Ninety-five degrees greeted me when I arrived in Nashville on Thursday. By Friday, I was playing Andrew Green’s Firefly in temperatures that began in the low 60s and fell into the 50s, with enough wind to give a round in Middle Tennessee an almost Scottish feel.

I had written a handful of articles about this property before making the trip. I knew the story behind Green’s first original design and had followed Firefly’s progress toward opening. Now I finally had a chance to play it.

Firefly was outstanding. And the part I keep coming back to is how much of the golf course I could see.

At several points during the round, I looked out across multiple holes and realized how much I enjoy that quality in a course. I could follow the shape of the hole we were playing, then look beyond it and see how other holes occupied the same landscape. My eye kept traveling beyond the next shot.

Green Gives the Land Room

Firefly, a private club in Spring Hill, south of Nashville, opened its courses over Labor Day weekend. It is still a very young place, with the golf operation continuing to establish itself. Yet the relationship between the holes and the land already feels remarkably settled.

Green deserves considerable credit for that. Looking across the property, I admired how comfortably his holes occupied the ground. The views were beautiful, certainly, but seeing several holes together also let me appreciate how he had fitted a golf course into this setting.

I could study a green complex up close, then look farther out and take in a much larger piece of his work. I came away admiring both the care around those individual greens and his use of the property as a whole.

Having Green there made the experience even better. He played several holes with each media group, including ours, giving us the opportunity to experience his first original design alongside him.

That is a particularly good reason to resist judging Firefly solely through the projects that preceded it. Green has an established reputation for his work on existing courses. Here, he had the opportunity to decide where the golf should go from the beginning, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing those decisions on the ground.

For a course that has only recently welcomed its members, Firefly felt unusually comfortable in its surroundings.

A Front Nine With Three of Everything

The front nine contains three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s. That distribution appealed to me, and the sequence makes it more interesting still: a par 4 to begin, then a par 3, a par 5, another par 3 and another par 5.

Green then finishes the outward nine with a par 4, par 3, par 5 and par 4. The longer holes keep arriving between the short ones, so there is no extended run of par 4s to settle into. I enjoyed that rhythm.

The variety worked well in Friday’s wind. I liked having three par 5s woven among the shorter holes, with no two consecutive holes sharing the same par.

The greens were firm, which I expected from a course so early in its life. I would want more time and more rounds before trying to describe how they will play as the course matures. Friday provided one experience under some fairly demanding conditions.

What I could judge was the thought behind the complexes. They were difficult, yes, and I found them fair. I enjoyed that combination, especially on a day when the weather was already asking plenty of us.

There is useful variety in how Green lets golfers approach those targets. At the seventh, the ground short of the green allows a ball to be worked in along the turf. The fourth presents a much more exacting little target, with a deep bunker and falling ground around the green.

Those are different problems, and they help explain my enthusiasm for the front nine. Its three par 3s have room to be individual holes. Green has given them different ways to occupy a golfer’s attention.

The 14th Was My Hole of the Day

The long par-5 14th was my favorite hole at Firefly. For golfers playing the appropriate tees, it struck me as the perfect combination of difficulty and fairness.

The drive climbs uphill, with bunkers down the left and ground that feeds from right to left. Beyond the rise, exposed rock gives the hole a rugged character. The second shot crosses a creek toward a landing area that rises to a plateau, followed by an angled, contoured green.

There is a lot of golf in that description. The longest hitters can entertain getting home in two, while most players will need three shots. What appealed to me was having so much to consider along the way: where to drive it, how to negotiate the creek and where to leave the approach.

For a player taking three shots, the second has a purpose beyond getting farther down the hole. The creek and the angle of the green give that shot consequences for the approach. That helped make the 14th feel fair to me: the player without the distance to reach in two still has a hole worth thinking through.

The 15th changes the pace with a short par 4 that offers the possibility of driving the green under the right conditions. Later, the downhill par-3 17th brings the ground into play again, with bumps short of the green that can help feed a running shot toward the target. The back nine gives golfers plenty beyond the long 14th, but that was the hole I would pick first to show someone what I enjoyed about Firefly.

Joe Hallett, Nick Dimengo and a Round Together

I also had the pleasure of playing with my old friend and fellow PGA Professional Joe Hallett, who has taken on the role of director of golf instruction at Firefly. Seeing Joe at this point in the club’s development was especially enjoyable. There is still so much being organized, and he gets to help establish the teaching operation as the membership begins experiencing the place.

I have known Joe long enough that playing a round with him would have been a pleasure anywhere. Getting to do it at Firefly, as he begins this role, made the visit that much more enjoyable.

Our group also included fellow Athlon Sports writer Nick Dimengo. Nick and I have known each other for about two years, but Friday was the first time we had actually met in person.

That sounds odd until you consider how many working relationships develop that way now. You know someone through the work long before you ever share a tee time. With Nick, the in-person introduction felt overdue.

Kindred spirits is probably the best way to describe it.

Between an old friend, a fellow writer I was finally meeting and the architect joining us for part of the round, I had wonderful company in which to get acquainted with Firefly. The cold and wind were very much part of the experience, but so were those relationships.

I did not play the nine-hole short course. From what I could see, it looked every bit as thoughtfully considered as the main course, although a look from nearby is only enough to make me curious. Those nine holes deserve a round of their own.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on RG.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.

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For Andrew Green, the opening of Firefly represents something more than the completion of a remarkable golf course. It is the realization of an ambition that began nearly three decades ago, when he entered Virginia Tech as a landscape architecture student with a singular goal: to design golf courses.

Today, after earning national acclaim for his restoration work at some of the game’s most storied venues, Green can look across the rolling landscape of Middle Tennessee and see his first original 18-hole championship course brought to life.

And by his own assessment, the result has exceeded the significance of simply reaching a career milestone.

