On May 14th, 2019, a Sikorsky S-58 soared over the Highlands Course at McLemore Club in Rising Fawn, Georgia, carrying two cutting-edge fiberglass bridges into place. Originally opened in 2005, the course which sits about 2,000ft above sea level, had received a major renovation by Rees Jones and Bill Bergin – work that required a replacement crossing on the 6th hole and another between the 17th green and 18th tee. The first bridge arrived in four sections and, in total, measured 53 feet in length and 10 feet in width. The second came in two sections and was 40ft long. Both were installed in less than two hours.
Each structure was supplied by Links Bridges. Founded in 2014, the firm has now installed over 400 bridges in more than 40 states (including at many prestigious clubs/courses – TPC Twin Cities which hosts the PGA Tour’s 3M Championship, TPC Jasna Polana, TPC Wisconsin, Black Sheep, The Chimneys, The Country Club of Birmingham, Davenport Country Club, Rye Golf Club, Sara Bay Country Club, etc.), five Canadian provinces, and in a growing number of locations overseas. Bergin was seriously impressed and recommended Links Bridges to the owners of Big Canoe, an 8,000-acre residential community near Jasper, Ga. where he has so far renovated the Creek and Choctaw Nines (Cherokee to come), and also for one of the four courses he is due to renovate for the City of Columbus, also in Georgia. “McLemore sits on high ground on Lookout Mountain which made it very difficult to access,” says Bergin. “But because the bridges are so strong, resilient and relatively lightweight we were able to position them with the helicopter.”
Bergin isn’t alone in singing Link Bridges’ praises. Dustin Irwin, Club Director at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif, says the famed the North Course, site of numerous PGA Tour events through the years, had a bridge installed on its 14th hole five years ago and that it has performed exactly as hoped saying, simply “It works great.” John Reilly, Director of Agronomy at the Resort at Longboat Key, an hour south of Tampa, Fla., is a little more animated noting that although the course has just one Links Bridge product right now – on the 15th hole, the resort intends to install “many more”.
“The process of putting that bridge in was really easy,” says Reilly. “It looks good and requires very little, if any, maintenance. Plus the company was great to work with. They’re really good people.”
One of those people – the main person, in fact, is the company’s CEO, Don Ferrar who insists Links Bridges supply bridges that last the longest, require the least maintenance, look natural, are the easiest to install, and are the most eco-friendly alternative.
Ferrar says the difference between Links Bridges and other companies is the exclusive use of fiberglass. “We are the only company in the world that employs open-molding fiberglass technology to make its bridges,” he says. “Open-molding allows for ‘shapes’ like arch profile bridges and ‘finishes’ that mimic other building materials like wood or stone.”
Fiberglass is widely regarded as one of the strongest and most durable building materials in existence. It’s also less expensive and more flexible than carbon fiber, non-magnetic, non-conductive, transparent to electromagnetic radiation, can be molded into various shapes, and is generally chemically-inert.
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) is, in short, pretty much the ideal material with which to build golf course bridges as it can be made to blend in with the surroundings and requires little attention over the span of its life – usually several decades. “That’s why we get such a high level of buyer satisfaction,” says Ferrar.
In addition to full bridges, Links Bridges also produces BridegDEX – fiberglass decks which are the perfect replacement for old, wooden bridges.
“When traditional wood decks are exposed to UV rays they can hollow out,” says Ferrar. “And moisture fills the voids causing them to rot. Typically, they remain structurally reliable for five years at most.” The wood used to come from old-growth forests and it would last longer than it does now, Ferrar continues. Because it is now harvested from fast-growth plantations, it is less dense and, as a result, less dependable. “BridgeDEX is the perfect solution,” says Ferrar. “Like our complete bridges, it is long-lasting, low-maintenance, and has the look and feel of real wood.”
As well as all their other benefits, Links Bridges can also be branded with many clients choosing to laser-emboss their logos right on the bridge deck – a strong branding message that lasts as long as the bridge itself.
“Our bridges are competitively priced, and really do provide superior value to any alternative,” says Ferrar. “We invite all GCSAA Conference and Trade Show attendees to visit our booth and see for themselves why our buyers are so happy.”
