College football teams are often known by their stadiums, and basketball teams by their arenas. In golf, the course is both the playing field and the facility. Having a great course with modern practice facilities is a major asset in recruiting and provides another opportunity for alumni and boosters to stay connected and take pride in the university.
There’s an arms race among the best college golf programs. In North Carolina, the four ACC teams have facilities that rank among the best in the nation. The latest improvements came at UNC’s Finley Golf Club, which reopened last fall after $13.5 million in renovations, including a new training area for the UNC men’s and women’s golf teams, as well as clubhouse renovations and extensive changes to the golf course, supervised by alum Davis Love III.
UNC’s rivals at Duke and N.C. State also have premier facilities. Duke boasts a classic Robert Trent Jones design with a pro shop in the luxury Washington Duke Inn and separate practice facilities for the golf teams. N.C. State features a modern Arnold Palmer design on its Centennial Campus, also with separate practice areas for the golf teams.
How good are each school’s course and facilities? Many sources contacted by Triad Golf consider them the Triangle’s top three courses accessible to the public. That’s high praise, considering the market now has a population of almost 2.4 million in one of the nation’s most enthusiastic golf states.
For this issue of Triad Golf, we visited the Triangle’s three college courses. Each had a distinct atmosphere and style. Each design was created by a name-brand architect and maintained in pristine condition. Each course has food and drink options and nearby accommodations.
Duke’s traditional layout, recently ranked No. 17 on a Golf Digest list of college courses, winds through trees in a secluded spot on the edge of the Durham campus. Draped by the Washington Duke Inn, Duke Golf Club has a traditional country club feel, with fast, elevated greens and dense, penalizing rough.
N.C. State is a modern course with broad shoulders, made to accommodate today’s big hitters. Located only a few minutes from downtown Raleigh, Lonnie Poole Golf Course is one of the toughest tee times to get in the region.
Finley fits somewhere between the others. Originally designed by George Cobb, the course was redesigned by Tom Fazio, arguably the gold standard for modern architecture in the late 1990s, with a focus on serving students and the university community. However, a new practice facility for the teams and a layout tough enough to challenge the top college golf teams necessitated the latest changes.
So, enjoy a look at the three ACC golf courses. Rates at the three courses are steep by Triad standards, and tee times can be difficult to book. But each is worth a visit when traveling to the Triangle.
John Brasier
what’s inside...
John Brasier | Editor + Publisher | john@triadgolf.com
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Newest Finley
adds challenges, boosts unc golf teams
With another college football season approaching, fans — often golfers — are making road trips to watch their favorite teams. Triad Golf thought it would be fun to take a look at the great collegiate golf courses within a two-hour drive of almost any place in the Triad. What better way to improve a football weekend than playing a great college course? In this issue, we take a look at the Triangle’s three outstanding college courses: Duke University Golf Club, North Carolina State’s Lonnie Poole Golf Course, and North Carolina’s Finley Golf Club. Whether heading to the Triangle for a game or merely seeking out a chance to play a terrific public course, playing the three courses of the ACC schools provides a great golf experience.
Not many sites have been home to three golf course designs by the likes of George Cobb, Tom Fazio, and Davis Love III. But that’s the history of the University of North Carolina’s Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill. Same property, same name, three different designs with different routing.
The third version opened last fall after revisions from a team headed by Love, his brother, Mark, and architect Scot Sherman. If you haven’t played Finley in the last nine months, you haven’t played the course.
UNC spent $13.5 million on the facility, taking land from the former 11th and 12th holes to build a new practice facility intended to rank among the best in college golf for the UNC men’s and women’s teams.
“The catalyst was to create the premier practice space for the UNC golf teams,” said Finley pro Robert Costa.
The clubhouse and pro shop received renovations. A vast new putting green includes a putting course. Harvie’s, a new snack bar/restaurant named for former UNC great Harvie Ward, opened in late July. The UNC golf teams’ indoor facilities will be built in the next few years.
Many of the greens have been reshaped with a variety of undulations and new tiers, making it more important for players to hit approaches to the right sections. Grassy mounds border many of the fairways.
The putting surfaces are also different. Tif-Eagle Bermuda has replaced the former bentgrass greens, allowing them to be faster and easier to maintain during hot weather. A collar with a distinctive strain of Bermuda should prevent mowing patterns from reducing the greens’ size.
“From 60 yards in, the holes are vastly different,” said Costa.
The nines have been reversed, making the former No. 9, a challenging par-4 with water guarding the right side of the green, the finishing hole. The new holes, a short par-4 and a tough par-3 with a large elevated green, were incorporated into the layout as Nos. 4 and 6 on land near an apartment complex, the only buildings easily visible along the course.
the black tips, the reduction to par-70 makes the course play longer. The tougher greens complexes will defend par for college players.
“The strategy was to make it harder for good players, but playable for everybody else,” Costa said.
The need for the new practice facility is easy to understand given the facilities arms race among college golf programs. The changes in the course are also understandable. Cobb designed a solid college layout in 1950. In 1999, Fazio was brought in with instructions to improve the layout but keep it playable for students and the public.
The Love brothers, UNC alums, needed to build new holes to replace the holes lost to the practice facility while making the greens and fairway target areas tough enough to challenge players averaging significantly more length off the tees than players in the 1990s.
Finley remains easily walkable. The course is filled with rolling terrain, but there are few steep climbs and only short distances between holes.
