Pine Brook at Maple Chase Golf & Country Club

Pine Brook is the work of Ellis Maples, a North Carolina native who designed or renovated more than sixty courses across the Southeast during the mid-twentieth century. Maples, who learned the craft under his uncle Willard Byrd and later partnered with him, developed a reputation for routing courses that worked naturally with existing terrain rather than imposing dramatic earthmoving. His designs typically feature strategic bunkering, modest greens with subtle contours, and an emphasis on playability for a range of skill levels. Pine Brook reflects this regional design sensibility common to courses built in the Carolinas during the 1960s and 1970s.

The course occupies rolling Piedmont terrain characteristic of the Winston-Salem area, where elevation changes are moderate and tree-lined corridors define individual holes. The routing likely incorporates mature hardwoods and pines that frame fairways and create natural separation between holes. Water features, whether creeks or ponds, often come into play on Maples designs in this region, adding strategic interest without overwhelming the layout. Greens tend to be accessible from the ground, rewarding the bump-and-run approach common to courses of this era.

Maple Chase Golf & Country Club serves as a private facility offering traditional country club amenities alongside the golf course. The club provides a setting where members balance recreational golf with social and dining functions typical of established clubs in mid-sized Southern cities. Pine Brook remains a functional example of mid-century Carolina golf architecture designed for regular member play.