There are no shortage of regulars on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World list — in fact, it’s nearly all regulars. But that’s not to say there’s no churn or fresh faces. This time around, seven newcomers made the cut, and in the coming days, we’re going to introduce (or reintroduce!) you to each of them. Here’s a closer look at No. 92 on the 2021-22 ranking: Old Town in North Carolina.
No. 92: Old Town
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Perry Maxwell (1939)
Old Town is considered by many to be the final outstanding course built during the Golden Age of architecture. Perry Maxwell was in full flight, having perfected the art forms of routing holes, draping them softly upon the land while building green contours that have bewitched generations. Still, Old Town wasn’t spared from what happened at many parkland courses from 1940-2000. Tree growth took over, views were blocked and features shrank.
In America, the concept of restorations took hold in the 1990s. In 2013, Coore & Crenshaw were called in for what became a labor of love. Not only have Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore always lavished praise on Maxwell but Bill Coore attended the adjacent Wake Forest University in the mid-1960s, playing on the golf team his freshman year. C&C’s work brought Old Town back as one of Maxwell’s handful of finest designs.
This par-70 represents the best of both worlds — stout enough to test the famed Wake Forest golf team while being a delight for member play. The club continues with C&C making refinements to this very day. The result? Old Town steadily climbed in our U.S. rankings, and now has joined 50 other American courses in our World Top 100.
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