“To see it in reality after thinking about drawing those lines, I mean, it’s an honor. It’s a dream come true,” Green reflected during a recent conversation at Firefly. “It’s an amazing opportunity to work with tremendous professionals who aren’t worried about anything but creating something great.”

A Golf Course Shaped by the Land

Green’s approach to Firefly began with a fundamental belief that has guided his work throughout his career: the most memorable golf courses emerge from the natural character of the land. Rather than imposing a predetermined design on the landscape, he studied the land’s contours, elevation changes and natural features to understand how the golf course should unfold.

At the heart of that vision was an elevated, expansive setting that would become the center of the community and the starting point for a journey across the property. From there, the routing began to reveal itself.

The terrain surrounding holes 3, 4 and 5 offered particularly compelling opportunities, as did the return toward the ninth and the distinctive landscape encompassing holes 12, 13 and 14. Together, these areas helped establish the rhythm and character of a course designed around returning nines.

“My job was to connect the dots with the ground and the dimensions that are available, to create the golf shots you’re going to experience and enjoy,” Green explained. “The greatest golf courses in the world do that.” It is a philosophy shaped by years of studying and restoring legendary courses, where the finest architectural decisions often appear so natural that golfers can scarcely imagine the land being used any other way.

At Firefly, Green had the rare opportunity to apply those lessons to an entirely new canvas.

Thirty Years of Experience, One Original Vision

Green’s reputation was built through the thoughtful restoration of historic courses, including Oak Hill, Congressional, Inverness, Interlachen and East Lake. His work has required an understanding of the architectural principles that made these venues exceptional, along with the discipline to honor their original design intent.

Firefly presented an entirely different creative opportunity.

“For me, working on these historic courses, it became this idea that the original design intent and the integrity of these places needed to be respected, not covered over,” Green shared. With an original design, however, he could draw upon those decades of experience while exploring ideas that had previously been constrained by the responsibility of preserving another architect’s work.

“Maybe there was some constrained enthusiasm and creativity that I hadn’t been able to tap into, because I’ve been trying to respect these amazing courses that I’ve been renovating and restoring.” The result is a course that reflects both the influence of golf’s great architectural traditions and Green’s own interpretation of how the game should be experienced. Yet he is quick to direct credit toward the land itself and the team responsible for bringing the vision to life.

That humility is evident in his assessment of the finished course. When recalling the development team’s original ambition to build the best golf course possible and allow everything else to follow, Green offered a simple conclusion:

“I think we did it.”

“The greatest success of any of this is for you to come have a ball, enjoy playing the game of golf, and want to come back and play it again,” he said. “That’s really what we‘re striving for.”

Eighteen Holes, Endless Possibilities

One of Green’s greatest priorities at Firefly was creating a course that would reward repeated play. Rather than relying solely on dramatic features or visual spectacle, he sought to introduce strategic choices, variety and an element of discovery that would make each round feel different. Central to that approach are greens with distinct personalities, carefully considered contours and hole locations that influence how golfers approach each shot.

“Greens with a lot of personality, but not overcooked, is certainly something we strive for here,” Green said. “You can play this golf course every day for a month and I don’t think you’re going to experience the same thing, because the hole locations matter.”

Wind, weather, approach angles and the quality of a player’s previous shot all contribute to the experience. A hole that offers a birdie opportunity one day may present a far more demanding challenge the next. For Green, that variety is essential to the enduring appeal of a great golf course. Equally important is the sequence of the holes and the way individual moments build into a memorable round.

He is particularly enthusiastic about holes 6 through 9, which he believes will surprise golfers who have experienced only portions of the course during preview play. “I’m incredibly pleased with how those turned out,” he shared.

And while Green resists naming a single favorite hole, he acknowledges that the 14th stands apart.

“It’s undeniable that the complexity, beauty, and dynamics of the 14th are probably as unique as anything out here.” His greater hope is that golfers will finish their rounds with different favorites, each having discovered something that resonates personally.

The Beauty of a Challenge

Green believes memorable golf should inspire a full range of emotions, including the occasional moment of apprehension. The fourth hole, a short par 3 featuring a formidable right-side bunker, offers a particularly vivid example.

Designed to make golfers think carefully about their shot selection, the bunker presents a recovery challenge that Green readily admits is exceptionally difficult.

“The number one goal is: don’t hit it there,” he said with a laugh.

But the difficulty serves a larger purpose. For the player who manages to escape the bunker and save par, the accomplishment becomes a lasting memory.

“If you hit it in that bunker and you make a 3, it’s going to live with you.”

That philosophy extends across Firefly’s collection of par 3s, each designed with a different personality, length and strategic challenge. For Green, these moments of risk, reward and occasional frustration are part of what gives a golf course its character. Over time, they become the experiences golfers recount with friends, the shots they remember and the challenges they look forward to attempting again.

It is how a new golf course begins to develop a history of its own.

“The number one goal is: don’t hit it there,” he said with a laugh.

A Short Course with a Big Role to Play

While the championship course represents a defining achievement in Green’s career, Firefly’s nine-hole short course holds an equally important place in his vision for the community. Conceived as a lively, welcoming setting for golfers of varying ages and abilities, the short course was designed to offer a different kind of experience while maintaining the same architectural thoughtfulness found on the championship layout.

“As for the short course, it was important that it be a hub of activity and energy: a park some days, a serious golf course some days, but a place where you can appreciate being outside and have a low-stress golf experience.” That flexibility is central to its appeal.

For experienced golfers, the short course offers opportunities to sharpen their skills, experiment with different shots and enjoy spirited competition. For beginners, younger players and families, it provides an approachable introduction to the game in a relaxed setting. But Green is emphatic that accessibility should never come at the expense of quality.

“It’s not just nine holes of stuff. There are legitimate, strategic, fun, dynamic golf shots on it.”

