Golf in Archdale

Host of the PGA’s Wyndham Championship from 1977 to 2007, Forest Oaks Country Club’s private course incorporates natural elements such as looming trees and severely sloping hills with manmade sand traps and water obstacles, challenging beginning and experienced golfers alike. Opened in 1962, the terrain was renovated in 2002 after the renowned Love Golf Design group reached out to professional golfers to find out what makes an ideal course. The main improvement, helmed by Davis Love III, was the resprigging of the fairway with bermuda grass, a strain of turf that can handle extreme temperature changes, and a redesign of the new greens. The course was featured on the PGA for over 30 years, and was enjoyed by Davis Love III as well as Rocco Mediate and many other professionals. While the golf course is the main attraction, the club also houses a pro shop, a 25-yard professional-size swimming pool, tennis courts, and a restaurant.

From their home base at Deep River Golf Range, PGA-certified instructors Scott Duerscherl and Riley Kurtz help students along the path to lower golf scores. The teachers adhere to an overarching philosophy that there is no single perfect swing that works for every player. Instead, they tweak an individual's natural mechanics to create a comfortable swing that can be repeated even when hitting from difficult lies such as hillside dirt or camouflaged snares. During lessons with either Scott or Riley, students focus on the fundamentals of making proper contact with the ground in relation to the ball and controlling the ball's flight path. Casio high-speed cameras capture each cut for analysis with SwingView Pro software, which can spot swing-inhibiting problems such as backswing hitches and straitjacket polo shirts. On days when inclement weather prevents practice on the range, players can head to the indoor teaching area, complete with a sheltered putting green.

When they took over Jimmy Mac’s Golf Range, PGA professional Brad “Smiley” Latimer and his wife Pam knew they had their work cut out for them. The couple dove right in: they resurfaced the miniature golf course, illuminated its brick-lined pathways with nearly 100 solar lights, acquired a FlightScope Launch Monitor for lessons, and stocked on the driving range with new Titleist and Callaway balls. Even after completing these renovations, they continue to revamp the facilities. The 18-hole mini-golf course now features two cascading waterfalls, babbling brooks that wend along turf fairways, and new putters that send colorful golf balls into holes or to the one-eyed pirate living under the course bridge to fulfill his dream of a new ocular orb.

A 325-yard driving range showcases 25,000 square feet of Bermuda grass tees and 20 artificial turf hitting stations featuring laser yardage readers. The range has covered and uncovered stations, as well as lights that let golfers swing even after the sun has started to snore. Lessons provide the instructional guidance of a professional while taking advantage of the center’s practice bunker and chipping and pitching greens, developing swings dependable enough to take down rabid ball washers.

Built in 1969 and having hosted the 2001 National Golf Association Triad Classic, Pine Knolls Golf Club has brought a long and sparkling history to its location in northeast Forsyth County. In 2006, two brothers-in-law from Ireland—Graham, a retired professional motorcycle racer and Pearse, a PGA professional—purchased the course. Today, they carry on its tradition of challenging and enjoyable play. To conquer the 6,338-yard layout, golfers must decipher the course’s small and complex greens, which requires even more concentration than geocaching for holes on a course that spans an entire city.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Total length of 6,338 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 72.4 from the back tees

• Course slope of 123 from the back tees

Draped over the foothills of the Sauratown Mountain Range, Stonewall Golf Course sends golfers swinging over steep hills and sudden chasms on a 5,222-yard layout that epitomizes mountain country golf. Throughout the round, dramatic elevation changes complicate yardage readings, and fairway-side drop-offs frame narrow landing zones, encouraging players to leave their driver, 3-wood, and acrophobic head covers in the bag.

With multiple par 4s measuring 300 yards or less, players must cautiously approach each shot off the tee, as efforts to reach the green in one heroic drive could land their golf ball in Town Fork Creek or one of several ponds meandering through the course. The course draws its name from the par 3 eighth hole, where golfers start at an elevated tee box and descend 75 yards down a craggy face that, when viewed from the green, assumes the appearance of a seamless stone wall. Fueled by electricity and an ancient resentment for gravity, golf carts—which are mandatory on the course—help players climb the steep fairways in efficient fashion.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Length of 5,222 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 64.7 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 116 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Scorecard:

At Triangle Golf Center, visitors can hone fluid golf swings with the help of professional instruction. PGA professionals closely analyze positioning, posture, and technique to help students shoot lower scores and spend less time slicing trails through thick brush. Every facet of the game can be covered based on your strengths and weaknesses, including the short game, mental game, course management, trouble shots, practice routines, and golf-cart drafting. Additionally, a driving range offers 33 lit, artificial hitting areas year round, as well as grass hitting areas from April to October. Golfers can practice their putting on the short-game area's synthetic putting green—after all, the green is where an average of 43% of a round’s shots are taken and 62% of jokes are told.