"I can remember walking from campus to Old Town with my golf bag to go play."

John Dell files a super story on Bill Coore and team restoring Old Town Club, a private Perry Maxwell-designed club course he played while at Wake Forest.

There is also an accompanying video by Dell who interviews superintendent O'Neil Crouch and showing some of the construction process.

In his restoration, Coore used old aerial photos found by club members to get an idea of what the course looked like in 1939. The photos showed the original design, but the course had lost some of its character because of time and change.

This was also encouraging to read:

“He’s so busy and has so many projects that if we would have waited, he wouldn’t have been available until 2016,” said head pro Jim Holt, who has been at Old Town since 1979.

Comments

[JSS]

He's not available in 2016? I find that either amazing or misstated? C&C are doing quite a bit of restoration work, Shinnecock and Maidstone are two under construction right now. Some clearing is being done currently for the second course at Cabot Links in Canada. I would like to know what else they have going on?

[JR]

Go Deacs!

[Sun Mountain Man]

The writer mentioned that C & C has "reworked" Old Sandwich, Friar's Head and Bandon Trails. I think he meant to say that C &C designed the aforementioned, not reworked them although I know Bandon Trails is making some changes.

[PHK]

@ Sun Mountain: there has been some fine tuning at those courses. Maybe "reworked" is a little loaded.

[No Longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

I was lucky enough to play Old Town 3 days in row this past fall. It is one of the best I have ever played. It is great that Coore has known the course for nearly 50 years, I am sure that he "gets" the magic of that place. Perry sure knew his stuff.

[digsouth]

@JSS

http://www.coorecrenshaw.com/portfolio.html

if it doesn't open correctly go to www.coorecrenshaw.com

and click on portfolio at the top. Several interesting projects.

[taffy]

I agree with you S&T. OTC is a fantastic course and club.

[digsouth]

Perry Maxwell designed the course I learned to play on- the second location of Austin Country Club- the location Kite and Crenshaw learned to play on, and where Harvey Penick lived with his back yard behind the tee box of a beautiful 180 yard par 3 with giant Live Oaks surrounding the green, guarded by 3 bunkers as well. It is now Riverside Golf Course in Austin, and 13 holes remain Maxwell, while the other 5 are reworks, but only 2 new greens were done, the other 3 remaining from the original course, but part of the rerouting.

One of my thrills is still to go to the practice putting green and know that this is where Ben Crenshaw learned how to putt. The greens virtually all feature a runup, where the ball can be brought in on the ground, though the course (now) overwaters around the geens and makes a shot just short victim of the soft ground, and a plugged ball, or a 2 foot popout. Maxwell had it together, with the course generally featuring the lay of the land, raised tee boxes and some greens being the exception.

I'm sure Coore will do justice to his home track. What a thrill for him!

BTW- Penick lived on a city of Austin street with his house backing up to the ACC property-- the course was entirely self contained- no holes running thru neighborhood streets. You can google earth it at 30 14 15 58 N X 97 42 16 93 W --putting you on the putting green practiced so long by Crenshaw, ans where Kite undoubtedly learned how to chip so well! Penick's house is down south a bit on ....renamed ''Penick Drive, the 4th from the right, I think...it lines up with the par 3 wth the tee box closest to the house.....too bad the majesty of all those Oaks is not captured!