Old Town Club – Played December 2019
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 2875 Old Town Club Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Year: 1939
- Original Architect: Perry Maxwell
- Additional Work By: Bob Cupp, Billy Fuller, Bill Coore, and Ben Crenshaw
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 7,037 yards, Par 70, 74.5 Rating/140 Slope
- Blue: 6,637 yards, Par 70, 72.5 Rating/134 Slope
- White: 6,280 yards, Par 70, 70.3 Rating/131 Slope
- White/Gold: 5,888 yards, Par 70, 68.4 Rating/127 Slope
- Gold: 5,360 yards, Par 70, 66.0 Rating/123 Slope
- Red: 4,955 yards, Par 70, 69.4 Rating/127 Slope
I had heard about the magic that is the Old Town Club for quite some time. So I was incredibly excited to tee it up there this past December. Special thanks go to my friend Cory and our member host.
There have been so many nice things said about Old Town Club that I don’t need to repeat here. But I will do you the pleasure of going into some of the history of the club.
Construction started in 1938 with Perry Maxwell doing the design. Due to that timing, it is recognized as one of the final courses of note to come out of the Golden Age of golf course architecture. As you’ll see in the course tour, the property has some wide fairways and dramatic elevation change. On a firm and fast day, the course is an absolute delight.
You can see why the greats to come through the Wake Forest Golf program were so fortunate to have had this jewel right next door. Palmer, Wadkins, Strange, Haas, Kupcho, and the like benefited from a wonderful golf course. The recent Coore & Crenshaw restoration has only served to return the course the lofty Golden Age perch it should always occupy.
Hole 1 – 416 yards – Par 4
The first hole eases you into the round. The downhill slope of the fairway will help you off the tee and the green, while elevated, is open in the front. I liked the look of Old Town Club from the very beginning.
There is plenty of slope to this green along with a false front.
Hole 2 – 167 yards – Par 3
It pays to be precise with this tee shot. The entire land slopes right to left and the obvious defense is the bunkering.
Hole 3 – 402 yards – Par 4
This is a demanding hole. The fairway slopes right to left but the hole calls for a fade from the tee. Fairway bunkers await to snare offline tee shots.
Below is a closer look at the approach shot. The open green allows you some room to get creative on how you arrive.
Hole 4 – 526 yards – Par 5
This is where Old Town really opened my eyes. The view when you get to the top of the hill and round the corner is top shelf.
Almost there…where you get to see multiple other holes on the property.
With nothing good long, the third shot can make you pucker.
Hole 5 – 382 yards – Par 4
Bravery can get you in trouble here but if you add a well-executed shot you could be in the cat bird’s seat. The longer you are the further left you can go and cut off distance. The approach shot into the raised green will certainly have your attention.
Any putts from left to right are going to need a careful touch.
Hole 6 – 183 yards – Par 3
Long is no good here, so be careful with club selection on this downhill demon. The green is a massive target where the landing in the middle is a great result.
Hole 7 – 383 yards – Par 4
Playing this hole into the wind turns it into a beast. Hugging the left side brings bunkers into play but rewards you with the best angle into the green.
The tiny green can be treacherous. I don’t recommend shots from the left bunker.
Hole 8 – 398 yards – Par 4
The blind tee shot may not look like much, but I cannot describe the feeling I had when I walked down the fairway to catch the view. You’ll experience it here as you scroll.
See what I mean! You come upon this massive double green with all the slope you could ask for. I haven’t seen anything like it on a course I had played.
Hole 9 – 433 yards – Par 4
The fairway slopes so hard to the right here that we missed where my ball ended by about 50 yards. Long and up the left is the play here. The trees in the middle split the ninth and eighteenth fairways. For nine, you play to the left of them.
You can make out the fairway slope below.
Hole 10 – 410 yards – Par 4
After being routed back to the clubhouse, Old Town sends you back out on the tenth. This crowned fairway with a blind landing area calls for a controlled drive.
When the green comes into view you realize you do not want to miss to the right.
Hole 11 – 195 yards – Par 3
I enjoyed the view from this tee with the creek breaking up the flat landscape. The green is a large target commensurate with the length of the hole.
Though the hole itself is flat, the green presents enough contour to make for some interesting putts.
Hole 12 – 421 yards – Par 4
This hole is a great example of the land movement and charm of Old Town Club. The fairway tilts hard left to right but is plenty wide. Your approach can be blind, like mine, if you don’t catch your drive.
The fairway extends out to the right giving your extra room on the drive.
The mounding to the left of the green allows you some creativity on the approach. I took full advantage of my long iron second shot to send it into this general area and have it feed down towards the green.
Hole 13 – 427 yards – Par 4
Obviously you face a blind tee shot here but thankfully the target is wide enough. The hole bends gently to the right meaning a fade plays best from this tee.
As you crest the hill, the rest of the hole takes shape.
Hole 14 – 339 yards – Par 4
This hole can vex long hitters. They can get there but the small raised green has plenty of defenses. For players like me, playing for your preferred wedge yardage is the goal.
The view below is from the next tee and perfectly illustrates the fortified green. It is elevated, guarded by bunkers, and has severe slopes. These all add up to trouble if you are wayward.
Hole 15 – 213 yards – Par 3
The back nine par threes are long but I got two of my best results of the day on each one. I hit an indifferent long iron that just got over the front left bunker and managed to kick up to within four feet of the hole. I’ll take that any day!
This view below illustrates the subtle contouring of the green.
Hole 16 – 367 yards – Par 4
Massive slopes here call for you to send a drive down the left side. The land movement continues into the approach shot on this hole.
This tricky little pin on the other side of a ridge gave us plenty of trouble.
Hole 17 – 593 yards – Par 5
Not many weekend warriors will reach this green in two. We were facing a stiff headwind for good measure. For reference, the green is way down on the right, in line with the creek.
We return to the large double green that we saw on the eighth.
The slopes are prominent enough that you can see them from the fairway!
Hole 18 – 407 yards – Par 4
This is no easy finisher. Uphill most of the way with the bunker guarding the left side, the trees on the left are no place to be.
The approach shot can be distracting with the clubhouse looming in the background. I appreciate it when a course terminates in view of the clubhouse.
I hope you’ve been able to get a feel for the charm of Old Town Club from this course tour. For me, I came away from the day reminiscing about the land movement, interesting greens, and aesthetics. My experience also solidified my love for Maxwell courses. I’ve only played a few but they have all been incredible experiences. The family certainly knew how to do greens! When you combine that with an extraordinary piece of land you get a gem the likes of Old Town Club.
My day here ended with some time spent in the grill with our host and a very special person at Old Town. I won’t get too much into that time but I can that it was a perfect end to the day.