White Oak Photo Tour

[Bruce Wellmon]

White Oak located near Tryon, NC is currently under construction by Irish developers.
Check Padraig's bag for the White Oak logo. Designed by Erik Larsen of Arnold Palmer Design.
Nine holes are finished. Numbers 1-4 , 7-9, 17 and 18. The SubAir greens are fantastic.
White Oak uses native sand waste areas as White Oak Creek runs throughout the property.

#1 435 yards from the tips. Opening tee shot from the "Padraig tees."


There are 5 sets of tees on the course.
#1 tee shot for the shorter 3 tees takes a kinder angle.


#1 landing area. There is more fairway than visible from the tees.


#1 and 9 share a waste area between the fairways.


Nearing the green.


Side view of the green.


Looking back down the fairway.

[Bruce Wellmon]

Hole #2 is a 420 yard par four with the tee shot across a wetland.


To a sloped landing area.



Down the hill to the green.


With the wetland to the green's right.

[Ed Oden]

Bricks?

[Bruce Wellmon]

#3 is a 200 yard par 3.


Across a wetland.


#3 green.


Looking Back uphill.

[JC Jones]

Bricks?

Firm and fast, no?

[Bruce Wellmon]

The pavers are the carts paths. They only run in the tee box area and near the greens. The other "cart paths" are sand.

[Bruce Wellmon]

#4 is a 560 yard par 5. (My favorite hole.)
Tee shot.


To a left to right sloped landing area.


Cresting the hill, the layup area is shy of White Oak creek.


The approach.


First view of the creek.


Looking back.

[Ed Oden]

The pavers are the carts paths. They only run in the tee box area and near the greens. The other "cart paths" are sand.

Interesting.  Not sure I have seen that before.  It looks like they run right up to the edge of the bunker.  Wouldn't that be the equivalent of having a cart path abut a bunker?

[Bruce Wellmon]

#7. Par 4. 395 yards.
Tee shot. The creek on the right the entire length of the hole.


From the fairway.


The approach.


Looking back.

[Bruce Wellmon]

8 has 2 tee "angles."
The Padraig tees (175 yards) and the blue tees cross the creek.


The others play it safer.


The different angles to the green.

[Brett Waters]

The shaping and angles immediately remind me of the course they opened last year for NC State.

[Bruce Wellmon]

#9 is a monster par 4. 485 from the tips, with the creek the length of the hole on the left, and the shared waste area with #1, on the right.



View from the ladies tees.


Fairway.


Approach shot.


Green complex.

[Bruce Wellmon]

#17 is an uphill par 3, 170 yards.


Shot from the other tees.


From behind the green.

[Bruce Wellmon]

The finishing hole. 18 is 460 yards. WO creek all along the right side the length of the hole.




Landing area.


Approach shot.


Trouble lurking right.


More sand


To a large green.

[Bruce Wellmon]

One last pic of #18 green.
17 and 18 sit hard next to a ridge creating a natural "stadium."

[JC Jones]

The 17th looks EXACTLY like a mirror image of the 11th at Calusa Pines.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

How many of these "high end" residential golf developments can NC and this country absorb?  Are they selling any houses/lots there? Is there any demand?

[Bruce Wellmon]

How many of these "high end" residential golf developments can NC and this country absorb?  Are they selling any houses/lots there? Is there any demand?

I think it's slow all around North Carolina.......................

[Cliff Hamm]

Course looks superb.  Unlike anything I have seen under "Palmer" design.  If this were one of the 'in' architects would there be more accolades?

[Larry Gavrich]

Bruce was kind to invite me a few weeks ago to play the nine holes that are open at White Oak.  It is a wonderful layout in surprisingly excellent condition; I say "surprisingly" because the developers cannot be generating much revenue in this environment from selling many of the adjacent lots.  Kudos to them for at least cutting the fairways and greens, which were fast and true.  Contrast with Ricefields, the Davis Love III design on the Georgia coast which I played a couple of months ago.  Nice marshland layout, but if they are mowing the grass more often than every week, I couldn't tell.  The greens putted like mohair...My guess is that when all 18 at White Oak are open for a year, the course will attain top-10 status in NC ratings. 

[Tyler Kearns]

Bruce,

From the photos you've posted, the 2nd hole looks like at least a 90 degree (if not more) dogleg, is this correct?

TK

[Bruce Wellmon]

Bruce,

From the photos you've posted, the 2nd hole looks like at least a 90 degree (if not more) dogleg, is this correct?

TK

Yes, that is correct. The tee shot is over the wetlands, which continues down the right side. There is only a small amount of "flat" land in the landing area, so the sidehill lie affects the approach shot.
 

[Michael Blake]

Course looks superb.  Unlike anything I have seen under "Palmer" design.  If this were one of the 'in' architects would there be more accolades?

Cliff,
I agree it looks pretty darn cool.  
And if Bruce had said this was a C & C course I'd bet there would be 50 posts from people raving about it.

[Bruce Wellmon]

With new owners (Tryon Resort) and a new equestrian focus, new hope emerges.

From goupstate.com
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20140915/ARTICLES/140919749

 "Work on the golf course should begin in the middle of 2015 so that it will be up and running in conjunction with the hotel, which will be built into a hillside and remains on track for a 2016 opening. Construction of the spa and resort should begin after that."

[Phil McDade]

This does not look even remotely enjoyable for anyone but the scratch golfer.

Blech.