Charlotte Country Club Bunker Study

[Morgan Clawson]

This week I had the extreme pleasure of playing Charlotte CC with a few Dixie Cuppers.

This great Donald Ross course is enjoying its centennial year and was thoughtfully restored in 2007 by Ron Prichard.

CCC has a great set of greens and fantastic bunkering.  I thought I would highlight the bunkers with a few photos. 

#2 – 369 yards
Cool cross bunker in the fairway keeps the really long hitters honest.

A very deep bunker guards the right side of the green.


#4 – 355 yards
WOW! A festival of bunkers greet you at the tee. A good drive can carry the trio of bunkers that look like saber tooth tiger teeth.


But a drive that's too strong may run into this cool bunker complex that’s 30 or so yards beyond the 1st trio of bunkers.

 
#5 – 351 yards
A daunting pair of stair step bunkers guard the right side of this green and rightfully command the player's attention.



#7 – 497 yards
The entire front of this diagonally positioned green is guarded by a massive bunker.



#11 – 172 yards
Bunkers on both sides of the green help frame this beautiful par 3.


#13 – 439 yards
Here Ross and Prichard mixed it up and showed some restraint by not putting a single bunker on this demanding par 4.


#15 – 358 yards
A great short par 4 with a bevy of cool bunkers.
Here the traps were positioned on the crest of the hill and used to narrow the landing area for the drive. Notice the church pew style of the bunkers on the right.

Here’s a look back at the church pew bunkers. This angle is not very good.

But wait, there’s more. These 2 traps look like one when viewed from further back in the fairway. And they look much closer to the green; almost like a road hole-like bunker. Here’s a closer view of them:


#17 – 159 yards
A nice slightly uphill par 3.  Two traps guard the left and middle portion of the green.

This is one of the most varied and interesting collection of bunkers that I have seen on an inland course. 

Thanks to everyone at CCC for their generous hospitality.

[Mike Sweeney]

I saw these on Ed Oden's photo page yesterday:

1. Isn't this course close to downtown? It looks very spacious.

2. The bunkering looks similar in spots to Mountain Lake with softer edges.

[JC Jones]

Mike,

This course is about 2.5 miles east from the center of uptown (in the South we call downtown, uptown) and is in a residential area.  It is VERY spacious and when I saw the property for the first time at the US Womens Am this summer I remarked at the scale of the place.  The fairways are all quite wide at CCC.

[Ed Oden]

Mike, as hard as it may be to believe, Jason's response is not entirely incorrect.  As for question #2, there are clearly similarities to Mountain Ridge no doubt attributable in part to the Ross/Prichard tag team and somewhat similar terrain. 

[JC Jones]

Mike, as hard as it may be to believe, Jason's response is not entirely incorrect.  As for question #2, there are clearly similarities to Mountain Ridge no doubt attributable in part to the Ross/Prichard tag team and somewhat similar terrain. 

Just because you can't the fairways they're doesn't mean they aren't spacious.

[Mike Sweeney]

As for question #2, there are clearly similarities to Mountain Ridge no doubt attributable in part to the Ross/Prichard tag team and somewhat similar terrain. 

I actually said Mountain Lake in Florida which is Raynor/Silva but much of similar look probably has to do with similar grasses around the bunkers. Thanks

[BCrosby]

The new bunkering is pretty and all. I'd love to play CCC.

The poofy, tumescent bunker brows on the redone fw bunkers jump out at me, however. Is that they way they looked when Ross built the course? Or are they aesthetic add-ons? Maybe something the club thought looked really cool?

I actually like the look, but suspect that look is not very restorative. But, then, perhaps that wasn't a priority.

Bob   

[John Shimp]

Bob,
I'm not sure if that is how they looked at CCC way back when.  Maybe someone else has knowledge.   That said, I have seen ground level pictures from the 20's and 30's on numerous mostly NC Ross courses and sizable shoulders on fairway bunkers were common.  Charlotte was designed by Ross to be more of a "championship" course.  I'm not sure what that says about whether he would have wanted shouldered fw bunkers but I have a suspicion. 

I do know that placement and size/shape was guided by a late 30's aerial.  Again someone close to the work could provide far more insight.