GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture
Twisted Gun Golf Club
Daryl "Turboe" Boe:
I may have found a new "Hidden Gem" and when I say "Hidden" I mean "Hidden"!!!! This one might nearly rival Sand Hills or Bandon for a "Destination" day based strictly on effort required to get there. Located in Wharncliffe, WV Twisted Gun is not only off the beaten path, at this time there is barely a path period to get there. The course is so remote, that in order to get golfers there they had to build their own road up to the mountian-top plateau to get there. They involved the WV DOT in the building process along the way, and have donated the finished road to the state to maintain as a state road. However as of yet the paperwork has not been approved to officially open the road. So for now the only access to the course is still through an active coal mine site. You park down the mountian in the mine parking lot and they shuttle you up to the course with a couple of mini-vans.
The course was built on the property of an operating coal mine. It is literally the top of a mountian that was cut off to create a fairly flat plateau on top of a mountian that when it is done will be nearly 2500 acres in size. They used the fill dirt and rock and molded it into a farily minimalist looking course. Many holes do give you a very links land feel, and the great percolation caused by building on top of Mine fill mean that even on a day where it had poured in the morning I found the course to be pretty firm (especially around and including the greens) and breezy on top of the mountian.
Other than the fact that you really have to be going there to get there it is a good golf course, and you cant beat the price 18 holes for $25, probably mid $30s with a cart. The design is credited to an architect named Mark Nicewonder who I believe is out of TX somewhere (can any Texas GCAers confirm or deny?) and although I didnt know what to expect out of an unknown name, he did an great job with the course.
Here are a couple pictures from my trip around Twisted Gun GC (sorry my web storage site makes these pictures so small, they are really great original pictures and these do not do justice to the scope and size of this property):
View from behind the Par 4 Fourth green. You can see the native grasses covering most of the property as well as some of the large stones randomly strewn across the property. You can see some of the current mine work on distant mountian peaks. This area when it is done will apparently be the corridor for the future Interstate I-73 which is supposed to run from around Detroit to Myrtle Beach. Obviously in 10 years this course will not be "off the beaten path" it will be a few miles off an interstate exit.
The par 5 12th showing some of the topography, and again the large expanses of native grasses that seperate most every hole.
Truely a "Hidden" gem, but maybe not for long, get there before everyone can. For further information on the course here is some information garnered from their website at www.twistedgungolf.com
The Twisted Gun Golf Course was built as a cooperative effort between Arch Coal’s Mingo Logan Coal Company, Premium Energy Corporation and Pocahontas Land Corporation. Mingo Logan is a mineral lessee of Pocahontas Land Corporation. Premium Energy Corporation is a contract mining company for Mingo Logan and operated a mountain top surface mine named the Low Gap Mine.
In 1995, Mingo Logan, Premium Energy and Pocahontas Land entered into agreements for the mining of the Low Gap Mine and, out of concern for the recreational needs of the surrounding area, jointly agreed to permit the mine’s post-mining land use as a golf course with the approval of the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection. The development of the Twisted Gun Golf Course was integrated into the normal mining reclamation process – and paid for through contributions from Arch Coal, Premium Energy, and Pocahontas Land on every ton of coal mined from the Low Gap Mine.
With the mining and final construction of the golf course complete, the public course opened for play in August 2002. Twisted Gun is a “links” style course, which is rare in Appalachia. It is positioned to take advantage of the prevailing winds. Until now, the West Virginia counties of Mingo, McDowell and Logan did not have an 18-hole golf course due to the great expense of course development in the region’s mountainous terrain. The course is under consideration for the proposed West Virginia Golf Trail.
The course was named “Twisted Gun,” after the Twisted Gun Gap that is 1-1/2 miles away. Legend has it that, in the late 1700s, two explorers were running from the Indians when one was mortally wounded. His partner took the second rifle and twisted the barrel between two trees in the gap to prevent the Indians from using it while he made his escape.
Here is a sample of the directions that they list on their website, this is the definition of remote. Especially when you consider that the directions start with Charleston, WV. Not exactly a crossroads of ease and convenience to get to.
Directions From Charleston and Points North of Gilbert:
*Take U.S. 119 South to Logan.
*Take the Logan Exit and turn left at the end of the ramp to State Route 73 East.
*Follow 73 East about two miles to the traffic light.
*At the traffic light go straight through the intersection to State Route 44 South.
*Follow 44 South about 15 miles to the intersection with U.S. 52.
*Turn right to U.S. 52 North and go down the mountain about ¾ mile.
*Make a sharp left to Beech Creek Road at the PSD water tank.
*Follow Beech Creek Road about 2 miles to the top of the mountain.
*At the top of the mountain, go left to Ben Creek Road.
*Follow Ben Creek Road about 3 miles. Turn right to the Mingo Logan Coal guardhouse where the large conveyor tube crosses the road.
*Park in the parking lot near the guardhouse and a shuttle will take you to the golf course.
WHEW!!!!!!!
Michael Whitaker:
Daryl - You are a piece of work!! How do you find these places? This place looks fantastic. I am constantly amazed by your range of golf travels... do you ever get time to sell any steel? When are we going to get together and play around here? Drop me a note when you've got the time.
Evan_Green:
What a great post Turboe- I am fascinated by that course- it looks like it is in very good condition for such a remote public course.
jg7236:
Mark Nicewonder is out of Texas. I read a article a few months ago on this entire project. If I recall right, Mr. Nicewonder isn't even a golf course architect nor does he practice golf course architecture. I forgot what type of business he is into. I do know that he did most of the design work over the phone fromTexas and the project manager for the construction company implemented his ideas in West Virginia. If I can dig up the article I will let you all know about the details on the entire project.
Daryl "Turboe" Boe:
Mike,
Ironically enough I actually have some potential sales calls that I can make in that part of the country. So I did so in the morning, then in the afternoon I searched out this course. At one point during the journey I thought it was not going to be worth the trouble, but I was wrong. So actually this met my motto of "Steel Salesman / Thrill Seeker"
I did not know that Nicewonder was not at all involved in the golf architecture business. I did hear that he had some kind of relation to one of the owners, but I thought he worked in that area of expertise. You are correct that the owners did most of the construction work themselves, and they did a very nice job. Much like Pete Dye Golf Club the owner being a coal mining company has all the necessary earth moving equipment (and then some), and reqisite knowledge on earthmoving and shaping. Nicewonder did the layout, etc. the put into reality.
Interesting.
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