FEATURE STORY

Forest Oaks Country Club a North Carolina mainstay for the PGA Tour

By William K. Wolfrum,
Staff Writer

For the PGA Tour, Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., has long been a place they call home. Opened in 1962 and originally designed by Ellis Maples, Forest Oaks was the home of the Greater Greensboro Open since 1977. And while the tournament us now known as the Wyndham Championship, the great location remains.

Celebrating its 30th consecutive year as host of the event, the streak could come to an end in 2008, as some have speculated the Wyndham Championship will be held again at Sedgefield Country Club, where the tournament was originally held in 1942.

Nonetheless, Forest Oaks has remained one of the most impressive golf courses in North Carolina, scoring a 4.7 rating out of 5 from Golf World magazine. Here's a quick look at Forest Oaks Country Club, a golf course where the pros play.

Forest Oaks Country Club

Forest Oaks Country Club received a redesign from Davis Love III in 2002 to spruce up the original Maples design, and the Carolina native did his part to reinsert the luster to this famed North Carolina run.

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Just 15 minutes from greater Greensboro, Forest Oaks plays to 7,062 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 74.1 and a slope rating of 135. Five sets of tees keep the course fair for all levels of golfers, while an extravagant and well-conditioned practice facility keeps members of this private course at the top of their game.

For years a favored stop on the PGA Tour by the pros, the redesign of Forest Oaks by Love and his design team kept the course worthy of the best golfers of the world. Love repositioned the back tees, forcing doglegs and other obstacles to make up for the increased length off the tees for pros, while keeping the course fair for higher handicap players.

In the end, it's the conditioning that keeps Forest Oaks a favorite for the members and pros and helped gets its high ranking from Golf World. The fairways are Tift Sport Bermuda grass while the greens are a mix of A4 and A1 bentgrass, and both hold up brilliantly in both the summer heat and cold of winter.

Wyndham Championship History

Famously known as the Greater Greensboro Open, and then the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, the tournament has changed its name this year after Wyndham Hotels & Resorts took over from DaimlerChrysler as the tourney's main sponsor. It is the final PGA Tour event before the FedEx Cup playoff tournaments. In 2008, the tournament will celebrate its 70th anniversary.

Forest Oaks Country Club 4600 Forest Oaks Drive Greensboro, NC 27406 Telephone: (336) 674-0126 Web site: www.forestoakscc.com

The tournament has been played at Sedgefield Country Club and Starmount Forest Country Club also, but has remained a staple of Forest Oaks for three decades now. Ironically, it was Love who won the tournament in 2006, the last year the tournament was known as the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. It was the second time Love had captured the tournament, and the victory broke a 73-tournament winless streak for Love.

The tournament has seen a virtual honor roll of great golfers take home the championship trophy over the years, including: Ben Hogan, Billy Casper, Sam Snead, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Weiskopf, Gary Player, and Chi Chi Rodriguez. Snead won the event a remarkable six times and the winner's trophy is now known as the Sam Snead Cup.

August 16, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.