Old Town (Pictures)

[Ed Oden]

I’ve lived in NC for 13 years now and always found one reason or another not to make the 90 minute trek to Winston-Salem to play Old Town.  Well I finally got my lazy butt up there yesterday and was quite frankly floored by the quality of the course and its design.  I expected it to be good.  But I didn’t expect it to be SO GOOD!  I know Old Town is no longer considered a “hidden gem” and is now ranked in GW’s most recent top 100 classic list.  But in my opinion, it is still substantially underrated.  More importantly, it has a style unlike anything else I have played in this part of the country.  While Dunlop White’s “My Home Course” profile tells you everything you need to know about the architecture and history of the course, it is a bit light on pictures.  And the only other photo essay I could find was Sean Arble’s from last year.  But his pics have apparently been removed from their host site and no longer show up on the threads.  So I thought I would post some pictures I took yesterday.

#1 – 423 yard par 4 from the tee.  Dunlop White notes in his profile that the preferred line is deceptively toward the right fairway bunker.

I didn’t listen and played it straight away leaving this approach from the left rough.

The first green from behind.


#2 – 166 yard par 3 from the tee and from behind.



#3 – 427 yard par 4 from the tee and the approach.



#4 – 526 yard par 5 from the tee, which is one of the few spots where trees really encroach.

...the approach.  A creek in the valley short of the green is hidden from view and will catch a less than perfect attempt to hit the green in two.

…and the green from behind.


#5 - 383 yard par 4.  What a great hole.  The drive is through a shoot of trees over the bunkers...

…leaving this approach.  Everything on the left side of the green or even the back left bank will funnel to the right...

…and the 5th green from behind.


#6 – 186 yard par 3 from the tee and a shot of the green from the 5th fairway which points out some of the bunker and green features.



#7 – 419 yard par 4 from the tee.  

…the approach is substantially uphill...

…the green from behind.


#8 – 402 yard par 4.  The tee shot is one of many (1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 16) where you can’t see the landing area.

… the approach to the flag on the left side of the terrific double green with the 17th.


#9 – 436 yard par 4.  A good drive from the tee…

…will end up at the bottom of the hill, leaving an uphill approach…

…to the green.


#10 – 406 yard par 4.  A drive over the crest of the hill…

…will leave a short downhill approach to a tricky green.


#11 – 216 yard par 3 from the tee and from behind.  The most picturesque hole on the course.



#12 – 451 yard par 4.  The shoot of trees at the tee belies the width of the landing area beyond the hill…

…leaving this approach.  Not sure of the purpose of the second back left bunker just short of the 13th tee.


#13 – 444 yard par 4.  The downhill approach.


#14 – 335 yard par 4.  A good drive…

…will leave just a short pitch up to the green.


#15 – 245 yard par 3.  Into the wind, I hit driver!


#16 – 367 yard par 4.  Here is the approach.


#17 – 590 yard par 5 from the tee…  

…two good shots will leave just a wedge to the flag on the right side of the double green.


#18 – 441 yard par 4.  An uphill drive…

…leaves an uphill approach…

…to the green.


Ed

[Ronald Montesano]

Thanks to the generosity of Jesse Haddock, I was allowed to try out for Wake Forest's team in 1983.  Didn't make it, but had an unbelievable experience at Old Town.  Why I didn't caddy there during my four years in W-S is beyond me.  Wake's varsity golfers are an incredibly lucky lot to have access to Old Town.  It is probably as good as Prairie Dunes in the Maxwell collection.  The photos are of tremendous quality and eye.  Congratulations on your portfolio.

[Mike_Cirba]

A tremendous photo essay, Ed...thanks for sharing.

The funny thing is that a number of holes look similar to where I played today; the topography of the land is really very similar...great inland golf.

[Ed Oden]

Thanks Mike.  What was the comparable course you played?

[Mike_Cirba]

Ed,

It's more the look of the land, but Merion West.   

[Ed Oden]

Thanks Ronald.  Who was on that WF team?

