Deep South Road Trip

I eagerly ended my four month hiatus from overnight trips in July with two trips to the Deep South.  The first was to play courses in Mississippi and Alabama with a stop in Atlanta.  The second was to play a few courses Northwest of Atlanta with stops in the Chattanooga and Nashville areas.  For the purposes of this narrative I will be combing the two trips into one.  

The first stop on my trip was a course I was teased by four years ago.  Mossy Oak Golf Club is a 2016 Gil Hanse design in West Point, Mississippi.  I was in the area in the summer of 2016 playing it's sister course, Old Waverly, which is across the street.  After my round at OM I drove over to Mossy and walked around for a bit.  The course was almost ready to go and looked amazing in my brief tour around the property.  

Playing the course exceeded my already lofty expectations of what I saw four years ago.  I really applaud the superintendent for having what I would consider to be the perfect maintenance meld.  Fairways that are healthy yet running, and greens that are firm yet receptive, make for an amazing day on the golf course.  I was a little intimated to play the 7200+ tips as I am not a long hitter and generally prefer something in the neighborhood of 6800 yards.  However, the course playing firm allowed me to get a sufficient amount of run if I hit the fairway and I was able to play it without having to resort to hitting fairway woods into par fours.

Mossy Oak, Par Four 3rd Hole

Mossy Oak, Par Three 11th Hole

Mossy Oak, Par Five 17th Hole

My second stop on Day one was the Ol' Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  This 2000 Jerry Pate design has a unique history as it was once a farm plantation for a mental institution called Boy's Colony.

O'l Colony, Par Four 2nd Hole

O'l Colony, Par Three 17th Hole

Day two of my trip began with a round at a course whose history goes all the way back to 1903, Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham.  The oldest course in Alabama, Highland Park was the site of a victory by Bobby Jones in the Birmingham Country Club Invitational.  In 1998 architect Bob Cupp renovated the course.  The result is a short but challenging layout that utilizes the undulations of the property to maximum effect.

Highland Park, Par Three 5th Hole

Highland Park, 18th Green (foreground) & 10th Green (background)

Up next on day two was another course I was teased by a few years ago. I played the West course at the Country Club of Birmingham in 2015, but time did not allow me to play the East course.  Recent renovation work by architect John LaFoy was done in a Ross style to honor the original Donald Ross design.  The East was my 206th Donald Ross designed golf course played.

CC of Birmingham East, Par Three 7th Hole

CC of Birmingham, Par Three 13th Hole

CC of Birmingham East, Par Four 16th Hole

The third course I played on day two had me driving about forty-five minutes north of Birmingham to the town of Oneonta.  Limestone Springs is a 1999 Jerry Pate design on a hilly piece of property.  The course was in the top ten in the state of Alabama ten years ago and the core design of the course is very good.

Limestone Springs, Par Four 3rd Hole

Limestone Springs, Par Four 15th Hole

Day three of the trip began at the Heritage Golf Links in Atlanta.  A 1996 Mike Young design, Heritage features twenty-seven holes of great variety.  Sharp edges and challenging greens made precision very important on my first tour around the course.  I played the Legacy and Tradition nines.

Heritage Golf Links, Legacy Nine, Par Four 2nd Hole

Heritage Golf Links, Tradition Nine, Par Three 1st Hole 

For my next round on day three, I headed north of Atlanta to Adairsville for a round at Barnsley Resort, a 1999 Jim Fazio design.  What made this round memorable was doing something I hadn't done in 24 years, birdie 5 holes in a row.  See scorecard below.

I'm not the kind of person that normally makes 5 birdies in a round, so 5 in a row is very significant.  I also did something else I'm not sure I've ever done, which is play a round where I had more birdies than pars; 8 birdies, 7 pars, 3 bogeys.  A very memorable round of golf!

Barnsley Resort, Par three 7th Hole

Barnsley Resort, Par three 14th Hole

Day four of the trip began at the recently renovated McLemore Club.  Formerly known as Canyon Ridge Country Club, McLemore was renovated by Bill Bergin last year and opened to great acclaim.  I have played many Bill Bergin renovations in the last few years and I can say with great certainty he does an amazing job.

The McLemore Club, Par four 2nd Hole

Here's a little photo essay to show something very smart that McLemore did that I wish other courses with dramatic elevation changes would do.  

McLemore has a par five, #6, with a dramatic drop for the 2nd shot. 

View of the 2nd shot on the Par five 6th Hole

It's always very difficult to figure out just how much distance to take off when hitting a shot like this so McLemore made a sign that they placed at the end of the fairway.

This sign is extremely helpful when hitting a very difficult 2nd shot

A look back up the hill from behind the green

After a round on the big course, I took a few minutes to play the six-hole short course, which is a brilliant use of a small piece of property.  Six walking only holes under 100 yards allow you to hit a nice variety of shots.

