Tryon Country Club

Tryon Country Club – Played 2014

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 393 Country Club Road, Tryon, North Carolina
• Year: 1916
• Original Architect: Donald Ross
• Additional Work By: Bill Love
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Men: 3,125 yards, Par 36
• Senior: 2,653 yards, Par 36
• Women: 2,653 yards, Par 36

This little course is an old Donald Ross layout.  There are only nine holes, but they are designed to be played as eighteen holes where golfers play two sets of tees on each nine and there is one extra green.  This was the first time I had seen an extra green used.  As you will see in the photos, Tryon Country Club is typical Ross with undulating greens throughout.

In the 1940s the club decided to switch to grass greens from the original sand greens.  This decision was made because of new grasses that had been developed to withstand the heat of summers in the south.  In 2013 the course was added to the National Register of Historic Places by The U.S. Department of the Interior.  There is a small driving range on the site as well as a pool.  The locker rooms have a classic old-school feel with a lot of wood throughout.

We were playing the course today as part of an office golf league.  One of our partners was kind enough to host us for golf and dinner.  The weather was perfect and the food was even better.  Thank you again for the hospitality.  Let’s get to the tour of the course with some photos.

Hole 1 – 382 yards – Par 4

The first shot requires an accurate drive.  There is a little more room on the left than it looks from here.  The second hole also runs along the right side of the fairway, so the right is not dead.

The second shot plays to a fairly large green surrounded by bunkers.

The green features an uphill slope in the front, but it otherwise flat for Ross.

Below is a great view of the mountains that surround the course and provide great scenery.

Hole 2 – 477 yards – Par 5

I did not get a shot from the tee on this hole, but it is visually tight.  I played an iron off the tee both times.  The second shot, as seen below, plays over a hazard and uphill to the green.

The third shot plays to a green perched on a plateau.

The green slopes from back to front.  The picture below doesn’t do it justice, but you definitely feel it when you are putting.

Hole 3 – 308 yards – Par 4

This a good short hole.  It favors a draw with the trees and driving range on the left side of the fairway.

The approach shot plays up the hill as seen below.

The backside of the green where the pin was on this day is pretty flat, but there is a ridge that runs the length of the section that you can see a few feet on this side of the flag.

Hole 4 – 386 yards – Par 4

The fourth plays longer than it’s yardage because you are hitting into a hill.  If you can carry the hill with your tee shot a short second awaits.

The second shot plays uphill again.  All of these elevation changes are to be expected with a mountain course.

The putting surface has a lot of undulation towards the front and right sides of the green.

Hole 5 – 191 yards – Par 3

See what I was talking about with elevation changes?  This is much more downhill than the photo shows, but it ended up playing close to its actual yardage.

Hole 6 – 401 yards – Par 4

In my opinion, the sixth is the toughest hole on the property.  It is lengthy and plays to a severely canted fairway.  Too far to the left or right with the tee shot and trees will come into play.  The best play is a power fade up the left side of the fairway.

Hole 7 – 446 yards – Par 5

This is a shorter par five, but it doglegs to the left.  The second shot is seen below.

The third shot plays to a green surrounded by two bunkers.

The green slopes off on each edge evoking more Ross principles.

Hole 8 – 380 yards – Par 4

This was another difficult tee shot.  It calls for a fade.  If your shot goes to far down the left side it will run out of fairway.  There is also not much room on the right past the tree line.

Hole 9 – 154 yards – Par 3

The course finishes out with a one-shotter in the shadow of the clubhouse.  It plays a little downhill to another sloped green.

This was a fun course to play.  It wasn’t overly long, but it was demanding off the tee.  The greens have plenty of slope to provide a challenge for chipping and putting.  It is not a long drive from the Greenville area and easily reachable for many residents that have lake homes near the course.  If you happen to move to the area, I would definitely consider membership.