The short course is intended to become a natural gathering place within Firefly, where a quick round can be as much about enjoying the company and the setting as it is about the score. In many ways, it reflects a broader vision for Firefly itself: a private club community where golf is exceptional, but the enjoyment of time spent together is equally important.

The Beginning of Something Enduring

For all the thought, expertise and ambition invested in Firefly, Green understands that a golf course is never truly finished on opening day. Courses mature. Playing conditions evolve. Golfers discover new strategies, and architects learn from the ways their designs are experienced over time.

That evolution is part of the game’s appeal. What matters most to Green is whether Firefly delivers the qualities that have distinguished great golf courses for generations: a natural relationship with the landscape, compelling strategic choices, memorable holes and an enduring desire to return.

“The greatest success of any of this is for you to come have a ball, enjoy playing the game of golf, and want to come back and play it again,” he said. “That’s really what we’re striving for.”

For an architect whose career has been devoted to preserving the character and legacy of historic courses, Firefly represents the opportunity to create something that will develop a legacy of its own. The first rounds have begun. The course is revealing its personality. And with every memorable shot, spirited match and shared afternoon, a new chapter in Green’s architectural career is taking shape.

For Andrew Green, Firefly is a dream realized. For those who will play it for generations to come, the experience is just beginning.

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Mark Enderle’s professional strength and breadth of experience is in the development of private residential communities. He has a long and successful history across multiple classes of real estate – including development, sales and marketing, and private club operations.

From 2015-2018, Storied Development bought two communities, Boot Ranch and Talisker Club. Today both of these communities have been extraordinarily successful with the majority of the homesites sold and the Clubs on solid financial footing. Most recently, in 2024, Storied Development acquired 750 acres of beautiful raw land outside of Nashville, TN to develop Firefly – a community built around an Andrew Green golf course.

The Enderle Journey
My love for the game of golf began on my 12th birthday, when my mother dropped me and a collection of friends off to play at a local par 3. It seemed like an open venue to us as we navigated our way around the course with no idea what we were doing.

From that day forward, my sole purpose was to find a way to play more golf. While a decent overall athlete, my greatest passion and most satisfying success came on the golf course. It was a place where I could play with friends, but also a place that brought our family together. My siblings got so tired of hearing about golf that they just admonished me to just build golf courses for a living.

Never good enough to play in college, my passion remained. After school, going to work for a then Big 8 accounting firm, it became clear that golf was integral to my success. The relationships built on the golf course can lead to greater success in the business world. Ultimately, this passion led me to leave the accounting world to work for a community developer whose communities featured golf as one of its primary amenities.

It was here that I learned that two groups of people made money in this business – you either had to develop the project or be on the line selling real estate.

It was at this point that I transitioned from the financial side to being focused on selling the developer’s product. Everything from memberships to homesites and built product, it became clear that golf was a great qualifier for the customer’s financial ability to buy real estate. It was this realization that led me to be singularly focused on only the highest-end luxury communities. This focus has served me well and after the 2008 global financial crises, allowed me to develop relationships with private equity groups to partner with on the highest profile communities in their individual marketplaces.

Today, our success in each of the communities we have developed has revolved around creating lifestyles that our buyers want — nobody needs what we sell, they only have to want it for us to be successful.

What was the genesis for Firefly?
Nashville is a severely under-served golf market with a vibrant growing population. Having developed another successful community in the area, we were very familiar with the opportunity and found the perfect piece of land for golf, homes and a collection of amenities for everyone in the family.

How was the name chosen for the property?
Everything we do revolves around the family. When we thought back about our childhoods, growing up in a relatively rural setting like Firefly, some of our best memories revolved around our time with family in the evening chasing fireflies. It just speaks to everything special about the site.

What was the tipping point in selecting Andrew Green for the project?
We have had a long history working with golf course architects and to be able to get someone on the verge of becoming one of the finest architects of his time and still get the personal attention Andrew offers was unprecedented. We also wanted to build a golf course that harkened back to the golden age of golf, so who better to deliver that vision.

What specific aspects of his design will differentiate itself at Firefly?
When Andrew visited the site he had the same initial impression we did. The golf course was just lying there waiting to be developed. Specifically, we wanted to be able to play the ball on the ground, and Andrew had the perfect answer. Two-inch drainage in native soils made for a firm and fast surface and protected the Bermuda grass from the very cold temperatures we are susceptible to in Middle Tennessee. There are very few golf courses in this part of Tennessee that deliver this experience. Further, Andrew’s green shapes allow for very fast firm putting surfaces, which is a basic requirement for any golf course we develop.

What makes the immediate Nashville / Franklin area ripe for such a project?
As noted above, Nashville is a very desirable destination for people all over the country. The private club opportunities for communities of Firefly’s quality are very limited.

Who is your prospective member?
There are several buyer pools that we attract.

• The move-up buyer wanting something better than their current club or neighborhood
• The soon to move-in buyer looking for a place to land in the Nashville area.
• The recent Nashville area resident who has not been able to gain membership in similar quality clubs in the area.

A truly engaging club has a clear vibe. What kind of vibe are you looking to create at Firefly?
We are a family first community. We understand clearly the dichotomy between the old line traditional clubs and the newer more vibrant “make your own rules” clubs.

Our goal is to create a place where the level of service and quality of amenities line up with the newer clubs and recognizes the needs of the younger buyers while also respecting the traditions of the game and the values of the older members.

You’ve been personally involved in a number of past projects where golf and housing are joined together. What have you learned previously when golf and housing are joined together and what do you see happening that will ensure success for both elements at Firefly?

Recognizing that people who live in the community are far more invested in the success of the club and community than the traditional drive-in member.

We have to be good at every aspect of the club lifestyle so that the people living here understand and feel the tangible benefit of living where you play. It is particularly important today when so many of our owners and members work from home and life is truly centered around their community.