One of the reasons for the changes, which included a few new tees, was to toughen it up for the best college golfers. This past spring, the course hosted an NCAA Regional.
As a result of new holes and rerouting, the former 12th hole, a relatively simple downhill par-3 guarded by bunkers, is now the opening hole. Several trees were also cleared, improving some views and providing more options for shots from off the fairways. Though measuring 7,084 yards — modest by current pro standards — from
The course has six sets of tees and two combos with ratings and slopes. Gold tees measure 6,529 yards, and the blue member tees are 6,011, with shorter tees at 5,453, 5,013, and 4,368 yards. The rating is 74.6 and the slope 141 from the back tees. The blues drop to a 69.6 rating and 130 slope. Measuring 6,254, the gold/blue combo is especially popular.
Public play at Finley takes some planning. Tee times are available no more than five days in advance with no same-day availability. Weekday prices are $95 to walk and $125 with a cart in the mornings, and $70 and $100, respectively, in the afternoons. Range balls are included. Ø finleygolfclub.com
New Hole 4
Lonnie Poole reigns
AS CAPITAL CITY’S PREMIER PUBLIC COURSE
NC. State’s Lonnie Poole Golf Course may be the toughest place to get a tee time in the Raleigh area. There are at least three major reasons why.
First, there’s the layout, a signature product of the Arnold Palmer Design Co., which offers a broad-shouldered challenge, with pristine fairways winding over hills and through forests to large, undulating bent grass greens, often protected by huge bunkers and wild, native grasses. Despite the course’s popularity, the tees, fairways, and greens are meticulously groomed, with the maintenance supervised by the university’s turfgrass management staff and students.
Second, there are the overall facilities, which include spacious public practice areas and a modern, multi-tier clubhouse with inside dining or outdoor seating with views of the downtown Raleigh skyline at The Terrace restaurant. There is also a large pro shop, meeting rooms, and a first-floor center for instruction and club fitting.
Third, there’s the location. The course is just a sand wedge away from Interstate 40, only a few minutes’ drive from downtown Raleigh on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.
In the capital city, Lonnie Poole is clearly the No. 1 public option. Interestingly, Lonnie Poole’s nearest rivals in the market’s elite public category are university courses at Duke and UNC.
“No doubt about it,” said Chip Watson, the PGA general manager. “There’s really not another golf course in that echelon.”
Watson said Lonnie Poole plays about 44,000 rounds per year, a figure it limits to prevent excess wear and tear. The course offers annual play packages but no traditional memberships. Daily greens fees and cart for the public are $75 from Monday through Thursday and $100 on weekends. Walking is allowed, though a few long treks through woods connect some of the holes.
Stay-and-play packages are available through the university’s StateView Hotel, next to the Alumni Center, just across the street from the course. The course is open seven days a week, though it is closed for maintenance on Tuesday until 11 a.m.
Most of the fairways are generously open—some deceptively wide— with manageable-length rough extending to the trees. Large white sand bunkers, sometimes framed by long native grasses, protect the fairways and greens, though bailout opportunities exist for most approaches.
Since the course’s opening in 2009, Watson said some original bunkering — including bunker islands with high grass— has been eliminated, and new forward tees were added to make the course more playable for beginners and high-handicappers.
“At first, the reputation was the course was way too hard,” Watson said. “The first 3-4 years, we worked really hard on that.”
construction. N.C. State graduates Erik Larsen and Brandon Johnson, working for Palmer, were the primary architects on-site.
In addition to a new public practice area and putting green, scheduled to open in the fall, the course may continue to evolve. An I-40 exit, planned by NCDOT for the Centennial Campus when the course was built, has been scrapped. So, the 235-yard par-3 No. 2 hole, designed to fit with the exit, could be redesigned to improve the routing pattern sometime in the future, according to Watson.
Still, the home of the Wolfpack golf teams has plenty of teeth, measuring 7,358 yards at par-72 from the back tees, with five other tee options ranging from 4,711 to 6,916 yards. A former host of NCAA Regionals, Lonnie Poole offers a stout 74.6 rating and 142 slope from the tips that dips to 68.8 and 126 from the fourth set or Wolfpack tees that measure 6,127 yards.
If the five sets of tees aren’t enough, the scorecard supplies two tee combinations. Several holes require tee shots over ravines to uphill landing areas, reducing the roll of drives.
“We’d love to get some bigger events out here,” Watson said.
Lonnie Poole is the nation’s only university course designed by Palmer’s company. The King visited a half-dozen times or so during design and
From the plateau with the No. 10 green and 11th tee, players are greeted with a view of the downtown skyline, including the capital building.
The back nine, which covers somewhat higher ground, plays from 100 to 200 yards longer than the front, and regulars believe it’s as much as three strokes more difficult. In fact, Watson said the toughest holes on the course during N.C. State and Carolinas Golf Association tournaments have been No. 11, a 665yard par-5; No. 12, a 472-yard par-4; and No. 15, a 549-yard par-5.
But for mid-handicappers, the biggest challenge may come at 18, a 441-yard (from the third set of 6,498-yard tees) par-4 featuring a lake on the right off the tee, then a long approach over waste, fescue, and sand to a green with a severe drop-off to the right and only a small bailout to the left that leaves a perilous downhill pitch.
