Teven Valley Golf Course

Teven Valley Golf Course is a nine-hole boutique course. Located on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, a 20-minute drive south of Byron Bay, the course becomes part of its natural environment allowing players to enjoy and take in the stunning scenery of Teven Valley and was purchased in early 2016 by Curt Zuber.

Project planning

The 9-hole, 18- tee revamp was designed by Craig Perry, a professional Australian golfer. Construction of the course was put in the trusted hands of Superintendent Paul Gumbleton, a former Monash Country Club Superintendent, Bob Simmons, Assistant Superintendent of Kingston Heath for over 30 years and Arnie Garrigues, Assistance Superintendent from 2IC at Townsville Golf Club. This experienced team was hand selected to help create Zuber’s image of a sustainable and exciting course.

In the early stages of construction, there were plans in place to close the course until all nine holes were completely finished, however given Teven’s members love for playing at their serene landscape, a decision was made to keep the course open and to renovate the course one hole at a time.

A major component of the planning process of Teven Valley was to gain the support of the local Teven Valley community. The team wanted to ensure that the town was involved in the planning stages of the course, while ensuring that they were well informed of the steps that were going to be taken to make sure the course worked symbiotically with the surrounding ecosystem. Additionally, the team reached out to local land care and conservation groups for further advice and knowledge to ensure that the environment would remain as a top priority at all times throughout the construction. By taking these steps the team were able to gain further local knowledge of the lush tropical region and while going above and beyond to maintain the unique environmental integrity of Teven Valley.

Curt entrusted Paul to bring his vision of both a luxurious but tranquil course to life, handing over him the responsibility of making his vision a reality.

As the sustainability of the course has remained a top priority throughout planning, Paul needed to ensure that the turf variety chosen was going to not only look great but require less maintenance for an environmentally friendly option.

With these environmental concerns in mind, a decision was made to use Sir Grange Zoysia (BRF Zeon Zoysia) for the course’ fairway, roughs, green surrounds and tees. With TifEagle as the choice for the greens.

“Once Craig saw that Sir Grange was available, he said ‘If that’s available here in Australia, then that’s what we want’; Craig had played on it in the USA and loved it.” Paul Gumbleton said.

Sir Grange was chosen for this project due to its versatility to be used across the course when mown at different heights. The Zoysia exceeded the team’s expectations of a sustainable grass, due to the low inputs of fertiliser, water and chemicals required, less mowing and high drought and wear tolerance.

Project Stages

In order to be able to keep the course open for members and visitors, construction of the new course was broken up into two stages, the Eastern side and the Western side. During this time of construction, further environmental works were implemented, including revegetation and tree planting. A stunning new clubhouse was also built during this time. After all the labour and love put into the course by the team over a three-year period, the completed course is a standout.

In December 2020, the last rolls of the 74,500 square metres of new Sir Grange turf and 6,000 square metres of stolonised TifEagle greens was completed for this incredible project. The brand-new Clubhouse with beautifully scenic views looking down across the course, being the cherry on top for the completed development. Teven Valley Golf Course now sets the standards for environmentally conscious courses, while immersing its players into the lush landscape that is Teven Valley.

Results

Upon the completion of this project, golfers have been rushing to the course to experience the serene and luscious landscapes. The completed course has become a hit with both locals and visitors, resulting in the number of memberships growing dramatically.

Paul and the team’s hard work has paid off in making Teven Valley Golf Course a place where people can come to enjoy a high-quality course while providing the opportunity to explore the tropical region.

“I am really pleased that so many locals are considering the course a real gem for them and you can just feel the local community taking pride in it. This is part of their community and something that’s added to it. That’s the thing that’s surprised me and one of the things that I’m really proud of.” – Curt Zuber, Owner.