From a personal level – when you come to a property that provides golf and housing, what’s the first thing you notice?
There is an old saying in our world – “people make the party”.

If we are successful, our members and residents will find their lives enriched by the people they live and play with on a daily basis.

Clubs routinely talk about customer service. Define the term and the approach you will be implementing at Firefly?
I have heard the analogy that these communities are resorts where the guests never check out.

That is a blessing and a curse. We ask ourselves every day, how do we keep our residents’/members’ experience fresh and enjoyable?

What’s the most noticeable difference in your experience between those from the Baby Boomer generation and those now entering the scene who are looking to join a golf / housing project?
This difference in age comes with a corresponding difference is attitudes. I think the operative words we work hard on is understanding and respect.

Understanding the differences and revel in them while always respecting different people’s approach to how they live life.

If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally — what would it be and why?
I don’t think there is anything about the game that concerns me. To many of the points above, it is attitudinal. Golf is unique for the rules and traditions.

We need to preserve those, and I think they are being challenged on a variety of levels. LIV, No rules for golf etiquette, etc. is worrisome to me. Probably can’t change it, but my challenge is balancing it in a way that preserves the game’s integrity.

Biggest challenges facing Firefly – short and long term are what?
We touched on it earlier, but delivery of service is what keeps me awake at night.

Anticipating owner/member needs and meeting expectations. Anyone can build a great golf course or a great building, but creating culture both early on and for the long term is tough.

What specific game plan are you looking to implement that deals with each situation?
I have learned over the years, that service is people. We have a very detailed plan for who we hire, how we train our staff, and how we educate our members to understand the vision and goals of the community.

Best advice you ever received. What was it and who was it from?
“Do the right thing and the money will take care of itself”. This wasn’t from one person, but was gleaned from my parents, my spiritual leaders and from experience.

And in this advice “money” has many meanings, it’s more what I get from the decisions I make.

The post The Enderle Story appeared first on Firefly.

Both the 18-hole main course and the nine-hole short course have opened at Firefly, a new community in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The courses were the first original designs by architect Andrew Green, and they sit some 30-minute drive south of Nashville. 

Firefly encompasses 700 rolling acres in all, and 150 homesites have sold since 2025. Construction of club amenities is moving quickly, with the Fieldhouse, golf shop and Outpost scheduled to open in the spring of 2027. Eventually the community will include a clubhouse, pools, a bowling alley, a music hall, a racquet club and more. 

Firefly is being built by Storied Development in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital. Homesites are priced from $700,000 to more than $2 million, and home construction is expected to begin in 2027.

Green built the main 18-hole golf course with a focus on the land’s natural movement, a premium on strategic angles and thoughtful shotmaking, and contour-rich greens. The course can be set up from 4,860 yards up to 7,300. 

The short course features holes that range from 70 to 210 yards long. Firefly also offers an expansive range, 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.

“Firefly represents the opportunity every architect hopes for, the freedom to study a remarkable piece of land and let its character guide the golf,” Green said in a media release announcing the courses’ opening. “Our goal was to create a course that feels discovered rather than imposed, with strategy and variety that reward thoughtful play while remaining welcoming to all golfers.”

The courses, which were built with walking in mind, opened to members Friday, September 3rd.

“Opening Firefly’s golf courses over this Labor Day weekend is a defining moment for our members and the culmination of years of vision, collaboration and exacting work,” Storied Development partner Mark Enderle said in the media release. “Andrew Green and his team have created something timeless and truly of this land.”

The post New Private Club Opens Golf Courses Near Nashville appeared first on Firefly.

There comes a moment when drawings yield to dirt, ideas become landscapes, and a vision reveals itself one walk at a time. For Firefly, that moment has arrived.

South of Nashville, where Middle Tennessee’s hills roll gently toward the horizon, fairways now settle naturally into the land. Native grasses sway where construction stakes once stood. Members gather over breakfast before stepping onto a course few have seen, yet one that already feels as though it has always belonged here.

This September, Firefly will open Andrew Green’s first original championship golf course—a milestone not only for one of golf’s most respected architects, but for a community that has quietly taken shape with uncommon patience.

From the beginning, Firefly was never intended to be simply another golf development. Its promise was broader: to create a private club where championship golf, family life, genuine hospitality, and the rhythms of the Tennessee countryside exist together with equal importance. “From the beginning, our goal was never simply to build another golf community,” says Mark Yarborough, partner at Storied Development. “We wanted to create a place families would choose for generations, where remarkable golf is only one part of a richer way of living.”

The land itself made that vision possible. Just thirty minutes south of Nashville and a short drive from historic Franklin, Firefly occupies a landscape where hardwood forests, open meadows, and long ridgelines remain largely untouched. The city is close enough for dinner, music, or business, yet once inside the gates, another pace takes over. Mornings begin quietly, and evenings linger longer.

That sense of place has drawn families from across the country, choosing to become part of Firefly long before the course officially opened. They are investing in more than homesites; they are joining a community while its traditions are still being written. This spring and summer, those traditions began with golf.

During a series of Preview Play events, members experienced Andrew Green’s course for the first time. The rounds revealed a design that feels inseparable from its surroundings, with broad movement across the hills, thoughtful strategy, and a walk that rewards careful observation as much as careful play. “The land told us what it wanted to become,” Green says. “Our responsibility was to listen. The most memorable courses don’t overpower a landscape—they reveal it.”

For Green, whose celebrated restorations include Oak Hill, Congressional, Inverness, East Lake, and Interlachen, Firefly represents a different kind of accomplishment. “A great golf course should ask players to think while inviting them to enjoy the walk,” he says. “Every round should reveal something new. That’s what we’ve tried to create at Firefly.”