Lonnie Poole is built on N.C. State land, but the course has a longterm lease. Carolinas Golf Group of Raleigh, which manages the facility, also manages six other facilities, including High Point Country Club, Starmount Forest Country Club, and Pennrose Park Country Club in the Triad. Oak Valley, Salem Glen, Asheboro Country Club, and Sapona were part of CGG’s past development and management portfolios. Ø lonniepoolegolfcourse.com
Downtown views abound
Photos courtesy of Lonnie Poole Golf Course
Duke Course
offers traditional, private club atmosphere
The Duke University Golf Club has a different feel than most of today’s college golf courses. It’s traditional. If you didn’t know the university owned and managed it, you’d think you were at a private country club. The layout has a club-style refinement — no over-thetop landscaping or ornamentation, just neatly maintained tees, lush fairways, and greens. OK, a Duke logo is on the round, log-like tee markers and the flags, but other than that, there are no highly visible symbols of the university. Plus, the separately managed Washington Duke Inn, which houses the pro shop, is a classic, full-service hotel with only subtle university references.
The 7,154-yard layout rolls over hills and streams between tall, mature trees, with not a house in sight. Designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones in 1957, the course was tweaked in 1993 by his son Rees Jones, who opened up space on a few of the holes and made the greens complexes more exacting. A little over a decade ago, the putting surfaces were converted to Champion Bermuda.
“It’s a very classic design,” said longtime course GM Ed Ibarguen, a member of the PGA of America Hall of Fame, but perhaps best known for serving as Michael Jordan’s golf instructor. “There are no houses, and the tees to greens are very close to each other.”
As it has been since its founding, the Duke Golf Club is open to the public. The course is located just southwest of campus, south of Cameron Boulevard, only a few minutes south of Interstate 85 off U.S. 501.
“We try to give the public an opportunity to experience a high-level country club experience,” said Ibarguen. Though public, Duke Golf Club is relatively expensive, ranging from $90 to $115 in-season for walkers and from $125 to $150 with a cart, depending on the day of the week. In addition to discounts for students, faculty, and alumni, seniors can play the course for $90, cart included, from Monday through Thursday.
Rees Jones’ tweaks include moving some bunkers and hazards closer to greens. But he also made the course more playable by opening some formerly blind tee shots. Each of the five sets of tees — Rees eliminated his father’s trademark runway areas — offers an appropriate angle. But getting on the right section of the greens is perhaps more important than merely reaching them in regulation. With the quick Champion surfaces, the undulating greens make positioning crucial. Saving par from off the “wrong” side of the green is extremely difficult.
“The shot values became more intense,” Ibarguen said. “They brought the hazards more into play.”
Yet, the layout remained much the same. Ibarguen often refers to a comment former Duke University athletic director Tom Butters — the course is under the control of the university’s athletic department — made while surveying the layout with Rees Jones more than 30 years ago. “The tailor cut a good suit,” Butters said.
The rolling fairways typically lead to elevated greens guarded by deep, yawning sand-filled bunkers. Several shots require approaches over water. Balls hit off-target sink into thick rough.
The course also offers two tee combinations, giving players six scorecard options ranging from 5,288 to 6,872 yards. From the 7,200plus tips, it has a 75.2 rating and a 145 slope. The practice area features separate areas for the public, private lessons, and the Duke golf teams. A large practice green just outside the hotel and pro shop often includes hotel guests working on their putting.
Duke Golf Club regularly hosts U.S. Open qualifiers. Of the 84 players — many of them PGA Tour regulars — in the 2024 U.S. Open final qualifier at Duke, only 20 broke par.
A few of the most memorable holes include the 572-yard seventh. Going for the green in two on the mammoth par-5 requires a long cut over a hill and around trees to set up a long, somewhat downhill approach over a creek fronting the green.
At No. 9, a short par-5 only 493 yards from the tips, the majestic Washington Duke Inn serves as a backdrop for a perched green sitting above gaping bunkers with a bank behind the green serving as a backboard to propel long approaches or blasts from the front bunkers down onto the putting surface.
The 12th green, surrounded in front and on the sides by a pond, is atypical of Duke standards. Playing only 181 yards from the back tees and less than 140 from three other sets of tees, the hole’s non-elevated green sits just across a pond that extends around the right side of the green with a bunker in the rear.
The course has a turn house with snacks. Post-round options include the comfortable Bull Durham Pub, the formal Fairview Dining Room, the more casual Vista Restaurant, and Nineteen Grill, which features outdoor seating overlooking the course.
Noting it’s been more than three decades since Rees Jones made tweaks, Ibarguen said changes are coming. A “major” renovation is in the planning stages that would renovate the greens complexes and add some new front tee boxes without “changing the feel” of the course. Ø
golf.duke.edu
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Hole 12
Wyndham Championship CHANGES
ARE NOTHING NEW
The world of pro golf has changed. And more massive changes are coming, especially if an arrangement is ever reached between the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. Where does that leave the Wyndham Championship, a fixture on the pro golf circuit since 1938?
There’s already been plenty of fallout from changes. The LIV Tour has taken some of the game’s biggest stars, such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Henrik Stenson, and Joaquin Niemann. With the addition of Tiger Woods, players have taken over control of the PGA Tour Policy Board from outsiders and administrators.
Some PGA Tour events are much greater than others. Some are open only to the Tour’s top players, who play for increased purses of $20 million. Others are open to the PGA Tour rank and file as well as non-qualifying invitees with much smaller — though still highly lucrative — purses. For now, the Wyndham Championship is one of the latter.
Wyndham’s deal with the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation runs through 2026. For the past several years, the tournament at Sedgefield Country Club has occupied the final slot on the regular-season schedule. That’s good for ensuring some late-season drama regarding which players grab the final few spots in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which offers big money without the buzz of major championships or Ryder Cups, or determining which players keep their exemptions for the next year’s regular events.