[Ronald Montesano]

Current WFU coach Jerry Haas, current Nike Golf bigwig Mark Thaxton, Chris Kite, Billy Andrade, to be joined in 1985 by Len Mattiace, Tim Straub (Davidson coach) and Barry Fabyan, and in 1986 by Tony Mollica.  There were other players, too, but those are the main ones.

[Ed Oden]

That's a pretty impressive lineup.  You predated the renewed acclaim of the course.  Did you guys realize how special Old Town is or was it taken for granted?

[Sean_A]

Ed

Thanks so much for the pix - they are fantastic.  I am very high on this place and know how tough it is to get get good pix.  Greens like 6, 10 & 12 just can't be visualized properly as to how good these babies are.  I think Old Town is just a wee step below #2 in quality, but I much prefer the feel of the place.  Great stuff has been done recently to clear out trees to offer the great interior views.  The place is one of a kind.

Mike C - get on down to Old Town.  The land may look like Merion West, but this place is light years ahead in quality.

Ciao

[David_Madison]

Ed - Wonderful photos. Thanks for posting.

Sean- As things stand right now, Old Town might be superior to Pinehurst in a number of respects. I believe that Old Town has a better set of greens complexes, than #2, with eighteen significantly different yet wonderful greens and surrounds all offering a variety of approach, short game and putting challenges. #2 has wonderful complexes as well, but they are nowhere near as varied, and I think that with comparable speeds, Old Town's greens are actually a greater challenge. And while #2's greatness is getting beaten down with its loss of width and other factors, Dunlop keeps doing things to make Old Town better and better.

[Richard Boult]

added to delicious.com/golfclubatlas

[Ed Oden]

Sean, I agree with your comment on the difficulty of capturing the character of Old Town in photos, particularly the green contours.  The bright high noon sun when I was there didn't help matters.

David and Sean, I have a difficult time comparing courses to Pinehurst #2 because I can't really decide in my own mind whether it is deserving of its lofty status or ridiculously overrated.  My opinion seems to shift with the wind on that question.  Inevitably I just cop out on comparisons and accept that #2 is better since it is easier than resolving my internal debate.  So while I won't go so far as to say that Old Town is a better course than #2, I can say without any hesitation that if I had a choice of playing either one again today I would be on my way to Winston-Salem instead of Pinehurst.

Art, thanks for added this to delicious.  Your efforts to bookmark all this stuff for us is really appreciated.

Ed

 

[David Stamm]

Ed, thank you so much for posting these! This course looks so good! I'm glad you made it up there.

[Ronald Montesano]

We predated EVERYTHING!  The guys on the team called it "Cold Town," with a sense of disdain.  They were actually higher on Bermuda Run Country Club in Advance, the original course there.  It hosted the NCAA tournament in 1986, when Wake came from waaaayyy back to beat Verplank and Okie State.  An Arkansas freshman name of Daly was long drive champ at that event.  It's weird, but I remember playing the course and thinking, this course is really tough and funky.  Now I know why I felt that way.  It is the type of course that identifies champions and pretenders immediately.

[Dan Herrmann]

Ed,
Thanks for the fantastic photographs.  I think you've really given us a great feel for the architecture there.

Here's a nice course review that I hope can serve to compliment the great pics:  http://www.squidoo.com/oldtowngcreview

[David_Madison]

Ed - I don't doubt that Pinehurst might be "better" whatever that word means, but I'm pretty clear that Old Town is more varied, more interesting, and more fun to play, and that it is continuing to improve while I don't think many would say that about #2 right now. I'm sure looking forward to seeing it again, hopefully this coming fall.

[Sean_A]

Ed - I don't doubt that Pinehurst might be "better" whatever that word means, but I'm pretty clear that Old Town is more varied, more interesting, and more fun to play, and that it is continuing to improve while I don't think many would say that about #2 right now. I'm sure looking forward to seeing it again, hopefully this coming fall.

David

You could be right.  I have very little experience with either place, but my nose tells me OT is the place I prefer.  I was astonished at how good the course was considering its relatively lowly status. 

