Old Town Club

This quiet, traditional golf-first club is no longer anonymous in golf circles. Instead, it is widely revered by anyone who has had the chance to step foot on this truly special property.

A family member of the Reynolds tobacco empire donated the 170 acres OTC sits on, and allowed Perry Maxwell to handpick the holes from a vast expanse of fallow land that was once a horse farm. Maxwell left the topography mostly undisturbed, incorporating the site’s natural ridges, knolls, swales and ravines into his design.

Old Town’s broad fairways are marked by varying degrees of slope, which generate many awkward lies on approach shots. But it’s the green undulations affectionately known as “Maxwell’s rolls,” or “puffs,” that wreak the most havoc on scorecards.

Short-siding yourself on any golf course is hazardous. Here it is downright devastating. Pitches left short will roll, and roll, and keep rolling into collection areas 40-50 yards from the green.

There are no tee times, so there is an unhurried vibe present. A trip to OTC is more than just four hours of golf. It is an experience. Have lunch in the grill room and order the chicken melt (add bacon) with hot pub chips. Then figure out a way to come back.

Simply put, this is what golf is all about. Old Town Club possesses all elements you love to see in a golf course, including a world-class design team, a seamless routing, variety, challenge, and memorability in spades. The course is kept firm and fast, and the greens are varied and challenging. Dunlop White III and his staff have done an incredible job here.