Last year, the big storyline entering the week was whether Justin Thomas could play his way into the 70-player playoffs — he couldn’t. As it turned out, the Wyndham Championship provided the feel-good story of South Carolina native Lucas Glover, who resurrected his career with the first of two consecutive victories.
But the lower payday and last slot on the schedule is also bad because it leads to a diluted field with most of the Tour’s best players and biggest names taking the week off to rest for the playoffs. “It’s a shame that some guys
Lucas Glover
haven’t come,” said Glover, who grew up with three uncles as members at Sedgefield. “(Playing the Wyndham) the week before the playoffs is a plus and a minus,” Glover said.
This year’s Wyndham field should get a boost from the Olympics, which created an off-week prior to Sedgefield on the PGA Tour schedule for several of the top players. Many might not want to have two weeks off prior to the FedEx playoffs.
In the early years of the Greensboro tournament, the winners included all-time greats Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead (eight times), then Mike Souchak, Billy Casper, Gene Littler, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Ray Floyd, Tom Weiskopf, Seve Ballesteros, and Sandy Lyle. Later winners included notables Lanny Wadkins, Davis Love III, Steve Elkington, Larry Nelson, Scott Simpson, Jesper Parnevik, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, and Davis Love III. Arnold Palmer played 13 times without winning. Jack Nicklaus held a three-stroke lead after 54 holes before losing in 1964. Still, some stars skipped the Greensboro tournament in years when it was held the week prior to the Masters.
In the past 10 years, the winners have combined to win only three major championships, with only one — by Henrik Stenson in 2017 — coming after winning at Sedgefield. We haven’t seen Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, or Scottie Scheffler. Tiger Woods came once in his entire career. “The guys who haven’t come don’t appreciate (the tournament) the way those who have come appreciate it,” Glover said.
The 2024 Wyndham field won’t be finalized until Aug. 2, the Friday before the Aug. 8-11 tournament. Early commitments have included former winners Glover and Tom Kim. But based on recent history, the likes of McIlroy, Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, and Ludvig Åberg coming to Greensboro are highly doubtful. In fact, don’t expect to see more than a handful of the top 30 in the FedEx standings. Of course, DeChambeau, Rahm, Koepka, Smith, and other LIV Tour stars aren’t eligible.
Looking at the FedEx Cup standings entering the last week of July, the most likely big names at Greensboro may include Viktor Hovland and Rickie Fowler. Former Wake Forest star Will Zalatoris may come to improve his chances of advancing in the playoffs. In recent years, regional favorites Love, J.T. Poston, Webb Simpson, and Glover have provided celebrated champions. Sedgefield has proven to be a great host venue. The Triad has shown overwhelming support. Greensboro and the Triad always will put on a great show. The biggest questions surround the event’s future, with details likely to depend on decisions to be made based on the evolving structure of the PGA Tour. Ø wyndhamchampionship.com
Kayla Smith SETS SIGHTS ON LPGA TOUR
Adie-hard
University of North Carolina sports fan since she was a young girl, Kayla Smith always dreamed of competing in sports for the Tar Heels, maybe in soccer or basketball. When she decided to concentrate on golf at Williams High School in Burlington, Smith was told her game wasn’t good enough to play for the Tar Heels by then-UNC coach Jan Mann.
This spring, Smith finished a five-year career ranked No. 2 all-time at the school in scoring average at 73.11, trailing only teammate Megan Streicher. A twotime All-ACC player, Smith helped lead the Tar Heels to a berth in the NCAA Championship, where she finished in a tie for 28th in stroke play. A few weeks after graduation, she won the Carolinas Golf Association Women’s Amateur, beating several ACC rivals and earning a spot in August’s U.S. Women’s Amateur. After that, her plan is to turn pro.
“All Kayla ever wanted to do was play at UNC,” recalled Heather Hauk, Smith’s instructor at Alamance Country Club since the then 6-year-old Smith came to her for lessons with a Tar Heel head cover over her driver. “If you tell her she can’t do something, then look out.” Hauk said Smith’s “hard-headed determination”
drove her to become a great player. As a high school junior, Smith developed into one of the state’s top juniors.
“I got a late start, and I felt like I was behind the curve,” Smith said. “The U.S. Girls was a real turning point for me, believing I could play with the best players.” In 2018, she was a first-team all-state high school selection. The next year, she made the round of 32 in the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Juniors and earned her first of two top 5 finishes in the North and South Junior in 2018 and 2019. She had several other strong showings against national and international fields.
Improved play in her final years at Williams, capped by her U.S. Junior Girls performance, helped her earn a spot with Mann at UNC. In her freshman year, Smith missed by a single shot in qualifying to play for the Tar Heels in their opening-season match. She qualified for the next tournament and responded with a top 20 finish. She was on full scholarship for her junior year with the Tar Heels.
“I think I took that as a big motivator,” Smith said of the first qualifying miss. Smith proved Mann wrong, playing for Mann and the Tar Heels for two seasons and placing No. 2 on the team in stroke average in Mann’s final season before she retired in 2021. Now, Smith has turned that determination toward a pro career.
