Country Club of North Carolina

Dogwood & Cardinal COurses

Pinehurst, North Carolina

Renovation to Dogwood Course completed in 1999

Renovation to Cardinal Course completed in 2002

Description

The Country Club of North Carolina is a premier address in the Southeast and sometimes flies under the radar among the higher profile courses associated with nearby Pinehurst Resort. Make no mistake, CCNC is home to two fabulous courses in the Dogwood and the Cardinal, both ranked highly in the state annually. The golf courses were part of an overall master planned community designed by Atlanta-based golf and landscape architect, Willard Byrd. I have always been impressed not only with the course layouts at CCNC, but also the overall residential configurations. Mr. Byrd did a great job with lot placements; especially the deep setbacks from the golf course. As a result the homes fronting the golf course always have an understory view but never invade or distract from the golf experience.

Byrd designed the Dogwood Course in 1963 with some involvement by Ellis Maples. The course would then receive renovation efforts later by R.T. Jones and Rees Jones in ’77 and ’79, respectively. In 1999 Arthur and I completed work on the Dogwood Course, which included rebuilding of the greens to USGA specifications, but maintaining much of the original contouring. The tees were rebuilt, as well as all of the greenside bunkers and a number of the fairway bunkers. There was interest at that time to regain some of the prestige of the course – one that had been ranked highly in the US and hosted a good many national tournaments.

The Cardinal Course, also designed by Byrd in ’68 as a nine-hole course, opened in 1970. In ’81, holes were added by R.T. Jones to give the Club two, full 18-hole courses. In 2002, we completed work on the Cardinal, which had been referred to by many as the forgotten little sister to the Dogwood. The land, though, was just as spectacular, if not more so than the Dogwood, which presented a great opportunity for our team. While the Dogwood was more of a restoration effort, we were given more of a free hand with the Cardinal. As a result, we did some much needed tree clearing, rebuilt all the greens, tees and bunkers to create a more cohesive, integrated course, consistent in character from beginning to end.

Today, members and guests now dispute which course they prefer – which is an advantageous and remarkable improvement for the Club! I maintain strong memories from the project, from my overnight stays within the CCNC enclave, to my working relationship with long-time Director of Golf, Jeff Dotson and now retired superintendent, George Thompson. And never to be forgotten is the time I spent in Pinehurst, rubbing elbows and sharing stories with all the visiting golfers at the Pine Crest Inn. Pinehurst is special, and so is CCNC.

Course photography courtesy of Kevin Murray