Old Town Club

The story began on the 1,000-acre R.J. Reynolds estate in Winston-Salem. The property was referred to informally as "Reynolda," the property was later handed down by Reynolds to his daughters Mary Reynolds Babcock and her husband, Charlie. In 1938 the property was allocated 165 acres to establish a small, exclusive golf course.

The time was when Clifford Roberts, co-founder of Augusta National was working for Babcock's investment firm Reynolds & Co. Roberts had recently hired Alistair MacKenzie's former designer partner, Perry Maxwell, to redesign the greens of Augusta to be used for The Masters. The results were awe-inspiring, and Roberts naturally suggested Maxwell to take on his Old Town job.

The course was instantly hailed by the media as being among the most prestigious course within the USA.

The landscape is characterized by wide, sloping fairways flowing creeks, and the famous green contours that are known for their distinctive Maxwell rolls. However, it's the fairways that slope to the sides that offer the greatest diversity and awe, with swaying stances, and hanging fairways that are the standard.

Traditional design highlights include big double greens and shared teeing areas mixing fairways as well as "valley-of-sin" holes on the greens. All of which should not be a surprise given Maxwell's love for The Old Course in St Andrew's.

The club in 2012 engaged Coore & Crenshaw to restore Maxwell's bunker design to its original rustic style. Bill Coore, who attended close to Wake Forest University, considers Old Town as a cornerstone for his first understanding of golf's compelling design.

Bill Coore continues to tweak the bunkers and greens. In 2023, the goal is to change Tee boxes into teeing zones.

Note

Old Town was originally nominated by Sean as a treasure, however this course that was regarded as venerable later moved in the Best In State rankings and later to the US Top 100. Sean's initial comments are:

Perry Maxwell built Old Town in the years prior to WWII in the final days during The Golden Age of Architecture. The course is quite steep, but like most classic courses, one rarely is able to get the impression that the course is a strenuous walk. Except for one thing, Tees are situated near greens.

Maxwell made the most of the hills to design an incredible collection of greens that were undulating with deep swales and imposing contours. It's an error to believe that the greens are the main focus for the layout.

The slopes, as well as the up and down fairways create a strict requirement for to control the ball's flight, particularly in the event that it is a little tense. A lot of the courses are downhill or have raised greens, which can lead players to take on the greens and put themselves in the risk of being in a dangerous position when they are long.

The sense of being in a grandeur is enhanced due to the recent (and ongoing) removal of a number of trees that provide stunning views of the interior. If you are planning to visit Winston-Salem it's worth the effort to take a spin around Old Town. Then again, even Tom Doak thought so.