A former basketball standout, the 5-10 Smith has the athletic skills to succeed as a pro. She was one of college golf’s longest hitters with drives of 270-300 yards. Hauk said she also has an outstanding iron game. “I’ve always been really good with approaches,” Smith said. “I think my short game is getting tighter and tighter. Her mechanics are solid,” Hauk said. “We’ve got to get the flatstick going. Her mental game is strong. She has all the physical tools. Like many great players, it all depends on putting.”
Smith has tinkered this summer with a new Bettinardi mallet putter. Hauk is also working with Smith on specialty shots she may need in tough situations. At elite college amateur events this summer, Smith failed to make the cut for match play at the North and South at Pinehurst and the Women’s Western Amateur, where she missed by a single stroke.
She practices at UNC’s Finley Golf Course facilities in preparation for trying her luck at earning a spot on the LPGA Tour. She is also working with putting specialist David Orr, who operates his Flatstick Academy out of Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines. “I’m definitely relying on people who are good at what they do,” Smith said. “At UNC, I have access to a ton of great resources.”
Smith could have graduated in 2023 — she had only one online class this past spring — but wanted another year at UNC to sharpen her game before turning pro. “I wanted to take the best path to find my way to the LPGA Tour,” she said. “It was so nice to have the extra time at the golf course.”
A highlight of Smith’s fifth year at UNC was a medalist victory in Scotland with 2-under 142 as UNC beat Vanderbilt, Georgetown, and Notre Dame in the St. Andrews Collegiate Links tournament on St. Andrews’ Jubilee Course. A few weeks earlier, she matched her competitive low score with a 65 in the Tar Heel Invitational at Governor’s Club. Ø
photo by Kevin Kirk
Grady, Scott and Ernie surround Lincoln (holding the trophy)
LINCOLN NEWTON
tops father, brother at Triad Amateur
Lincoln Newton claimed bragging rights over three family members and the rest of the field while winning the Triad Amateur at High Point Country Club’s Willow Creek Course.
Newton, a rising junior at Oak Grove High who turned 17 this summer, shot a 5-under-par 67 in the final round to post a 7-under-par 137 total for 36 holes, three shots better than fellow HPCC member Sean Finan, who recently completed his sophomore season at Lenoir-Rhyne College. Tripp Shelton of Bermuda Run was third at 143.
By sinking an 8-foot putt on the final hole, Newton capped the round with three consecutive birdies—the first coming after sticking an approach within 2 feet of the cup at the par-3 16th.
Newton won in his first attempt at the Triad Amateur. His gallery included his parents and his aunt, former UNC golfer and Jamestown Park pro Marcy Newton. “It was pretty nice to win this,” said Newton. “My ball striking was on point the whole week, really.”
The Newton family put on an impressive showing. The winner’s father, Scott, and older brother, Grady, tied for fourth with Trevor Blevins of Kernersville at 144. Ernie Newton, the winner’s grandfather, tied for sixth in the Senior division at 151.
Dale Fuller of Durham successfully defended his title in the Senior division, adding 68 to a 67 on Saturday to finish at 135. Harrison Rutter of WinstonSalem was second at 139.
With the victory, Lincoln Newton continued a winning streak. He won the TYGA High Point Junior on July 18 at Oak Hollow. The next day, he teamed with his grandfather Ernie to win the Carolinas Golf Association Father-Son at Longleaf in Southern Pines.
Tournament highlights included an ace by Jake Rutter of Charlotte with a 7-iron on the 179-yard No. 3 hole. Rutter tied for 11th at 147. Ø
RAY RAY’S Golf Shop
Conveniently located across from the mall, behind Kickback Jacks
Club reshafting and regripping
Lexington Golf Club
Lexington
Golf Club reopened on July 19 with new Champion Bermuda greens after a renovation project that lasted only seven weeks. The approximately $200,000 project also included the removal of hundreds of trees for maintenance and playability purposes.
Golf pro Dylan Dawson said the greens, which had gotten 20% smaller over the past two decades as Bermuda encroached on the bent grass, were restored to their previous size with Zoysia planted on the borders for protection.
Work on the course, owned and operated by the City of Lexington, was performed by city employees. Karl Trost is the course superintendent. Dawson said the project began by killing the bent grass. Sprigs from Texas were quickly brought in by climate-controlled trucks for the 105,000 square feet of greens. Providers helped the course staff with planting. Dawson said favorable weather conditions may have sped up
the growing time by a few weeks.
Dawson said the Champion putting surfaces reduce maintenance requirements. An employee no longer spends as many as 12 hours per day monitoring and hand-watering greens during summer months. Plus, the Bermuda dramatically reduces the number of ball marks that must be repaired.
Top dressing has been applied since the reopening to make the greens more receptive to approaches—new Bermuda greens are often firmer than their predecessors, though they gradually become softer. “With some top dressing and some other practices, we were able to get the greens more receptive to allow golfers to hold shots,” Dawson said.
The Champion greens can be cut shorter during the summer, allowing putts to roll faster. “The speed will come over time,” Dawson said. “They are faster now than they would be with bent.”
Designed by former Carolinas PGA president Dugan Aycock, the layout opened in 1938. The recent project was the most extensive at the course since 2004. The hilly, par-71 layout, which measures 6,116 yards from the back tees, is a popular destination, especially for players in Davidson, Randolph, and Rowan counties.
The rack rate for greens fees and cart is only $30 during the morning and early afternoon on weekdays. Walking is just $16. The highest rates on weekends are $38 with a cart. The pace of play is typically less than four hours.
