Old Town Club-Winston Salem, NC

Old Town Club is a classic Perry Maxwell design. The course is generally underrated in the overall scheme of courses and is fantastic in many regards. The course certainly fits the mold of the American Parkland course, routed over a moderately rolling site with several streams meandering through the property. Overall, this course does a great job flowing through the round and is certainly a course to see.

Ranking

Variety of Design: The par 3's have outstanding variety. Ranging from 245 to 166 yards, it is difficult for courses to have more range than that. Par 4 variety is good, but not great, with all the holes having mid and short iron approaches. Par 5 variety is very good, being benefited by the course having only two. One is reachable by long players, but has a creek fronting the green making the play more difficult. The other is reachable in two by only a very few (my host mentioned that Bubba Watson had played a few weeks before and reached the green in two shots hitting Driver- Hybrid) and given the creek and pond features, amounts to more of a 3 shot hole. Directional variety is fair, 4 holes playing left, 7 holes playing right and 7 holes playing straight. 8 out of 10

Flow: Flow is solid. Easy holes mixed in with more difficult ones. Holes playing uphill and downhill. This building up to a solid finish to the round. 8 1/4 out of 10

Course Conditioning: Conditioning is better than most southern courses. Fairways were very good and the greens were as good as can be expected during summer. 8 1/4 out of 10

Ease of Walking: The course is rather hilly, but the green to tee transitions are short. 8 1/2 out of 10

Atmosphere: Solid. Very laid back, private club vibe. Quite nice. 6 out of 10

Total:  79 3/4 out of 100

Hole #1: Par 4, 423 yards

Solid opening hole. Hole plays downhill off the tee towards a creek, then back uphill to the green. The downhill nature of the tee shot will likely mandate the player hit less than driver from the tee. From the bottom of the hill, the player will have between 140 and 180 yards to the center of the green, depending if he played up the left or right off the tee. To the green the hole plays roughly 2 clubs uphill.

From the tee, the player will want to play directly towards the green in order to have a shorter approach. Anything starting on a line right of the fairway bunker will not find the fairway. The bunker does not seem to have any strategic value, the reason for it's being placed there is not known. 

This is the approach from just over the creek, perhaps 100 yards short of the green. Even though the shot is uphill, the front is gently sloped and will allow for a roll-up shot.

Hole #2: Par 3, 163 yards
Very solid downhill par 3 to a green that is significantly sloped and surrounded by bunkers. It is believed that this hole is either the basis for or based on the 7th hole at Augusta National. Very solid par 3.

Hole #4: Par 5, 526 yards
The first of two par 5's on the course has solid strategic value on every shot. From the tee, the player will be best served playing directly down the walking path. Anything left of that will require a mighty blow to not be blocked out; a tee shot of 320+ yards is needed to clear all the trees on the right. But the hole doglegs to the right, so obviously the closer to the right side of the fairway, without being blocked out, the better. Once in the fairway, the player might be facing a shot of 275 to 200 yards to reach the green. Certainly the players at the far ends of that range will have no doubt as to the proper play, but players having between 250 and 225 yards will be left with a major decision. A creek fronting the green makes the play to the green all carry. The is a very good, strategic, short par 5.

From the tee, the hole plays slightly uphill to the fairway. The best play for most players is directly up the walking path.

This is the view from the top of the hill, roughly 230 yards out. The green cannot be seen from here.

The green comes into better view at around 200 yards. The green provides a large target for the player. Certainly Maxwell knew this hole would be reachable by longer players.

Another view of the green from much closer. The green tilts from back to front and, while being open in the front, does not provide much of a roll up option given the fronting creek.

Hole #6: Par 3, 186 yards
Another solid par 3 that plays downhill. However, unlike #2, this hole allows the player to roll the ball onto the green from the right side. Solid hole with the entire back of the green open.

Hole #10: Par 4, 406 yards
This hole plays slightly uphill off the tee, then back downhill to the fairway. The uphill part does not hurt distance off the tee, it merely prevents the player from seeing the landing area. The blind nature hole also manages to obscure the 2 bunkers down the left side waiting to catch the longest of tee shots. The green is best approached from the left side, but as said, the longest hitters have to be mindful of the bunkers lying on that side.

The landing area is completely blind from the tee, as can be seen here.

From the left side of the fairway, the green is open to aerial or roll-up play.

Hole 11: Par 3, 216 yards
Another fantastic par 3. This one plays long and slightly downhill. A creek guards the right side of the green and a large bunkers guards the left. This hole can be played with an aerial shot or roll-up shot. This hole is fairly straight forward and can help or wreck a players round, depending on how he plays the hole.

