OLD TOWN CLUB
🇺🇸 Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Designed by Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coore, Billy Fuller, Bob Cupp, Perry Maxwell
Old Town Club, nestled in the heart of Winston-Salem, remains a stubbornly relevant testament to classic design, a place where the echoes of Sam Snead's effortless swing still resonate. Laid out by Perry Maxwell in the late 1930s, the course embraces the rolling Piedmont terrain, rewarding strategic play over brute force. Its tight, tree-lined fairways and subtly contoured greens place a premium on shot-making, often demanding a gentle fade.
Maxwell's routing utilizes the natural undulations to create memorable and challenging holes, a characteristic magnified by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's sensitive restoration in 2013. The renovation successfully revived Maxwell's original intent, emphasizing the importance of angles and position, a welcome return to a more strategic and thoughtful experience.
While Old Town Club has not hosted major professional events, it's a fixture on the amateur circuit and a beloved course for those in the know. The membership, steeped in local tradition, maintains a palpable reverence for the game's history and the club's unique character. They also enjoy the club's "Mickey," a secret-recipe cocktail that's become a legendary part of the Old Town experience.
Reviews
Very relaxed, friendly club. Have frankly spent more time at the pool than the golf course here but always love coming by when I’m in Winston. Absolutely amazed with the restoration. When I played, it was firm, fast, and baked out, and man was it fun. Love how open the course is and the bowl-shape of the back nine that all funnels down to the double green 8th/17th. Challenging lies throughout the course make for tough pin locations.
Just about 18 great holes. If I had to pick weak holes it would be nitpicking. Amazing land movement. Not the easiest walk but a lot of fun to play. The run of 12-17 is elite.
In the conversation for the best golf course in NC. OTC is a great example of golden age golf that has aged like fine wine. While I never played it prior to the C&C renovation, everyone I’ve talked to has had nothing but praise for the work they did. Home to the Wake Forest golf programs and bordering that campus, this place is a perfect test for high-level golfers and has produced some of the top talent in pro golf. Take my advice, if you’re playing against a sub-4 handicap from Old Town, don’t bet your whole bankroll, because anywhere else they’d probably be a scratch or better.
Old Town is as good an example of a restoration completely changing the persona and experience of an old golf course. Coore & Crenshaw pulled the curtain back on a Maxwell relic and turned it into a scintillating golf walk. Scale, big vistas and bold looks are everywhere. The framing bunkers at far off holes and trusting lines on blind tee shots are prevalent. I think 5,7,8,11 and 13 are particularly memorable. The view from 11 tee looking across the property is my favorite on the golf course.
Never gets old going for a fine walk at OTC. If someone blindfolded you and took you out there, you’d have no idea you were in North Carolina, let alone Winston Salem.
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FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Old North State at Old Town Club has a Course Vaults score of 9.3 out of 10 based on 104 explicit golfer ratings.
Old North State was designed by Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coore, Billy Fuller, Bob Cupp, and Perry Maxwell.
Old North State at Old Town Club is listed as private on Course Vaults; guest access is typically restricted.
Par at Old North State is 70.
Old North State plays 6,833 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Old North State is 143.