Dawson said customers were eager to play after the layoff. On the Friday morning the course reopened, players were lined up early, waiting at the pro shop door. The golf pro said 500 total rounds—much higher than typical—were played during the first three days of the reopening. Ø
lexingtongolfclub.net
EXPERIENCE LEADS PERFECTION
Distinctive collars at Lexington Golf Club
Outer Banks
OFFER SOUND VARIETY
Whilegolf might not be the primary focus, the Outer Banks offers a great variety of beach courses open to public play in a setting far more relaxed than those in the Brunswick Islands, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head. From links-style courses along Currituck Sound to wetlands-filled layouts reminiscent of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the Outer Banks region features courses of varying difficulties and price ranges.
In addition, the demographics of visitors are slightly different, with many players coming from the Interstate 95 corridor, including Virginia, Washington, Philadelphia, and southern New Jersey markets. The courses stretch from Kilmarlic, The Pointe, The Carolina Club, and Holly Ridge Golf Course just west of the Wright Memorial Bridge over the Currituck Sound to Currituck Club, Sea Scape Golf Club, Duck Woods Country Club, and Nags Head Golf Club, stretching along 30 miles on the actual Outer Banks.
Though summer is the peak season, spring and fall may be the best times to play due to milder weather, easier availability, and lower rates. For true links golf, the easy choices are
Currituck Club in the north and Nags Head Golf Club in the south.
Currituck Club, designed by Rees Jones and opened in 1996, stretches to almost 6,900 yards from the pro tees with generous fairways, a straightforward layout, and numerous scenic vistas along Currituck Sound. Wetlands and ponds must be crossed from several tees, though the carries are rarely intimidating. Native grasses and sand dunes add beauty and difficulty. Bunkers guard fairways and greens, but bailouts are almost always available. Breezes from the sound play a major factor in club selection and shot choice. From the tees to the greens, conditions are immaculate. The bent greens, smooth with distinctive undulations, often slope down on the edges into swales, requiring skilled chips and pitches. Fees vary, but rates ranged from $169 to $203 during mid-week in July. The rates were more than $200 on weekends.
Down at the south end is Nags Head, where Roanoke Sound is the centerpiece. Designed by Bob Moore and opened in 1986, Nags Head offers a simpler, old-style links layout. The distance of the par-71 course from the
tips is only 6,126 yards, so accuracy — there are some blind shots — is more important than length. Some of the fairways are tight against the Sound, dunes, and coastal vegetation. Bunkering is limited, but carries over ponds, lagoons, and wetlands are frequent. Several holes run directly along the shore. The most memorable include No. 15, a 221-yard behemoth from the tips with a lagoon stretching along the left and the Sound with its steady breezes pinching in from the right. At 18, a par-5 topping out at 583 yards, the Sound lines the entire right side of the dogleg, including the green. Fees started at $135 for a mid-week July tee time. Weekend times started at $145.
Kilmarlic, designed by architect Tom Steele and opened in 2002, offers a challenging layout winding through wetlands off U.S. 158, about 10 minutes west of the Wright Bridge. Measuring about 6,600 yards from the pro tees, the layout has a 72.2 rating and a 144 slope. The bent grass greens are fast with significant slopes. Several of the holes require forced carries over water or wetlands. The par-3s are especially tough — three have forced carries all the way to the green. The
toughest, the 171-yard 11th, is surrounded by water except for a small strip of land behind the green, allowing access. Kilmarlic may be the most golf-centric location in the region. In addition to housing, the 605-acre property includes 18 two-story cottages, each with three bedrooms and six twin beds. The cottages have full kitchens and back decks with a grill. Guests have privileges at a fitness center with a pool, a four-hole short course, and a lighted putting green, all within a few minutes’ walk. The fees were $145 for a morning time in July and $115 in the afternoon.
The Pointe, less than a mile from Kilmarlic, is a favorite, enjoying a reputation for mint conditions and high playability. Summer fees were $120 until 11 a.m. and $95 at mid-day in July. The back tees for the par-71 course are 6,276 yards with a rating of 70.0 and a slope of 126. The next set of tees is less than 5,900 yards with a rating of 68.2 and a slope of 121, making a tee time at The Pointe a popular way to begin a visit before tackling the likes of Kilmarlic or Currituck Club.
Carolina Club, The Pointe’s nearby sister course, is a step up in difficulty. The course measures 6,697 yards from the back markers with a 72.7 rating and a slope of 126. The course is known for good conditioning with water hazards on several holes. The signature hole, the 166-yard No. 7 from the tips, features an island green. Prices are similar to those at The Pointe, and early morning players are expected to play in less than four hours.
Duck Woods, an Ellis Maples design, is private. Holly Ridge is a straightforward, affordable layout with few frills and a large driving range. Sea Scape, an Art Wall design just across the bridge in Kitty Hawk, is priced at $145 in the mornings and about $116 at mid-day. Though the par-70 layout stretches to less than 6,200 yards, water hazards and coastal breezes provide stiff challenges. Ø
Currituck Club
Nags Head
Kilmarlic
Wilson wins girls’ north and south
Hallie Wilson of Lewisville birdied the 18th hole to shoot a 5-underpar 67 at Pinehurst No. 6, winning the North and South Junior Girls’ championship. Wilson, who shot 7-under 209 for the 54-hole tournament, rallied from a six-shot deficit entering the final round to beat Zoe Cusack of Maryland, by one stroke. Wilson opened with 76 at Pinehurst No. 2, then fired 66 and 67 at No. 6. Cusack shot 74 after starting with an impressive 68 at No. 2 and following with another 68. Macie Rasmussen of Chesapeake, Virginia, was third at 216 in the 80-player tournament.