Hole #16: Par 4, 367 yards
This is a fantastic par 4 that plays uphill off the tee, then down through a large valley before rising back to a green that is on the same level as the fairway. The longest players will want to play less than driver from the tee to avoid a severely uphill approach shot. The green is open in front, but the uphill slope short of the green will likely prevent the player from playing a roll-up shot.

From the tee, the hole plays uphill and possibly blind to the landing area. A shot to the top of the hill, perhaps 225 yards off the tee, will be ideal.

From the top of the hill, the player will be left with a straightforward shot of about 140 yards to the green.

Overall, this course is quite good. It has solid flow and quality variety. It's this writer's understanding that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are currently undertaking a bunker renovation here and perhaps more than that. This will likely only help the course, perhaps getting it the respect it deserves. 7 out of 10

Lakewood Golf Club (Azalea)-Point Clear, AL

The courses at Lakewood Golf Club are the only courses in the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail family of courses not designed by Mr. Jones and Roger Rulewich. The original course, consisting of holes 1-5 and 15-18 of the Azalea course and holes 10-18 on the Dogwood course, was built in 1947 and designed by Perry Maxwell, one of the great designers of the Golden Age. The other holes have been added on over the years by various designers. It is startling how inferior those additional holes are, on the Azalea course anyway.

However, sadly, based on the rates charged, this course is viewed by many as one of the best courses on the Trail. It simply is not. Based on the eight other Trail courses this writer has seen, Lakewood is no better than any of the original courses and certainly inferior, and significantly, to Ross Bridge. This course simply has no flow. The first five holes flow nicely and six is not a bad par 5, but from there the course weaves through houses that are built tighter than desired to the playing corridors. Hole nine is a sharp dogleg left that plays directly across a public road and under powerlines.

In addition, hole fourteen is one of the worst par 5's this writer has played. While the hole is scenic and photographs well, it is a par 5 played to an island green. Coupled with the fact that it typically plays into the wind and is 545 yards long, there is virtually no risk/reward potential on the hole. Under only the rarest of circumstances would a golfer ever attempt to play to this green in two shots, thus the hole basically becomes a par 3 with two additional shots. The angle of play from the tee does not matter, the ball must merely find the fairway. On the second shot, certainly a lay-up, again, the angle does not matter. No angle into the green changes the situation that the player it hitting to an island. Any shot not played with reasonable precision will find the water, regardless of the approach angle. Simply a poor hole.

This course could have been so much better. Based on the nine original holes, it should be much better. Mr. Maxwell must vomit in his mouth slightly, as he sits watching in the hereafter, every time this course attempts to advertise their Frankenstein course using his good name.

Holes to Note

Hole #2: Par 4, 411 yards

This is quite a nice mid-length par 4. The player is given several options off the tee. The first is to lay back short of the fairway bunker that is around 250 yards off the tee, leaving a shot of over 160 yards to the green. The second option is to play the shot into the fairway even with the bunker, leaving a shorter shot, but having to thread the tee shot into a rather narrow ribbon of fairway. The final option is to play over the bunker, a shot requiring a carry of around 275 yards, into a generous piece of fairway leaving a short wedge into the green. From the fairway, the player will be faced with a shot over a large fronting bunker into a green that falls off away from him. This is no easy hole and certainly fits with much of the work Mr. Maxwell did elsewhere.

From the tee, the options are clearly placed in front of the player. The area right of the bunker is not maintained as fairway and any ball hit there will be stopped and blocked out by the trees.

For the player who tempts fate and plays over the bunker, this open shot is left. Note the opening to the green that would allow the player to play a low running shot into the green, if desired.

Hole #4: Par 3, 203 yards

This is an interesting par 3 that plays over water to one of two separate greens. To the left green, the hole can play up to the 203 yards listed on the card. To the right, it is much shorter, around 170. But both greens are quite small, making a 200 yard shot into the green no bargain.

Sadly, the phone tower takes away from an otherwise picturesque hole.

Hole #17: Par 4, 475 yards

This brute of a par 4 plays roughly straight off the tee, with the prefered play depending on what the player desires for the approach shot. The fairway is not reachable from the back tee, unless the player can hit a ball 325 yards or better. A play away from the bunker will give the player the better angle into the long, but narrow, green. A play directly towards the bunker will leave the player less margin for error in distance control. The key feature of the green, however, is the significant fall off that runs down the entire right side of the green. If a player feels good about distance control, but not direction, the right side of the fairway would be a bit better. The player who has poor distance control should favor the left side.

The bunker nearest the right side of the image is the key point from the tee.

From the angle close to the bunker, the player is given a clear play to the green, the pine on the right is no hazard.

Overall, this course is reasonable. It is not, however, worth the $120 they charge guests. Courses of the same quality can be found on the Trail, and virtually anywhere really, that are of the same quality but charge half as much. This is not a terrible course, but it is in no, way, shape, nor form worth the rate they charge. 4 out of 10.