Tot Hill Farm (2024)

Few architects in golf history have matched the dramatic flair and boundary-pushing designs of Mike Strantz. His brief, but influential career helped redefine modern golf course architecture, eschewing the formulaic layouts customary of this era, in favour of artistic and strategic sensations. Tot Hill Farm Golf Club, nestled at the foot of North Carolina’s Uwharrie Mountains, is a testament to Strantz’s visionary talent—a course that offers equal parts challenge, beauty, and adventure.

Strantz’s career, though tragically cut short, left an enduring mark on the world of golf. In a prolific 10-year span, he crafted eight original designs, six of which are open to the public. His most well-known course, Tobacco Road, showcases his bold, abstract approach to golf architecture. Strantz’s hallmark style combines tremendous width and scale with strategic complexity, and brings the spirit of adventure to the game.

Work began here in 1998, with Strantz immersing himself in the land. Living in the on-site farmhouse, he spent his days exploring the 370-acre property on horseback crafting routes and golf holes, sketching his vision on paper, and refining his craft in a bulldozer. This hands-on approach resulted in a layout that feels as though it has always belonged to the landscape. A number of Mike’s sketches can be found in the farmhouse today, serving as an illustrative history of the club’s development.

An example of Mike Strantz’s drawings, courtesy of Tot Hill Farm’s Instagram.

Perhaps what stands out most about Tot Hill Farm is the way it integrates seamlessly with its natural surroundings. There is a certain rhythmic beauty to the holes, as if it’s amatory in nature. The layout, in general, reflects Strantz’s creativity and signature style, but the holes profiled below are the most bold, visually striking, and strategically complex on the golf course. In his June 2000 Feature Interview, Mike described how he would hope his courses would stand the test of time.

People keep coming back to play them because they are challenging and offer the possibility of continual discovery, discovery of all of the subtle nuances and options contained within each golf hole and the continual re-discovery of the ‘spirit of adventure’ that resides in each of us.

Mike is often seen as pushing the boundaries of what is “fair” in golf, but he never really deviates from the natural land provided to him. It’s a key reason why his designs aren’t as polarizing to a wider audience and often beloved on social media.

Upon reopening in September 2023 after a year’s long restoration, the course gained a renewed notoriety. That includes a placement on GOLF Magazine’s 2024-2025 “Top 100 You Can Play” list, seemingly poised to shed its “hidden gem” status by joining other Strantz designs like Tobacco Road (27), Caledonia (76) as one of the best public-access golf courses in the country. Its unique design elements and dramatic topography—bordering on surreal—define a unique identity, even when comparing against other notable golf courses in his portfolio. Strantz himself once declared Tot Hill Farm to be his finest work. Its series of holes, some of which are the boldest to be seen across the United States, are as thrilling as they are beautiful. The greens are often undulating and well-protected by a variety of hazards, forcing players to be precise with both their approach shots and their short game. Not for the faint of heart, it offers rich rewards for those who embrace its demands.

Holes to Note

First hole, 448 yards; The opening hole sets the tone for the adventure to come. The dramatic downhill corkscrew par 4 renders visual intimidation, but, despite its intimidating appearance, the hole offers ample width. On approach, players who hit the ball to the right side of the fairway will have to contend with the green being neatly tucked behind a hillside chute, which may further visually confound the golfer. The green is flanked on the left by a deep gully. Players shouldn’t be fooled by any signs of a gentle handshake opener, two good shots are required to traverse this hole effectively.

Second hole, 402 yards; A general misconception is Mike Strantz only built golf holes that are abstract and daunting, yet the variety of architecture available at his courses is nearly unmatched in the public golf space. The second, a mid-length par 4, plays uphill and to the left. A gully and rock formation up the right naturally become the focus point, with the roomy fairway canting in this direction, creating a rather timid tee shot despite the ample width. A good drive may reach the crest of the hill, those who don’t are left with a semi-blind approach to a green ingeniously situated just behind a finger-like mound. The forested areas left and long hide the creek that runs around these parts.