McLemore Short Course

Renovation of an existing course was the theme of day four as I headed North to the town of College Grove, Tennessee for a round at the Troubadour Golf and Field Club.    Formerly known as the Hideaway at Arrington, Troubadour was recently renovated by Tom Fazio and is the newest Discovery Land Property.

Troubadour Golf & Field Club, Par four 1st Hole

Troubadour Golf & Field Club, Par three 11th Hole

The last round of the trip was at one of the best municipal facilities in the country, Cobblestone Golf Course in Acworth, Georgia.  Designed by Ken Dye, brother of Pete, Cobblestone started life as the Boulder Course at Acworth and was later purchased by the county.

Cobblestone Golf Course, Par Three 3rd Hole

Cobblestone Golf Course, Par Four 4th Hole

FLAGS

SCORECARDS

Coronavirus Travels

The Corona-virus has hit us all hard this year.  We have all been doing our best to figure out how to deal with this pandemic.  I chose to deal with the situation by checking out as many new public golf courses within three hours' drive of my house as I possibly could.  The courses were specifically public because pretty much all private courses, including the one where I work, were not allowing any guest play during the height of the quarantine.  My exploration focused on three specific areas- NC Mountains, Myrtle Beach, and greater Charlotte.

NC MOUNTAINS

While I have no realistic goal of playing the over 600 golf courses in NC, I would like to play every golf course in the mountains of North Carolina before I move away.  I worked in the mountains last summer and absolutely loved everything about the experience.  I have been slowly chipping away at mountain courses over the years and obviously played a significant number last summer, but I still have about 20 courses left to play before I can say that I have played them all.  

Brushy Mountain

Located right off State Highway 64 in Taylorsville between Lenoir and Statesville is one of the most enjoyable hidden gems I have played in the state of NC.  Brushy Mountain was designed by William B. Lewis and opened its doors in 1964.  Even though the course has removed and reduced bunkers over the years, the routing is still something to be seen.  It makes great use of the very undulating property and makes for a really fun round of golf!

Brushy Mountain, Par four 14th Hole looking back towards the tee

Brushy Mountain, Par three 15th green in background with 14th green in foreground

Cedar Rock

Cedar Rock is located just northeast of Lenoir and was once rated as one of the 100 Greatest Courses in the country by Golf Digest in the 1970's. Designed by Ellis Maples, the king of NC golf design, Cedar Rock illustrates what Ellis did so well.  He built a course that is restrained in its use of bunkers and relies on the property to create challenge.  The front nine goes up and down the mountain while the back nine is laid in flatter ground.

Cedar Rock, Par four 5th Hole

Cedar Rock, Par four 12th Hole

Hemlock

Walnut Cove is where the sub-6000 yard Hemlock golf courses can be found.  Another 1960's creation, this one by Orell Robertson, Hemlock relies on its small greens and tight fairways.  It is surprisingly challenging for a 5700 yard course.

Hemlock, Par three 4th Hole

Hemlock, Par three 11th Hole

Lake Hickory

My wife and I played the nine-hole Town course at Lake Hickory Country Club last year, so we were very excited to play the twenty-seven hole Catawba Springs course this year.  Located just north of Hickory, the course features three nines, Dogwood, Sulphur Springs, and Fox Run.  All designed by William Byrd in the 1960's.

Catawba Springs, Par four 4th Hole on the Sulphur Springs Nine

Catawba Springs, Par four 8th Hole on the Sulphur Springs Nine

Pilot Knob Park Golf Course

Located in the shadow of Pilot Mountain State Park, the golf course at Pilot Knob was designed by Gene Hamm.  The views of Pilot Mountain are spectacular and the routing flows gently up and down the hills, providing a strong test with dramatic changes in elevation.

Pilot Knob Park, Par three 2nd Hole

Pilot Knob Park, Par four 7th Hole

Stonewall

Stonewall golf course in Germanton is the definition of a quirky golf course.  Case in point, the par three 8th hole, where I will use the pictures below to tell the story of one of the most unique holes I have ever played.

 So you see this sign and you're thinking, this shouldn't be too hard.  The shot might not be hard but getting yourself to the green will be.

 Only 85 yards and a beautiful drop shot at that.  This hole should be a piece of cake.  Only problem is:

 This is your view from the tee.  That's right, it's a BLIND drop shot, 85 yard par three!

Once you hit your short wedge shot down the hill, the fun really begins, because you might end up lying face down in the forest if you're not careful.  The cart path down is so steep and slippery that the owner specifically tells you about it when you check in.  He warns you very clearly to not lock up your brakes as you will skid and likely fall out of the cart and into the gorge.  I saw him during my round and while discussing the 8th hole he said they've had to call the ambulance "several" times!!!

