community will see the first of several phases of home construction commence next summer, and club membership is mandatory for property owners. The plans are to create an unparalleled residential experience with a bevy of non-golfing amenities while also featuring an expansive practice area with three short-game greens and an 18,000-square-foot practice green as well as a learning center with Trackman technology and a SAM putting lab. The club will also provide a caddie program to accompany players around the walkable layout.
“This is the finest project I’ve ever done,” Enderle said. “People constantly ask me, ‘Why are you doing this project at 69 years old?’ I tell them, ‘Guys, what do you want me to do? Go play golf every day?’ I’m going to go shoot somewhere between 78 and 84, and frankly, that’s not a way to spend the rest of your life. I still have the energy and enjoy the challenges of building something special.”
With the backing of a deep-pocketed private-equity fund, Firefly has drawn widespread interest among those seeking someplace special to enjoy life. Eventually there will be the Base Camp facility with adult and family pools, a bowling alley, a playground and a music hall for singer-songwriter events. There will be a racquet sports complex and multiple dining options all encompassed into a comfortable ambiance of a Tennessee farmhouse.
“If you go back 30 years when I first started in the business, golf and hospitality were in two different worlds,” said Firefly general manager Todd Huizinga, a PGA professional who first connected with Enderle three decades ago while working on projects in Arizona. “Now they’ve merged into one, and so you have to provide world-class amenities. Firefly is a perfect location matched with a spectacular piece of land where the talents of a great designer in Andrew and a visionary leader like Mark are able to collaborate on a special creation.”