Third hole, 180 yards; Tot Hill Farm is blessed with a superb set of par 3’s, of which the quintet are not shy of drama or variety. The first of which appears at the 3rd, playing downhill from a collection of 5 tee boxes that were carved out of the rock formation. The large green complex is guarded by a confluence of two streams that flow on three sides and a bunker on the fourth. The front section of the green is separated from the back by a large swale that interacts with the bunker visible from the tee. Back pins can be approached high and direct, or players may be able to use the hillside as a natural feeder.

The green’s long, narrow location nestled into the landscape is better defined from behind the green looking back. From the fourth tee, upon the hole’s completion, more is revealed than the tee shot lets on:

Fifth hole, 543 yards; The fifth perfectly reflects Strantz’s fondness for combining natural beauty with strategic design, offering a mix of risk-reward decisions, sensational scenery, and shot-making challenges. High atop the hillside and at the tallest point on property, the generous fairway appears wide enough to land a jumbo jet. It’s a gentle dog leg left, with an increasing prominence on strategy and precision as the golfer approaches the green. The left tree line and a bisecting ravine that cuts across the fairway make any approach in two risky but still tempting.

The two-tier green, shaped like an open mouth with a protruding ‘tongue,’ presents deceptively small, surrounded by numerous dangers that include a litter of bunkers and rock outcroppings, steep fall offs, and the hazard short and continuing up the left. For those with nerves of steel, bold play may be rewarded, those more timid will feel the enhanced pressure of requiring a delicate approach.

Tenth hole, 397 yards; The back tee of the tenth is just a mere few steps off of the ninth green. With a drive over the roadway, players face the challenge of a deceptive rock wall before arriving at one of the course’s most mind-blowing green complexes. The front section sits high above the surrounding playing field, while a back section sits several feet below and is hidden from view.

Twelfth hole, 392 yards; Perhaps the course’s most scenic highlight is the 12th’s peninsula green complex. This ‘button hook’ design is similarly featured at other Strantz properties like True Blue (#4), Royal New Kent (#2), and Tobacco Road (#4), and one could argue the 5th at Tot Hill Farm as well, though these examples are all par 5’s. Sitting just a few inches above the water’s surface, the thrill of the approach shot over the lake is astounding. The playing characteristics of water are naturally severe in penalty and favours the low-handicap visitors, but the swooping land bridge out to the right may allow higher handicap players to circumnavigate the trouble without forcing them to cover ground over the water hazard.

Thirteenth hole, 162 yards; Defined by its 55-yard deep three-tiered behemoth green complex, the picturesque 13th is surrounded by the jagged rocky creek that runs along the right. This dramatic par 3 exemplifies Strantz’s flair for creating visually captivating and challenging holes.

Seventeenth hole, 411 yards; Often overlooked in any post-round debate with a Strantz course are the more conventional features. Such is the case at the Seventeenth, a tribute to the iconic “Road Hole” at St Andrews. Plenty of width off the tee sets up the player’s strategy; its approach is as intimidating as any other on the course.

There is a pronounced false front which extends up the left, causing errant shots to careen down into the hazardous brush or the small bunker that’s hidden from view. Players must navigate the tricky narrowness of the green, sharp fall offs, and potential stymie of the rock wall which sits fortifying the length of the green from behind and to the right.

Like Tobacco Road, Tot Hill Farm isn’t without criticism. Mike’s penchant for dramatic and adventure filled golf means the delivery of such is occasionally over the top. In particular, the tiered green complexes border on impossible when the player puts themselves in the wrong places. Scorecards (and pride) are frequently ruined quickly, with little room for error. Such is the nature of golf willing to push the boundary of “conventional,” and might aggravate those without the mindset to play a Strantz design. 

Going on 25 years later, Mike’s enthusiastic approach to building golf courses lives on with his exuberant designs which are at the forefront of highly desirable public golf. As Tot Hill Farm gains wider acclaim, it beckons golf’s adventurers to immerse themselves in the spirit of adventure that defines Mike Strantz’s legacy. Whether you are drawn by its breathtaking vistas or its strategic demands, one thing is certain: this is a round of golf that will spark conversation amongst friends for a long time.