By Brad King In the world of golf course architecture, Ellis Maples may not be as prolific or renowned as fellow North Carolinians Donald Ross or Tom Fazio. But Maples is unquestionably the centerpiece of North Carolina’s first family of golf course design, construction and maintenance. Maples was born in Pinehurst in 1909. His father,…
By Brad King His story began 700 miles from the Arctic Circle on the east coast of Scotland in Dornoch, north of the Highlands and fast by the sea. But the Scottish immigrant who arrived in America at the turn of the century and became one of North Carolina’s greatest ambassadors did not come directly…
By David Droschak There hasn’t been this much excitement at Belmont Lake Golf Club in Rocky Mount since the golf course opened in 2007. In what has been a time of angst over the last few years heading into the hot, humid summer months of July, August and September, the golfing public and the club’s…
(Editor’s Note: With one of the nation’s richest golfing histories, North Carolina’s portfolio of courses from the mountains to the coast is unmatched in its variety, topography and strategy. So, who do we credit for some of these golfing jewels? Well, the golf course architects, of course. The first in a series of insights on…
By David Droschak Officially located within the Durham city limits, Lakeshore has always been known as the golf course of Research Triangle Park. But there was really nothing high-tech about the public layout built from scratch in the early 1960s by Marvin Utley, his father and grandfather. The 18-hole course measured just 5,719 yards from…
By Dave Droschak Pinehurst Resort’s new 9-hole short course – measuring a total of 789 yards — has opened. Designed by golf architect Gil Hanse, The Cradle features holes ranging from 56 to 127 yards each. Mere steps from the resort clubhouse, it is the same area where, in 1898, Dr. Leroy Culver carved the…
By Brad King Golf course architect Gil Hanse and partner Jim Wagner are performing design work at Pinehurst No. 4, along with the resort’s new short course, which opened Sept. 30. Hanse’s firm was selected in 2011 to design the golf course in Brazil that hosted the return of golf in last summer’s Olympic Games.…
By David Droschak Whether you subscribe to the theory of global warming or just the luck of the summer weather draw, the dog days of August across central North Carolina have been getting hotter and hotter much of the last decade. The intense heat and accompanying humidity have played havoc on bent grass greens…
By David Droschak Under normal circumstances, it would have been a major downer for the re-opening of the Dogwood Course at the Country Club of North Carolina to transpire in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine. But with a major directive to transform the Ellis Maples classic into a firmer playing experience for the private…
Private clubs across Triangle embracing shifting trends By Brad King A challenging economy, along with fierce competition and changing lifestyles have made attracting and retaining members at private clubs around the Triangle and the country increasingly difficult. As social institutions operating in the lifestyle industry, private clubs require facilities and programs suited to the times.…