Looking back up from the green at one of the wildest par threes I have ever seen!

MYRTLE BEACH AREA

I started taking trips to the Myrtle Beach area with my father way back in the early 90's.  With at one time over 100 courses in a 50 mile long area from Pawleys Island to Southport, Myrtle Beach has long claimed to be the Home of Golf.  I have made sporadic trips to the area over the years with my wife and some occasional buddy trips ,but I was still lacking some of the top-ranked courses in Myrtle from the list Golf Digest did that ranked the top 50 courses in the area.  I resolved to do something about that during the virus.

Arcadian Shores

Arcadian Shores is a 1974 Rees Jones design that was at one time in the Golf Digest top 100.  What is really exciting and unique about the course is what you see below:

Arcadian Shores is the only course I have played where you can quite literally get Bojangles on the third tee box and Chicken and Waffles on the 7th Tee Box.  This might be the one course where I wouldn't mind a bit of a backup on each tee!

Arcadian Shores, Par three 8th Hole

Crow Creek

A late-comer to the Myrtle Beach golf scene, Crow Creek opened in the year 2000 and was designed by Rick Robbins.  The Crow theme is very strong throughout the course.

Crow Creek Par three 6th Hole

Crow Creek, Par three 8th Hole

Pine Lakes

Nicknamed the Granddaddy, Pine Lakes was the first course built in the Myrtle Beach area.  It opened in 1927 and was designed by Robert White, the first President of the PGA of America.  

Pine Lakes, Par three 2nd Hole

Prestwick

One of only two Pete & P.B. Dye designs in the greater Myrtle Beach area, Prestwick is everything you love or hate about the Dyes.  Severe greens that require precision, lots of visual intimidation, and at its heart a very good course.

Preswick, Par three 5th Hole

Prestwick, Par four 9th Hole

Surf Club

One of the earliest courses to arrive in Myrtle Beach, the Surf Club is a 1960 George Cobb design.  Surf is one of the few mostly private courses in the area.  

Surf Club, Par three 6th Hole

Surf Club, Par three 18th Hole

Thistle

One of the few twenty-seven hole courses in the area, Thistle was designed by local architect Tim Cate and has a Scottish theme in its clubhouse and course presentation.  The nines are named Cameron, MacKay, and Stewart.  

Thistle, Cameron Nine, Par four 1st Hole

Thistle, Cameron Nine, Par three 4th Hole

The Witch

One of many Dan Maples designed courses in the area, The Witch is one of Dan's best.  The front nine is mostly in a swamp and will give you plenty of opportunities to interact with Alligators.

The Witch, Par three 7th Hole

The Witch, Par three 14th Hole

CHARLOTTE/GREENSBORO AREA

When I needed a break from spending long hours in the car I made relatively short drives to courses in the local area that I had yet to play.  I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Deep Springs

Deep Springs is located in Stoneville and is yet another very solid Ellis Maples design from the 1970's.  

Deep Springs, Par four 14th Hole

Deep Springs, Par five 18th Hole

Glen Oaks

The Town of Maiden is where Glen Oaks Country Club lies.  A 1967 Bill McRee design with a solid course that has one of the more unique routings I have played.  To get to the first tee you drive across two fairways.  To get to the par-three fifth hole you drive backwards down the entire par-five 6th hole. 

Glen Oaks, Par three 8th Hole

Lincoln

Peter Tufts of the Pinehurst Tufts family designed the back nine of Lincoln in the 1940's.  The front nine was added in the last twenty years.  The result is one of the more unique routings in North Carolina.  After you play the first two holes, you take a tunnel under Highway 321 and emerge in the forest to play holes three through nine.  The return trip back to the clubhouse and the 10th hole is over a mile.  

Lincoln, Par four 10th Hole

Pudding Ridge

A 1994 design, Pudding Ridge gets its name from of all things, the Revolutionary War. On February 6, 1781, English General Cornwallis traversed this site. Tradition has it that the consistency of the mud so reminded him of English pudding, that he named the hill Pudding Ridge, a name that has survived for over two hundred years.

Pudding Ridge, Par three 7th Hole

Tanglewood Park

Many years after playing the Championship course at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, I finally made it out to play the Reynolds course.  Both courses were designed by Robert Trent Jones.  The Reynolds has the much more interesting piece of property, and with a proper renovation that I'm sure will never happen, it could be one of the best public courses in the state.

Tanglewood Park Reynolds Course, Par three 8th Hole

Tanglewood Park Reynolds Course, Par Four 10th Hole

Revival at the Crescent

The Revival is a 1994 John Fought design with some interesting topography, but is also in desperate need of a chainsaw in places.

Revival at the Crescent, Par four 9th Hole