Yet some of the most memorable moments during the Preview Play happened after the scorecards were tucked away. Breakfast conversations stretched beyond tee times; lunch became an introduction to future neighbors; families wandered the property, imagining holidays, weekends, and traditions still to come. The club that had existed for years in imagination suddenly felt incredibly real.

This fall marks another turning point. As the championship course officially opens, Firefly’s first member amenities continue to rise alongside it. The Golf Shop will welcome each day’s first tee times. The Fieldhouse, overlooking the practice grounds, is designed to become the club’s everyday living room—a place for breakfast before a round, family dinners after sunset, lessons with instructors, and lingering conversations that have little to do with golf. Along the course, the Outpost will offer a welcoming pause for food, refreshments, and fellowship.

Each addition reflects the same philosophy that shaped the course itself: thoughtful, enduring, and built for generations rather than seasons. Someday Firefly will feel fully established. Fairways will mature. Homes will settle into the landscape. Children will grow up believing these hills have always held a golf course and a community.

Today offers something different. It offers the rare privilege of watching Firefly’s promise come into its own. The fairways are ready. The gathering places are taking shape. Friendships are already forming. And somewhere between the first walk across the land and the generations still to come, Firefly is becoming exactly what it was always meant to be.

The post The Vision Becomes Reality at Firefly appeared first on Firefly.

By Joe Passov

Ahead of the 2024 edition of the PGA Tour finale, Andrew Green revamped and restored many of East Lake Golf Club’s Donald Ross characteristics. Yet, East Lake was not a Donald Ross original design, but a Ross redesign of another architect’s work.

Although Ross is most renowned for his original creations, such as Seminole, Oak Hill (East), Oakland Hills (South), and Pinehurst (No. 2), he was also prolific in renovating existing courses. In some cases, he remodeled, in others he added bunkers, individual holes, or even entirely new nines.

Of the top 10 Donald Ross golf course redesigns cited by Links Magazine, three are notable Andrew Green redesigns, with another Andrew Green redesign in progress.

East Lake Golf Club—Atlanta, Ga.
Tom Bendelow crafted Bobby Jones’s home course in 1908 and even though it was scuttled in 1913 when Jones was 11, Jones remembered it well: “It was sort of a strange layout as golf courses go, because it only had two par-three holes, the first and the third. The rest were short par fours and fives.” Donald Ross completely redesigned the course from 1913–15, George Cobb “modernized” it in 1959–60, and Rees Jones renovated it in 1994. Andrew Green restored the Ross to East Lake in 2023–24. One holdover on today’s Tour Championship course is the ancient peninsula green at the current par-three 15th—it served the par-five 16th on the Bendelow course. After discovering an aerial from 1949, Green was able to re-create many of the Ross greens, including shapes and contours, as well as much of the bunkering.

Inverness Club—Toledo, Ohio
Originally, Inverness was a 9-hole course of 3,098 yards designed in 1903 by successful English professional Bernard Nichols (more often spelled Nicholls) who on five occasions placed in the U.S. Open top 10 between 1897 and 1907. Nichols had defeated Donald Ross in a match at Pinehurst in 1902, earning $500 in the process. Ross got his revenge, however. In 1916, Inverness summoned him to completely revamp what had become an 18-hole layout, utilizing some newly acquired land to the south. In time, Inverness would host four U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, and the 2021 Solheim Cup. It will host the U.S. Women’s Open in early June 2027 and will again be the venue for the men’s U.S. Open in 2045. An Andrew Green restoration in 2016–18—with additional tweaks in 2024—has transformed Inverness into the course that Ross would easily recognize.

Interlachen Country Club—Edina, Minn.
Initially a William Watson design from 1911, Interlachen was completely redesigned in 1919 by Donald Ross. It achieved early renown as the venue for the 1930 U.S. Open, won by Bobby Jones in his Grand Slam year, when Gene Sarazen declared that among championship layouts, only Oakmont was tougher. Interlachen’s small ridges, cunningly placed bunkers, and vexing greens provided sufficient challenge at the 1993 Walker Cup, 2002 Solheim Cup, and at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open, but some of the teeth and design flourishes had vanished over time. Enter restoration specialist Andrew Green. At the conclusion of Green’s work in 2024, Interlachen looked as if Ross had done it himself. Green yanked out trees, widened landing areas, restored bunker complexes, and expanded greens to their original dimensions. Green also created or re-positioned a half-dozen greens, all in vintage Ross style. Interlachen’s restored Ross features will be on display when it hosts the 2030 U.S. Women’s Open.

Skokie Country Club—Glencoe, Ill.
Pioneer architect Tom Bendelow crafted the first version of Skokie in 1905, but that layout yielded to a much better routed track by Donald Ross in 1915. That’s the course where 20-year-old Gene Sarazen took the 1922 U.S. Open title on the strength of a final-round 68 for a 288 total, that included a two-putt birdie at 18, for a one-shot victory over Bobby Jones and John Black. Remarkably, the club elected to extensively remodel its Donald Ross U.S. Open course in the 1930s. William Langford of Langford & Moreau did the redesign and kept just six of the Ross holes. Most memorable is the 228-yard par-three 12th, which demands a carry over water to green perched eight feet above the water. There is a bailout short-left, but a miss short or short-right faces a vexing, steeply uphill shot from dense rough.

Charlotte Country Club—Charlotte, N.C.
Donald Ross didn’t design this venerable venue from scratch; rather, his work was a 9-hole addition in 1915, a redesign in 1925 when he converted the sand putting surfaces to grass, and a further renovation in 1942. Fred Laxton, a three-time Carolina Amateur champ, sculpted the first nine in 1910. Charlotte has played host to four USGA National Championships, including the 1972 U.S. Amateur, then held at stroke play, and won by Vinny Giles over Ben Crenshaw and Mark Hayes. It also hosted the 2000 Senior Amateur, the 2010 Women’s Amateur when Danielle Kang memorably bested Jessica Korda 2 and 1, and the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur. A restoration and renovation project from Andrew Green is in progress.