Wilson trailed by one stroke on the 17th tee but pulled even when Cusack bogeyed the hole. Cusack parred the final hole. Wilson claimed the CGA North Carolina Junior Girls’ Championship and an exemption into the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship with three rounds of 73 the previous week at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville. Ellen Yu of Greensboro tied for sixth at 220. The girls played No. 2 at 5,988 yards and No. 6 at 6,123. Ø
Pate enjoys strong summer
Macy Pate capped an outstanding freshman year at Wake Forest with a marvelous summer. The Winston-Salem native advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s Western Amateur at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, in July before dropping a 2-up decision to Elise Lee of Irvine, California.
Pate beat Alice Hodge 2-up in tje quarterfinals, winning three of the last four holes, including Nos. 15 and 16 with birdies. In the quarterfinals, Lee beat Isabella Rawl of Clemson 2 and 1. In June, Pate claimed medalist honors in stroke play and followed with four straight match play victories prior to a 4 and 3 loss in the championship match to Catie Craig, a Georgia native who plays at Western Kentucky.
Craig won the first four holes, withstood a comeback attempt by Pate in the middle of the round, then pulled away for the victory. Pate bogeyed the first three holes before Craig won No. 4 with a birdie. Pate won No. 6 with a par and the par-5 eighth with a birdie, but Craig regained control by winning Nos. 10 and 11 with pars. Pate advanced to the final with a 1-up victory over Kylee Choi. Ø
Davis Womble
Macy Pate
Hallie Wilson
CGA HIRES Priest
The Carolinas Golf Association hired Alabama Golf Association’s Andy Priest as its executive director effective in January. Priest, who had held four posts with the CGA, will replace Jack Nance, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
“We are thrilled that Andy will be returning to his roots in the Carolinas to lead our association into a bright future,” said Rick Riddle, CGA president. “During the process it became clear that Andy’s vast experience with the CGA in his prior 16 years with us, his highly successful run as executive director of the Alabama and the Southern Golf Associations, his strong relationship with the USGA and his leadership of the Elite Amateur Golf Series made him the best choice to be our next executive director.”
Priest started his golf administration career in 1997 as a summer tournament intern for the CGA after graduating with an MBA from Campbell University. Upon completing the internship, he landed a position with the International Junior Golf Tour based in Hilton Head as its tournament and tour director. Ø
Smith WINS STATE AMATEUR
Kayla Smith
Kayla Smith of Burlington, a recent University of North Carolina graduate, shot a final-round 68 to rally for victory in the N.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Mooresville Golf Club. With the victory, Smith finished with an 8-under-par 208 for 54 holes, beating Macy Pate by three strokes and winning a spot in the Women’s U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills. Pate shot 72 in the final round. Emily Mathews of Mebane, who plays at Virginia Tech, was fourth at 215. Ø
SC Player WINS PGA JUNIOR AT COLONIAL
Sage Bradshaw of Bluffton, South Carolina, birdied the final hole to force a playoff and went on to win The Carolinas PGA Junior Boys’ Championship at Colonial Country Club. Bradshaw and John Santospago of Charlotte each shot 7-under-par 64 in the final round after opening with 67 to finish at 11-under 131 in the 36-hole event. Both earned spots in the PGA National Junior Championship later this summer at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
Bradshaw and Santospago each made eagles in the final round. Bradshaw eagled the par-4 opening hole. Santospago eagled the par5 ninth to pull within one stroke at the turn. Santospago made birdies at 12, 13, and 14, taking a one-shot lead. Both qualifiers passed four players in advancing to the playoff. Will Cherry of Wilmington, who shot 65 Tuesday, and Preston Hate of Raleigh tied for third at 133. Griffin Huckabee of Winston-Salem shot 67 Tuesday and was the Triad’s top finisher in a tie for eighth at 140. Ø
Grandover reopens west course
The West Course at Grandover Resort was scheduled to open to the public on Aug. 3, just in time for the Wyndham Championship. The course closed April 1 when the elimination of the original bent grass began. Grandover owner Koury Corp. handled construction of the project. Several trees were removed to aid the new Tif-Eagle Bermuda grass, which was converted in 2018. Grandover director of golf Jonathan York said the only other major change was reshaping of the No. 4 green. Previously a three-tier putting surface, the top tier was lowered, resulting in a two-tier surface. Ø
Andy Priest
amateur individual
Aug. 3-4 – Holly Ridge Charity Classic in memory of John Ridge and Jerry Davis, Holly Ridge GL, Archdale. Medal play in flights. Optional shootout on Aug. 2. 336-861-4653.
Aug. 3-4 – 63rd annual Chatmoss Invitational, Chatmoss CC, Martinsville. Medal play in flights. Also senior division. 276-638-7648.
Aug. 16-18 – 77th Forsyth Championships, Reynolds Park GC, Pine Knolls GC. Medal play in flights. The top 16 in the championship division will play a third round at Old Town. Limited to Forsyth County residents. Bobby Hege 336-4163289.
PAR 4 ACES || Lee Vernon of Raleigh, July 20, Dan Valley GC. No. 2, 272 yards, 3-wood. Partners: Harold Gregory, Jerry Rogers, Jerry Wilkins. His first ace.
DOUBLE EAGLE || James Shropshire, May 31, Dan Valley. No. 16, par-5, 2nd shot from 149 yards, 7-iron. Partner: Don Tilley.
