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North Carolina courses enjoy new lives after major renovations

The Tar Heel state has always been well-heeled when it comes to great golf, with new courses seemingly opening daily and older courses enjoying new life after renovations.

One course just off I-95 and another in the Greensboro area are now open after major renovations (one even got a new clubhouse in the remake). Both Gates Four Golf & Country Club and Champions Golf Course are worth a detour on any itinerary.

The complete story

Gates Four, located just minutes from I-95 in Fayetteville, received renovations to all 18 holes. In addition, the grand opening of a 29,000-square-foot clubhouse is scheduled for early-December.

The nines of Gates Four were reversed in order to have the finishing hole be in front of the clubhouse. Extensive changes to the course also included the dramatic improvements of number seven. The existing hole sloped severely into a creek and left little landing area, while the new hole was redesigned to soften the slope and make it more playable for the average golfer. In addition, the par-four ninth hole was nearly unreachable in two shots, so it was resculpted and some trees were removed to make it more playable and scenic.

The opening of the 29,000-square-foot clubhouse completes the picture, along with the already-open swimming complex, tennis courts, and a complete food and beverage operation. Maples Golf Management of Pinehurst, owned and operated by the great golf course architect Dan Maples, manages the greatly improved Gates Four complex.

To the west in Greensboro, Champions Golf Course reopened after a year of renovations. Located in Bryan Park, the original course was built by Rees Jones in 1990 and is consistently ranked as one of the top public courses in the state and nation. It’s also been called one of the best values in the country and one of few municipal courses worthy of holding a U.S. Open.

It’s now better than ever, thanks to renovations that included: the flattening of every green and a return to their original shapes; making the fifth green 20% larger; reseeding all greens; bulkheads for two holes that feature ponds; several new tee boxes; and the removal of more than 100 trees to improve playability.