Seaview (Bay Course)—Galloway, N.J.
Donald Ross remodeled this Hugh Wilson (of Merion fame) design in 1914–15 that edges marshy Reeds Bay and delivers splendid vistas of the Atlantic City skyline. While some sources credit Wilson for the design and Ross for merely adding the bunkers, the consensus gives more due to Ross overall, including how the final set of greens turned out, which were larger, with more mounding, than what remains today. Parts of the Bay paired with its Pines sibling to host the 1942 PGA Championship, won by Sam Snead, and while only 6,366 yards, par 71 from the tips, the Bay is strong enough to test the best at the LPGA Tour’s annual ShopRite LPGA Classic, where winners include Juli Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, and Lexi Thompson.

Union League Golf Club at Torresdale—Philadelphia, Pa.
In February 2022, Andrew Green signed on to restore the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale in Philadelphia, a club with a convoluted history. Formed in 1921 by the merger of two 9-hole courses, Torresdale Country Club and Frankford Country Club, the course was redesigned by Donald Ross in 1921. Thereafter, it was known as Torresdale-Frankford Country Club, until its purchase and renaming by the Union League of Philadelphia in 2014. Located a mere 12 miles from downtown Philadelphia, it’s hemmed in by city boundaries, but packs a ton of golf into its 6,609-yard, par-70 layout, including the triple trouble of holes 6, 7, and 8. The 8th is the hardest and best of all, calling for a straight drive of no more than 329 yards to the end of the fairway, followed by a long approach over a slender water hazard that cuts across the fairway 30 yards short of the green.

Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (Old Course)—Bedford, Pa.
Tucked away in bucolic Bedford, a 90-minute straight shot east of Pittsburgh, Bedford Springs reopened in 2007 after a two-year effort led by restoration specialist Ron Forse. The course incorporates the design stylings of Spencer Oldham, who crafted the resort’s original 18 in 1895; A.W. Tillinghast, who renovated the course in 1912, cutting it back to nine holes; and Donald Ross, who added back nine holes and retooled the existing nine in 1923. Its hilly opening and closing stretches pair with Shober’s Run, a Gold Medal trout stream visible or in play on 12 holes, to render this 6,785-yard, par-72 track sufficiently testing for the modern game. But with 11 restored Ross routings, four from Tillinghast, and three from Oldham, at a resort that dates to 1796, purists just might be tempted to haul out the hickories.

Augusta Country Club—Augusta, Ga.
While Augusta’s oldest club dates to 1899, the design of its present golf course is attributable to its head progressional at the time, Scotsman David Ogilvie, who delivered the layout in 1909. Donald Ross was very busy in Georgia from 1925 to 1928, and Augusta Country Club enlisted him to revamp their layout in 1926–27. Understandably overshadowed by its Masters-hosting neighbor, Augusta National, Augusta C.C. makes several top 100 lists on its own, thanks to similar elevation change and a risk/reward par five, the 8th, that tangles with Rae’s Creek.

Omni Homestead Resort & Spa (Old Course)—Hot Springs, Va.
Golf at The Homestead goes back to the 1890s, and the venerable resort has long asserted that the first hole on its Old course employs the oldest first tee in continuous use in America, dating to 1892. By most accounts, the earliest course was six holes and was expanded to a full 18 by Donald Ross in 1912. William Flynn revised the Old in 1923, around the time he created the resort’s new Cascades course, and Rees Jones did additional renovation in the 1990s. At 6,099 yards, par 72, the Old is short on length but long on character, replete with hills amid the backdrop of the densely forested Allegheny Mountains. Most memorable is the 171-yard par-three 18th which boasts a handsome view of the Omni Homestead’s famous Kentucky redbrick clock tower rising through the trees.

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Previously, Hallett served as Director of Instruction at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. A Nashville-area resident for the past 18 years, he has become one of the region’s most respected golf instructors. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Learning and Performance for the PGA of America and as General Manager, Director and Lead Instructor at the PGA Center for Learning & Performance in Port St. Lucie, Florida. A longtime member of the PGA of America’s Education Faculty, Hallett has spent decades advancing golf education through his involvement with numerous PGA committees, including the PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit, where he has served as emcee for the past three events. Throughout his career, he has mentored hundreds of PGA Professionals while coaching golfers ranging from beginners to the world’s top touring professionals. His contributions to the profession earned him the PGA Professional Development Award (formerly the Horton Smith Award) in 2018 and PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year honors in 2024.

“Joe’s reputation as one of golf’s premier instructors, combined with his leadership, passion for teaching, and ability to connect with golfers of all skill levels, makes him an outstanding addition to Firefly,” said Mark Enderle, Partner, Storied Development. “He will play a pivotal role in shaping the golf experience and culture that will define our community,” said Enderle.

Widely recognized as one of golf’s premier instructors, Hallett is a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Instructor, Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor and Golf Range Magazine Top 50 Instructor. His instruction and commentary have been featured on NBC, CBS, TBS, GOLF Channel and SiriusXM Radio, as well as in national publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The New York Times. Hallett has coached numerous LPGA Tour players, including former World No. 1 Stacy Lewis, major champions Maja Stark, Lexi Thompson and Inbee Park, Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, and many other accomplished professionals. His students have gone on to earn Rolex Player of the Year honors, major championships, Vare Trophies, Solheim Cup captaincies and appearances, and numerous career-best performances.

“The addition of Joe to our team will further elevate the member experience both on and off the course,” said Todd Huizinga, General Manager, Firefly. “His depth of experience, combined with his passion for making the game enjoyable and accessible for players of all levels makes him an exceptional instructor, and we know he will be a tremendous asset to our members.”