PAR-3 ACES || Tim Martin of Burlington, July 18, The Valley GC. No. 4, 142 yards, 7-iron. Partners: David Rich, Keith Morris, Frank Dent. His first ace.
Lonnie Galloway of Chapel Hill, July 14, Goodyear GC. No. 12, 8-iron. Partners: Curtis Whacky, Charlie Brodie, Horis Rodrick. His first ace.
Harrison Stuart of Burlington, July 4, The Valley GC. No. 8, 173 yards, 8-iron. Partners: Phil Stuart, Fletcher Stuart. His second ace.
Whit Wilkerson of Browns Summit, July 3, Iron Play. No. 16, 138 yards, pitching wedge. Partners: Dan Beibou, Bill Plott. His second ace, both this year.
Melvin “Mud Tap” Johnson, June 27, Gillespie GC. No. 8, 192 yards, 3-hybrid. Partners: Bill Hill, Mike Daniels, Robert “Frog” Alexander. The first for the 83-year old.
Ann Hogan of Denton, June 26, Springdale Golf Resort, No. 12, 95 yards, 7-iron. Partners: Dianne Wrenn, George MacBain. Her third ace.
Amateur Team
Aug. 3-4 – Madison-Mayodan Rotary Four-Ball Invitational, Deep Springs CC, Madison. 336-4270950.
Sept. 21-22 – 13th annual Fall Oak Hollow 2-Man Open, Oak Hollow GC, High Point. 2-man captain’s choice. 336-883-3260.
Sept. 28-29 – Tuscarora Two-Man Invitational, Tuscarora CC, Danville. Medal play in flights. 434-724-4191.
Nov. 2-3 – Chatmoss Two-Man Invitational, Chatmoss CC, Martinsville. Medal play in flights. Also senior division. 276-638-7648.
RECENT ACES
Danny Johnson of Blanch, June 24, Goodyear GC. No. 17, 7-iron. Partners: Lee Chilton, Mike Thacker.
Jeremy DeLapp of Reidsville, June 20, Pennrose Park CC. No. 7, 164 yards, 7-iron. Partners: Steve Williams, Eric McCollum, Drew Toney. His first ace.
Steve Sanchez of High Point, June 19, Holly Ridge GL. No. 16, 117 yards, 6-iron. Partners: John Kiem, Larry Vowell. Second career ace; age 84.
Lisa Jensen of Clemmons, June 18, Tanglewood Reynolds Course. No. 8, 138 yards, 9-wood. Partners: Becki Vanderklok, Kitsy Mathis, Jenny Gray-Bedick.
Jim Dickerson of Greensboro, June 18, Monroeton GC. No. 14, 112 yards, pitching wedge. Partners: Mike O’Shea, Gary Green. His first ace.
Earl Waddell of Greensboro, June 12, Iron Play Par-3 Links. No. 5, 90 yards, sand wedge. Partners: Rob Holliday, Lee Holliday, Gary Smith. His sixth ace.
Roger Curtis of Greensboro, June 10, Gillespie GC. No. 17, 138 yards, 4-hybrid. Partners: Sandy Curtis, Betty Jo Forrest. His first ace.
Ron Morgan of Advance, June 7, Tanglewood Championship Course. No. 16, 175 yards, 5-iron. Partners: Bill Goodson, Bob Cornish, Bob Kokoski. His 13th ace.
Jeff Morgan of Reidsville, June 6, Pennrose Park CC. No. 13, 127 yards, 8-iron. Partner: Jeff Roberts.
Charity
Sept. 21 – 13th Annual Mitch Turner Drive Away Cancer Classic, Pilot Knob CC. Captain’s choice format. Jonathan Turner jtturner516@gmail.com.
Sept. 23 – Yadkin Valley Fellowship of Christian Athletes Tournament to benefit Yadkin Valley FCA Camp Scholarship Fund, Bermuda Run CC (East). Texas scramble format with men and women divisions. fca.regfox.com/2024yadkinvalleygolf
Jeremy Brown of Greensboro, June 2, Iron Play Par-3 Links. No. 15, 125 yards, 9-iron. Partner: Tim Landwehrmann. His first ace.
Angie Jones of High Point, June 2, Olde Homeplace GC. No. 7, 107 yards, 7-wood. Partners: Kevin Deans, Lisa Deans. First ace; has been playing more than 50 years.
Robbie Stevens of Madison, June 2, Dan Valley GC. No. 18, 177 yards, 6-iron. Partners: Jr Sands, James Nelson, Donnie Woods. His first ace.
Keith James of Stokesdale, May 29, Dan Valley GC. No. 8, 6-iron. Partnerss: Mike James, Roger James, Melvin Dodson. His fourth ace was the jackpot winner in the Dan Valley League.
Terry Howell of Reidsville, May 11, Lynrock GC. No. 2, 145 yards, 7-iron. Partners: Joel Woods, Lucas Cain, Lee Nelson.
Mike Caminiti of Winston-Salem, April 23, Tanglewood Championship Course. No. 7, 152 yards, 7-iron. His first ace; has been playing 54 years.
Louis McMeekin of Brown Summit, April 13, Greensboro National GC. No. 8, 165 yards, 4-iron. Partners: Steven Gaffney, Lee Decker. His first ace.
Jeff Dodson of King, March 2. Silo Run GC. No. 5, 103 yards, gap wedge. Partners: Mike Johnson, Bricio Valdez, Dylan Mounce.