Ciao

[Ed Oden]

We predated EVERYTHING!  The guys on the team called it "Cold Town," with a sense of disdain.  They were actually higher on Bermuda Run Country Club in Advance, the original course there.  It hosted the NCAA tournament in 1986, when Wake came from waaaayyy back to beat Verplank and Okie State.  An Arkansas freshman name of Daly was long drive champ at that event.  It's weird, but I remember playing the course and thinking, this course is really tough and funky.  Now I know why I felt that way.  It is the type of course that identifies champions and pretenders immediately.

Ronald, that is amazing.  Today Bermuda doesn't get any run (pun intended).  When I first got interested in golf courses back in the early 80's I bought a Golf Digest book on their top 100 courses.  Its incredible how many courses considered today to be among the truly elite that are left off that list (e.g., NGLA and Fishers Island).   So I guess its no surprise that Old Town was not en vogue back then.

Ed

[Dunlop_White]

Nice write-up! Thanks for the photos and the many compliments! In my opinion, we're a top-tier course simply because undulation is the soul of our canvas. Moving forward.....a bunker restoration, a more aggressive tree removal effort, a more aggressive broomsedge replacement plan, and a fairway topdressing program will help expose and accentuate these undulations. It's just a matter of time .... I hope!!

[Mike McGuire]

I don't understand the bunkering. Is it original?

[Ed Oden]

Dunlop, you certainly have a gem even if it isn't hidden anymore.  One other thing I feel compelled to mention, I can't think of any private club I have ever visited that was more hospitable than Old Town.  We played as unaccompanied guests.  Yet everyone we came into contact with truly treated us as if we were members.  Not in a phony or forced way, but with a casual ease and genuineness that I will always remember.  It left a lasting impression on me that I will carry back to my home clubs in the hopes that we can pass the goodwill forward to our guests.  Shouldn't all clubs strive to have that effect on their visitors?

Ed

[Sean_A]

Dunlop, you certainly have a gem even if it isn't hidden anymore.  One other thing I feel compelled to mention, I can't think of any private club I have ever visited that was more hospitable than Old Town.  We played as unaccompanied guests.  Yet everyone we came into contact with truly treated us as if we were members.  Not in a phony or forced way, but with a casual ease and genuineness that I will always remember.  It left a lasting impression on me that I will carry back to my home clubs in the hopes that we can pass the goodwill forward to our guests.  Shouldn't all clubs strive to have that effect on their visitors?

Ed

Ed

Old Town is certainly a place I want to get back to not least because of the membership.  I couldn't believe how well we were treated on our visit.  The staff and the members were incredibly gracious.  The course is outstanding and as Dunlop pointed out the membership is striving for more improvements.  Old Town is also a must for re-visiting because its a darn tricky course.  Any place with hilly terrain and imaginative greens such as Old Town's is bound to be difficult to figure out. 

Ciao

[Nathan Cashwell]

If you, like I, like Old Town then you need to check out Sedgefield CC.  The, Kris Spence restored, Ross gem is hosting the Wyndham Championship this week in Greensboro, NC.  The original site of the GGO has its tournament back and has all of the pros singing its praises, especially the greens.  Only being 25 miles +/- from Old Town they share very similar land, and both being the genius' that they were Ross and Maxwell alike took advantage of the natural features to build very challenging, interesting, and strategic golf courses here in the Triad.  Like Old Town and Augusta National, photos and TV will do Sedgefield no justice, but it is very good and will get a lot of people's attention this week.  Being short by todays tournament standards shouldn't diminish the absolute thrill that it is to play Sedgefield, I can't wait to see how the pros play it.  Enough talk, check it out and judge for yourself.

[Dunlop_White]

 


Just look at that sprawling rear bunker in the backgound of the photo of Hole 12 in 1939 -- a style he likely picked up during his years with Mackenzie. These large, bold-looking bunkers were once prevalent throughout the course.

[Dunlop_White]

Mike,

see above....this is an example of what our Maxwell bunkers originally looked like....nothing like what we have now.

Thanks for inquiring.

Dunlop