Golf Central North Carolina

The Golf Kindgom that Donald Ross Built
Part 3

by Anthony Scaggs

Duke University Golf Course was designed and redesigned by the Jones family. In the mid to late 1930's the vision for a Duke University golf course was conceived. The plans were completed in 1941. However, like many things WWII brought everything to a halt except the vision. In 1957, Robert Trent Jones converted the vision into a reality. His eldest son, Rees, redesigned the course in 1993 enhancing his father's original concept. The yardage from the forward tees is 5505 yards and 7045 yards from the back tees. The par 72 course has a rating/slope of 71.2/124 to 73.9/137, respectively. The NCAA Golf Championships have been played at this course and is rated as one of the top University courses in America.

Mill Creek Golf and Country Club is a Rick Robbins and Gary Koch design which is surrounded by the Mill Creek Community as well as wooded wetlands. The wetlands and the woods come more into play as one moves from the forward tees to the back tees. It is rumored that the ponds, creeks and bunkers are placed exactly where ones' golf ball lands. At all times, the high grass, which borders the tees and the fairways, is ready to snatch one's ball from its flight and hide it until the next millennium. This par 72 course has hosted PGA professionals such as Payne Stewart and Fred Couples. The course is 4884 yards from the forward tees to 7004 from the back tees. The slope/rating varies from 67.5/113 to 73.7/141, respectively. It is open to the public for daily fees as well as membership fees.

Salem Glen Country Club is a Nicklaus Design that was built in 1997. At that time it was ranked as one of the top 10 new courses in North Carolina. The course is the home of the Women's ACC Championship and covers nearly 160 acres boarding the Yadkin River. The front nine and the back nine offer different styles of golf. The front 9 is open and borders the Yadkin River which allowed the designers to use lots of water on the front. The back nine is hilly. In both cases, the fairways are narrow to average width and all the greens are tilted or tiered and unforgiving. The yardage from the forward tees is 5,054 and 7,012 yards from the back tees. The rating/slope is a low as 66.1/112 up to 72.4/132. The carts are equipped with GPS and a "Live Time Leaderboard." This feature allows one to not only track your hole-by-hole score during a tournament but also your competition's performance in real time.

Bryan Park Championship Course is a Rees Jones design and was completed in 1990. After its opening in 1990, the course was named the best new course in the state. Since then it has accumulated more acknowledgements and awards than a high handicapper's index. The locals consider the Bryan Park golf courses, the best daily fee courses in the area. This year the unusual ice storms and extended cold spells damaged some of the fairways but the greens were in excellent conditions. The fairways are Bermuda grass and the greens are Bent grass.

Savoring the last sip of the Merlot, a smile crossed my face, thinking of the next 7 perfect golf days. Iit was going to be in the 70's, a light breeze and lots of blue sky and sunshine. My clubs were clean, my rain gear was dry and ready, my golf clothes were pressed; I was ready. The smile faded;

I hope that I remembered to pack my game.

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