“Mark Enderle and Todd Huizinga have provided an incredible opportunity for me to share the experience and knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career in golf,” said Hallett. “I’m excited to bring that experience to a great team and community, help players enjoy the game more, and create memorable experiences on the course.”

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For Firefly, that story is especially meaningful.

After years spent restoring some of America’s most celebrated golf venues, Green is now helping shape the identity of an entirely new private club community in Spring Hill, Tennessee—one that is redefining luxury golf living just south of Nashville.

From Preserving History to Creating It

Green’s reputation has been built through the thoughtful restoration of some of the game’s most revered properties, including Oak Hill Country Club, East Lake Golf Club, Congressional Country Club, Inverness Club and Interlachen Country Club.

As Elliott notes in Athlon Sports, restoration requires a unique combination of research, restraint and respect for the original architect’s vision. Green has become widely respected for his ability to modernize championship venues while preserving their architectural character and strategic integrity.

But Firefly presents a different challenge.

Rather than uncovering someone else’s intent, Green is creating his own from the ground up.

Firefly’s Golf Experience at the Heart of the Community

Located on approximately 700 acres in Spring Hill, Firefly is being developed by Storied Development in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital. The private club community is designed around a comprehensive lifestyle vision that combines championship golf, wellness, recreation, dining and family-focused amenities.

At the center of that vision is Green’s golf architecture.

The community’s 18-hole championship course and 9-hole short course are scheduled to open in fall 2026, creating a golf experience that must serve multiple audiences while remaining true to the principles of great design.

The challenge is substantial.

The golf must appeal to accomplished players who appreciate strategic architecture while remaining accessible to families, juniors, newcomers and members seeking a more relaxed round. Whether it’s a competitive round on the championship course, a quick loop on the short course, an evening walk, or a family golf outing, the experience must feel cohesive and inviting.

Green’s background makes him uniquely qualified for the assignment.

His restoration work has consistently emphasized width, strategic options, natural landforms, walkability and thoughtful shot values—qualities that resonate with modern golfers while remaining rooted in timeless design principles.

At Firefly, those lessons can be applied without the constraints of an existing historical blueprint.

A Defining Moment for Modern Private Golf

One of the most compelling observations from Elliott’s Athlon Sports article is the contrast between Firefly and Kawonu.

While Kawonu represents the emerging trend of highly exclusive, golf-only destinations, Firefly reflects another powerful movement in private club development: the luxury lifestyle community anchored by exceptional golf.

The distinction matters.

Firefly is not simply building a golf course. It is creating a community where golf serves as the foundation for a broader lifestyle experience. Alongside Green’s courses, members will enjoy a clubhouse, wellness facilities, family-focused amenities, dining venues, racquet sports, indoor pickleball, pools, golf simulators, bowling and miles of outdoor recreation opportunities.

The golf course becomes more than an amenity—it becomes the community’s defining element.

What Golfers Should Watch

As Firefly moves toward its 2026 opening, golfers and architecture enthusiasts will have an opportunity to see how Green’s philosophy translates into original design.

The real story is not simply that these are among Green’s first major original projects.

It’s that they represent the culmination of decades spent studying some of golf’s greatest courses and learning firsthand what makes them endure.

Great golf architecture is rarely about spectacle alone. It is about creating memorable decisions, rewarding creativity, embracing the natural land and encouraging golfers to return again and again.

Those principles have guided Green’s restoration work for years.

Now, at Firefly, they have the opportunity to define something entirely new.

As Elliott observed, Firefly and Kawonu may ultimately help shape the next generation of private golf. For Firefly, that means demonstrating how a world-class golf experience can serve as the soul of a luxury community—bringing together architecture, recreation and family life in a way that feels both timeless and distinctly modern.

For Andrew Green, it marks a new chapter.

For Firefly, it marks the beginning of a remarkable one.

Source reference: Brendon Elliott, “Andrew Green’s Next Chapter Arrives With Two Very Different New Golf Courses,” Athlon Sports.

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Every great golf community reaches a point when the vision on paper begins to feel real.

For Firefly, that moment is now.

The 700-acre private golf community in Spring Hill, Tennessee, is moving beyond renderings and development plans into its next phase of growth. With strong homesite sales, key leadership hires, construction of major amenities underway, and Andrew Green’s highly anticipated golf courses progressing toward a fall 2026 opening, Firefly is transitioning from concept to community.

For golf enthusiasts, the story began with Green’s first original golf course design. Today, the story is becoming much bigger.

Firefly Is Becoming More Tangible

Located approximately 30 minutes south of Nashville and 15 minutes from Franklin, Firefly occupies a prime position within one of the fastest-growing luxury residential markets in the Southeast.

Middle Tennessee has become a destination for families, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, and second-home buyers seeking a lifestyle that balances privacy, recreation, and proximity to a thriving metropolitan area. Firefly was designed to meet that demand through a private, gated community centered on golf, outdoor living, wellness, and family experiences.

The market’s response has been impressive.

Firefly sold more than 80 homesites during its initial 45-day release period. Momentum has continued, with 48 homesites sold in May alone, generating $47 million in sales. To date, the community has recorded 126 homesite sales totaling more than $112 million.

While sales figures alone do not define the success of a club community, they demonstrate a strong belief in Firefly’s vision.

The next challenge is execution.

The initial spotlight focused heavily on Andrew Green and his transition from acclaimed restoration architect to original-course designer. As construction advances, however, Firefly is becoming more than a golf architecture story. It is becoming a fully realized private club community preparing to welcome its first members.

Golf Still Drives the Entire Vision

Although Firefly’s amenity offerings are extensive, golf remains the foundation of the community.

The property will feature an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole short course, both designed by Green. Together, they create a golf experience that serves multiple generations and playing styles.

