The Charm of Old Town Club (with photos)

[Jim Thornton]

Thanks to the generosity and kindness of one of the nicest guys you will ever meet on the GCA site, I had the privilege and pleasure to play Old Town Club recently.  This Perry Maxwell masterpiece is draped eloquently on the land, and both the course and the club exude charm. After reading Tom Doak's review of Old Town Club in The Confidential Guide (i.e., "Courses Worth Groveling to Play", Courses Most Likely to Require a Family History Before Letting You Play", "Worth seeing if just for the greens - if they'll let you on the property") , I felt a sense of nervousness as I pulled into the club.  Whatever trepidation I felt about how I would be received at Old Town Club was immediately put to rest by a staff and membership that was warm, friendly, and welcoming - in short, the epitome of southern hospitality.  

I had the good fortune to meet two of Old Town Club's most prominent and noteworthy members, GCA's own Dunlop White (former golf chairman and club champion at Old Town Club, past President of the Donald Ross Society, active member of two USGA committees, one of the leadiing voices in golf architecture, and the driving force behind many of the changes at Old Town Club) and W. Logan Jackson (golf chairman, 10 time club champion, and one of the finest amateur players in the country).  You simply won't find two men who are more charismatic, engaging, entertaining, and knowledgable about golf than Logan and Dunlop - they are great ambassadors of Old Town Club and the game of golf and they represent everything that is right and good about Old Town Club.

I won't go into great detail about the course since it has already been reviewed numerous times on GCA, but I will offer a few observations of my own to supplement the fine course reviews that have already been done.  First, the routing is superb - the course lays on the land naturally and beautifully and the routing takes full advantage of the wonderful movement in the property.  Second, the greens are world class - a great example of "Maxwell Rolls" and in their customary  firm and fast conditions, they are treacherous to say the least.  Third, the recent work on the course championed by Logan and Dunlop (aggressive tree removal, planting of native grasses, fostering of firm turf conditions) will only enhance and burnish this Perry Maxwell masterpiece.  Last, I will repeat a comment I made to Dunlop and Logan over drinks in the Men's Grill after my round - if Old Town Club was in the NY/Philadelphia metropolitan area instead of Winston-Salem, I believe it would be considered on of the top 25 courses in the country - it's that good.

A big thank you to the Old Town Club member from GCA who hosted me - I will carry the fond memories of Old Town Club with me always.

The Understated Entrance to Old Town Club



The Modest Golf Shop



The Par 3 2nd Hole, Inspired by Perry Maxwell's Design of the 7th Green at ANGC



The Green at the Par 4 5th Hole, Benched into the Side of a Hill - Left of the Green Strikes Fear in the Heart



Aggressive Tree Removal Behind the Green of the Par 3 6th Hole Adds to the Visual Intimidation Factor
 


The Mighty Par 4 7th Hole....Shades of Crystal Downs



The Creek that Meanders Through the Course, Reminiscent of the Ditches at Oakmont



Sublime "Mawell Rolls" on the Magnificent Double Green at the 8th (Foreground) and 17th Holes



The 10th Tee, a Few Paces from the Stately Clubhouse



The Creek Encircling the Right Side of the Par 3 11th Hole, Reminiscent of Merion's Baffling Brook



The Par 4 12th at Old Town Club, One of the Great Par 4's in America



The Green on the Short Par 4 14th As seen from the 15th Tee, Miss This Green at Your Peril



The Double Green Again, as Approached from the 17th Fairway



The Double Green, with the 17th Green in the Foreground



What a Men's Grill Should Look Like



The Cozy Confines of the Clubhouse, the Essence of Southern Grace



The Inviting Bar, with a Charcoal Sketch of Perry Maxwell in the Foreground



What Better Way to Finish a Day at Old Town Club than Dinner by the Fireplace in the Dining Room

[JC Jones]

Great review as always, Jim.  This is definitely on my hope to play lost when I get to NC in August.

[Ronald Montesano]

My memories of Cold Town are confined to the one round that Jesse Haddock let me have in a tryout for the WFU varsity in the fall of 1983.  He was so impressed with my skills that he immediately signed me up to be the golf reporter for the Old Gold & Black.  Swell guy, that Coach!

What is unique to me is the opening trio of holes, all located on the high ground, before the trail descends into the lower portion and remains there essentially until the end of the journey.  It's as though 1-3 are the warm-up to the subsequent 15, except that 1-3 are really good holes!

Greatest regret?  I've stated it here before...that I didn't loop at OTCC during my Wake Forest days.  Humorous that I valued Bermuda Run and Tanglewood above Old Town in those days.

[Ed Oden]

Old Town is really a treat.  Do not turn down an invitation if you are lucky enough to get one.  Here is a previous thread on Old Town that includes some neat historical photos as well as some insight into what Dunlop still hopes to achieve... http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35959.0/

Ed

[Jay Kirkpatrick]

My favorite course in the state of NC... and top 3 on my all-time list.  You feel like you're on a stately English manor while playing.  Only you're in the middle of W-S, a block away from their coliseum and a main thoroughfare.

I completely agree with Jim's comment that the course would be top 25 if located in the Northeast.

[Jim Thornton]

Ed Oden -

I couldn't agree more with your statement - a person would be foolhardy indeed to ever pass up an invitation to Old Town Club.

Jim

[Jim Hoak]

I assume everyone is aware of the relationship of Old Town to the Wake Forest golf teams--arguably among the greatest schools in the history of college golf.
When someone once said that Lanny Wadkins didn't even know where the library was on the Wake campus, he said that that wasn't true, it's the tower you aim at off the 4th (I believe) tee of Old Town.

[Eric Smith]

Jim,
 
Thanks for the tour...sounds like you liked the place!  Would you say that this particular set of Maxwell greens reminded you of another course you have played? 

[Terry Lavin]

In a word, Wow!

[Sean_A]

Old Town knocked my socks off when I visited a few years back.  There were several holes which didn't strike me as the marquis holes, but they were sublime - the 10th is probably my favourite of these.  The pro and folks in the house couldn't have made me feel more welcome.  Dunlop even took time to come out and see us on the course.  I don't know how the club gets a rep for being too snooty.  I can't wait for an opportunity to go back.

Jim, thanks for the review, but I find myself growing impatient for the continuation. 

Ciao

[Tim Martin]

Love the chairs on the porch at the golf shop. The place looks awesome.

[David_Madison]

I've been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to play the course a few times over the past seven or so years. There's just not a more intriguing course, a better set of greens and greens complexes, or a better golf club in all respects in North Carolina than OTC (although as I type this I have wonderful visions of Charlotte CC dancing in my head, so maybe it's tied). I've never met a more welcoming group of members or professional golf staff, all of whom have joined together to create a wonderful golf culture. I live in Chapel Hill, and if the club was just a little bit closer, I'd really want to become a member. As simply as I can put it, they just understand golf and what it takes to be a great golf club.

[Jim Thornton]

Tim Martin-

I too like the rocking chairs on the porch of the golf shop....they are perfectly in keeping with the laid-back, genteel atmosphere of Old Town Club.

Jim

[Bruce Wellmon]

I've been fortunate to play OTC twice. And Charlotte CC once. They are both excellent courses. Length is key at CCC now, I think. It's a brute. OTC, I loved. It's a special place. I felt comfortable there. Felt welcome. I can't say enough good things about the place. 

[Jim Thornton]

If I had to play 10 rounds between Pinehurst 2 and Old Town Club, I'd play 7 at Old Town Club and 3 at Pinehurst 2.