The facility in Winston-Salem, N.C. is shut down for a few months to finish installation of the Better Billy Bunker system, improve cart paths and complete other updates around the course and club, including the patio, swimming pool and tennis courts. Old Town golf chairman Dunlop White III says the club hopes to have the golf course open by September. Until then, White said the club has arranged for its members to play at other clubs, including nearby Forsyth and Maple Chase country clubs.

Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, N.C. closed April 16 to allow for an array of infrastructural improvements, including the installation of Tif Eagle Bermuda grass to replace the bent grass on the course’s celebrated contoured putting surfaces, Triad Business Journal reported.

Old Town golf chairman Dunlop White III told Triad Business Journal the private club will also complete installation of the Better Billy Bunker system in its 80 sand bunkers, improve cart paths and complete other updates around the course and club, including the patio, swimming pool and tennis courts. White did not provide an estimate of the costs.

White said the club hopes to have the golf course open by September, Triad Business Journal reported. Until then, White said the club has arranged for its members to play at other clubs, including nearby Forsyth and Maple Chase country clubs. The course was designed by acclaimed architect Perry Maxwell in 1939.

“We feel that our Perry Maxwell contours are iconic and famous, and we want to protect those at all cost,” White told Triad Business Journal. “This is not a design renovation. This is mostly an infrastructure renovation.”

White said Coore & Crenshaw Associates, the design team of Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, which oversaw a 2013 renovation of the course, are the architects on the project, Triad Business Journal reported.Dave Axland, the firm’s project manager, also managed the 2013 renovations.

Maxwell is one of the premier names in classic course design, Triad Business Journal reported. His portfolio includes renewed courses such as Southern Hills, Prairie Dunes and Colonial Country Club.

In the past two decades, Coore and Crenshaw, known for creating classic and natural designs, have joined Hendersonville’s Tom Fazio among the top modern architects with designs including Sand Hills, Bandon Trails. In North Carolina, the duo has designed Dormie Club in the Pinehurst market and completed renovations on Pinehurst No. 2.

“The Coore and Crenshaw renovation really propelled (Old Town) into a household name,” White gave as a possible explanation.

The club has a longtime affiliation with Wake Forest University and is the home course of the men’s and women’s golf teams, Triad Business Journal reported. The course is also known for its undulating fairways, which force players to play from a variety of stances.

Though White said 74 bunkers of the course’s 80 have been converted to Billy Bunker since January and dozens of sun-blocking trees have already been removed while the course remained open, the club made no public announcement about the renovations or the closure.

When the course reopens, players first may notice a change on the tees, Triad Business Journal reported. White said the current small tee block areas — a modern design trait — will be removed. Instead, a large non-elevated area will be cut, allowing for a variety of tee placements that will help prevent wear and tear on small areas and reduce mowing time.

Though the greens will be expanded, White said no changes to the putting surface’s contours would be made, Triad Business Journal reported. The Tif Eagle surfaces will be much easier to maintain during the humid summer season, White said. With the bent grass, Old Town used elevated fans around the green to circulate air flow, and often had to hand syringe the putting surfaces.

“Our greens were old and soft, and were not performing or draining well,” White said. “USGA greens have a life expectancy of 20-25 years. Ours are 27 years old. Bermuda would provide the membership with better surfaces for more months per year. They should thrive during the period our members enjoy playing the most.”

The change from the popular bent to Bermuda mini dwarfs — easier to maintain and much-improved over the years — has been a trend at Carolinas courses for more than two decades, Triad Business Journal reported. Pinehurst No. 2, a regular U.S. Open venue, made the switch in 2010. Alamance Country Club, which kept its bent greens during a renovation in 2019, is one of the few top Triad courses yet to change.

The expansion of the greens — White said the extent of the expansions has yet to be set — may be needed to help players keep their approach shots from bouncing or rolling off the putting surfaces because Bermuda greens are typically harder than bent greens, Triad Business Journal reported.

White said the new putting surfaces probably will make ball position in the fairway more important to stopping approach shots near the pins, Triad Business Journal reported.

The Better Billy Bunker systems combines a 2-inch gravel layer with a specialized polymer to create a durable, liner-less system, allowing for better and easier drainage and consistent playing conditions in sand traps, Triad Business Journal reported.

Forsyth Country Club installed Billy Bunkers during a renovation project completed in 2018 by architect Kris Spence, whose designs include the new Quixote Club in Sumter, S.C.

“We were experiencing washouts and contamination after rain events,” White said.

As part of Old Town’s natural look, White said the new sand in the bunkers will remain Yadkin River sand, rather than the brilliant white “Spruce Pine Sand” favored by Augusta National and many other high-profile courses, Triad Business Journal reported.

White said that only about 20% of the club’s cart paths are asphalt, and some of those will be rebuilt or rerouted with the intent to provide good access while limiting their visibility, Triad Business Journal reported. Other visual projects will include stone and fence work and landscaping.