By David Droschak For more than a half century, High Meadows Golf & Country Club has remained untouched, standing the test of time as one of the more playable and serene settings in the North Carolina mountains, attracting dozens of members from the Triangle area. Few courses these days – especially with all of the…
By Brad King Mastering fundamentals has long been at the core of junior golf, followed closely by making the sport appealing to kids. But the pros at Wakefield Plantation are taking things to the next level with technology, fitness and contagious enthusiasm. In so doing, they have not only doubled the size of the program…
By David Droschak At 28 years old and the golf world still reeling from the Great Recession, fresh-faced architect Kyle Franz made a bold prediction after having a hand in the bunkering work at Pinehurst No. 2. “I did an interview in the summer of 2010 right after we finished Pinehurst No. 2 and one…
Just how popular has Pinehurst No. 4 become in just a few weeks since reopening under the design of red-hot golf course architect Gil Hanse? Well, in November and December, the course was sold out 23 days … and filling up quickly as word of the “new” Pinehurst Resort layout spreads across the international golfing…
By Brad King Pinehurst-based golf course architect Richard Mandell has too much on his plate these days to stress about the challenges facing his industry. Despite new course construction plummeting during in the past decade, Mandell has remained a busy man. Since forming his company, Richard Mandell Golf Architecture in 1992, he has worked on…
By David Droschak So just how did Quail Ridge Golf Club return to form after the previously dilapidated course had zero takers at auction? A call from the Coca-Cola man, of course. But this success story really has nothing to do with soda pop at all, other than a phone call between friends that set…
By Brad King Golf course architect Kris Spence faced a standing room only crowd of 400-plus gathered in Providence Country Club’s Grand Ballroom in early January for a presentation of the club’s upcoming golf course renovation. Tall and broad-shouldered with auburn hair and a chiseled countenance, Spence was dressed in a dark suit and a…
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…