The championship course will be the architectural centerpiece, designed to challenge skilled players through strategy, thoughtful shot values, and long-term replayability. It is expected to reflect many of the design principles Green has championed throughout his restoration work—width, angles, natural movement, and strategic decision-making.

The short course brings a different dimension to the member experience.

Far more than a supplemental amenity, short courses have become some of the most popular gathering spaces in modern private clubs. They create opportunities for family play, junior golf, casual competitions, short-game practice, and relaxed evening rounds.

At Firefly, the combination of championship golf and a highly accessible short-course experience creates what may become one of the community’s defining strengths.

Rather than offering a single golf experience, Firefly is building a complete golf ecosystem.

The Amenity Village Begins to Take Shape

Beyond the golf courses, Firefly is preparing to begin construction on several of its central community facilities.

The Fieldhouse, Outpost, and Golf Shop—designed by the renowned architecture firm Swaback—will be the first visible elements of a broader amenity village planned for the community.

The concept reflects a growing trend among leading private club developments. Today’s members want more than a traditional clubhouse. They seek multiple gathering spaces that support different lifestyles and activities throughout the day.

Firefly’s planned amenities include:

• Clubhouse and dining venues
• Fitness and wellness center
• Family club
• Adult and family pools
• Bowling alley
• Golf simulators
• Racquet club with tennis and padel courts
• Indoor pickleball facilities
• Walking and recreation trails

Current homesites range from approximately $700,000 to more than $2 million, with home construction expected to begin in 2027. Once complete, Firefly is projected to include roughly 400 residences.

The golf course may establish the community’s identity, but the surrounding amenities will ultimately determine how members experience Firefly every day.

New Golf Leadership Signals Long-Term Intent

As opening day approaches, Firefly has also begun assembling the leadership team that will help define the club’s culture.

Aaron Levinson has joined Firefly as Director of Golf, bringing experience from Congressional Country Club, where he served as PGA Head Golf Professional. Ashley Hylton has been named Head Golf Professional after previously holding the same position at Spring Island Club in South Carolina.

These appointments represent more than operational staffing.

At a new private club, the founding golf professionals help establish traditions, member expectations, instructional programs, family engagement initiatives, and the overall personality of the golf operation.

Great architecture and beautiful facilities create the stage.

Leadership creates the experience.

By investing in accomplished golf professionals early, Firefly is demonstrating a commitment to building a strong club culture from day one.

From Architectural Promise to Member Experience

When Firefly first entered the national golf conversation, Andrew Green’s first original design was the headline.

That remains a significant part of the story.

But today, the project is entering a new phase.

The challenge is no longer simply designing and constructing golf courses. The challenge is translating vision into daily life. Firefly must transform architectural ambition into memorable member experiences, convert strong sales momentum into a thriving community, and create a place that feels authentic as soon as families begin living, gathering, and playing there.

That is a much larger test.

As the fall 2026 opening approaches, the conversation will naturally evolve.

Golfers will ask whether the championship course delivers strategic depth and replayability. Families will discover whether the short course becomes a true social hub. Members will evaluate how seamlessly the amenities complement the golf experience and whether the community achieves the balance between luxury and authenticity.

Those answers are getting closer.

A Significant Addition to Middle Tennessee Golf

Middle Tennessee already offers an impressive collection of golf experiences.

Firefly enters the market with a different proposition.

The combination of Andrew Green’s first original design, a 700-acre master-planned community, strong early sales performance, substantial development backing, and a family-centered lifestyle vision places Firefly among the most closely watched private club openings in the Southeast and positions it for the potential to become one of the region’s defining private club communities.

For Andrew Green, it represents a milestone in an already distinguished career.

For the Nashville-area golf market, it introduces an ambitious new destination.

And for future members, it offers something much simpler: a place built around golf, family, community, and time well spent.

The vision has generated attention.

The next chapter is about bringing that vision to life.

The post Firefly Enters Next Phase as Andrew Green’s First Original Course Nears Opening appeared first on Firefly.

Sales for the second phase of the community are set to launch in early May, according to a news release, with around 60 buyers in line to purchase a phase two homesite.

Storied Development in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital announced plans for Firefly in October 2024, and demand for the luxury community has taken off. Within the first 45 days of its phase one homesite launch, Firefly sold over 80 homesites, with 20 remaining in phase one today. Total sales volume for phase one sits around $65 million, according to a spokesperson.

“As the golf courses near completion and gear up for a fall opening, we are eager to continue this forward progress leading into the second phase of homesite sales,” said Mark Enderle, Storied Development partner, in the release. “Buyers’ confidence is growing as they see tangible progress on the ground, and that’s reflected in the strong conversion our sales team is seeing from their property tours to actual homesite purchases.” 

The community, located 30 miles south of Nashville, plans to bring 407 single-family homes, an 18-hole golf course and a 9-hole short course, designed by golf course architect Andrew Green, to Spring Hill. The courses are set to open this fall.

The second phase of sales will include homesites with golf-course frontage, creek-side settings and homesites surrounded by green space and trail networks, according to the release.

Homesites will range from $700,000 to more than $2 million, with homes anticipated to start around $2.5 million. Construction on homes is set to start in 2027.

The development will offer a full-service clubhouse, fitness center, family club, adult and family pools, a bowling alley, golf simulators and a racquet club with tennis, padel and indoor pickleball courts.

Construction on its three primary golf club buildings, the Fieldhouse, Outpost and Golf Shop, is scheduled to start within the next month, according to the release, with additional amenities phased in over time. 

Firefly marks Storied Development’s second local private golf community. The Georgia-based residential developer is the firm behind The Grove, a 1,100-acre master-planned golf community in College Grove, and is involved in other private golf communities, such as Talisker Club in Park City, Utah, and Boot Ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Read more about Firefly’s exciting progress. Firefly’s Next Chapter.

View Progress Photo Gallery.

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