Woodlake Resort Golf ClubWoodlake Resort Golf Club features two magnificent Ellis Maples and Arnold Palmer designed 18 hole courses, which border the 1200 acre man made lake. These courses provide breathtaking views and play that will leave long lasting memories for a lifetime.
Woven carefully into the fabric of the Woodlake Resort Golf Club
community is a course reputed to be one of the most challenging
in the Southeast - the Woodlake-Maples course. Designed by the
late Ellis Maples and Ed Seay, one of today's foremost golf
course designers and head of the Arnold Palmer Golf Architects,
the spectacular Maples course offers a USGA rating of 73.4. As
A. B. Hardy, a local developer and landholder, started Woodlake back in 1968, when he had the 1,200-acre lake built. It is one of the south's largest man-made lakes. Hardy hired the late Ellis Maples to design the first 18, which opened in 1971. Ellis Maples' father was an associate of Donald Ross, and the classical influence obviously trickled down to the son. Among others, Ellis Maples designed the courses at the famed Country Club of North Carolina. His unostentatious creations are models of straightforward, no-funny-business designs that blend strategic interest with eminent fairness. Whether it was the location or the lack of a strong buyers market that sent Woodlake down, it can only be surmised. Woodlake Resort Golf Club lies outside the village of Vass some 25 minutes from the Village of Pinehurst, and three decades ago that was considered way out. Today, Vass is well within the Pinehurst area and draws new players every day. In any case, Woodlake continued under Hardy until 1980 when the resort was bought by the family of German developer Dr. Ingolf A. Box. Box, a mergers and acquisitions attorney whose wife was a member of the German National Team, also owned The Carolina, an Arnold Palmer course in the area. In the 1990s, Box decided to build a second course at Woodlake. He wanted to hire Ed Seay, who did the bulk of the work on the first course when he was an associate with Ellis Maples. After Ellis Maples died, Seay joined Palmer Design. Box tried to negotiate with Palmer to have Seay do the course but Palmer insisted that if Seay performed the work, the course would have to have the Palmer name on it. That meant bigger bucks than Box wanted to pay. Ellis' son Dan started the course, designing the first 10 holes, before Box agreed with Palmer to have Seay finish it. This explains the split personality of the course between the front and back nines. The Palmer course opened in 1996. Signed by "The King", Arnold Palmer, this 6,962 yard beauty has it all. The Palmer course is one of the most popular in the area and was designed around Arnie's belief in fair and challenging golf for all levels of play.
Meanwhile, the courses at Woodlake Resort Golf Club have grown a bit shabby, a
consequence that one observer attributes to an insufficient
maintenance budget and the turnover of key personnel. Attrition
of members, some of whom have been performing assistant staff
functions on a volunteer basis, hasn't helped either. All this
apparently got Box's attention and led him to ink the pact with
Golf Matrix in July 2000. Under Arizona-based Golf Matrix, a
leader in golf course management, Foxfire, another golf and
residential community with similar problems, When the anticipated improvements are made, there is no question that Woodlake, especially the Maples course, is worth a visit. The course starts out along the lake with a terrific set of holes that includes the stunning 2nd, a 512-yarder with an island landing area which doglegs at a 90-degree angle to the elevated green. The second shot to this reachable par 5 must negotiate a narrow strip of fairway pinched between two areas of the lake. The 178-yard 4th is another gem over a cove of the lake.
From there, the course veers inland, traipsing through oaks, pines, maples, and hickories. Another noteworthy hole on the front is the 7th, a 506-yard severe dogleg right that climbs precipitously to the green from a very tight landing area between trees. This hole is dramatic. The back side is design artistry at its best, one hole after another of classic holes that wind through the woods. As good as the front 9 is, the back side is one to remember for those who appreciate courses as they used to be designed. The Maples course ranges from 5,276 to 7,043 yards, plays to a par 72 and has a slope of 129 from the whites (136 from the tips). The Palmer course, which has some opening holes around the lake and moves to the upland areas which once was a tobacco farm, is a par 72 layout with a slope of 124 from the whites (133 from the tips). It measures between 5,054 and 6,962 yards. Set Up Your Golf Getaway or Vacation Package Today, and Come Play With Us at Woodlake Resort Golf Club. It's A Great Way to Network with Business Associates or Just get away with friends or family.
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testimony to the excellent condition and championship layout,
Woodlake Resort Golf Club has hosted the Carolinas' PGA Match Play Tournament,
the North Carolina State High School Championships, and numerous
local professional and amateur golf championships.
has had a stunning
turnaround, and Woodlake's fortunes could soon follow.
Hopefully, Woodlake will fulfill the visions of its founder and
reward its current owner with a golf resort every bit as good as
its potential.
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