68 The term ‘players’ club’ can strike fear into the hearts of average golfers. One imagines registering at the clubhouse and immediately being presented with a one-iron and a demand to stripe it 250 yards, proving your golfing credentials before stepping foot on the first tee. Old Chatham is described by some as a players’ club. But thankfully that doesn’t mean a one-iron initiation, or even that average golfers aren’t wholeheartedly embraced. Rather it indicates a focus on golf alone. You won’t find tennis courts, swimming pool or a croquet lawn here. The club was founded at the turn of the millennium by a group of wellconnected and passionate golfers in the fast-growing Research Triangle area of North Carolina; home to the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, as well as three universities: North Carolina State, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. As the region has thrived, so too has the club. Routed through 400 acres of pine forest, the course at Old Chatham provides a retreat from the burgeoning metropolis. “There are no homes. You don’t see a single building other than the clubhouse,” says director of golf course management Brian Powell. “You’re out in the middle of a forest and it gives you this big feel, a wonderful sense of awesomeness.” The course was laid out by Rees Jones and his associate Greg Muirhead in 2001 and has since built a reputation as one of the best in the state. It hosted the US Senior Amateur in 2019 and will welcome the USGA for a second time in 2026, for the US Girls Junior Championship. “It’s a pure golf club,” says Jones. “A special place.” Rees and Greg have remained close to the club since it opened, and in twenty years have been consulted on all changes, most significantly the recontouring of greens a few years ago. As its prized asset, the club has always been extremely cautious about alterations to the course. “When we do things here, we make sure they are well thought out and protective of what we already think is a phenomenal golf design,” says Powell. “Our first rule is ‘thou shalt do no harm’.” But after 20 years of evolution in turf science, the club made the decision to move to modern zoysia varieties for tees and fairways. As well as its water efficiency and shade tolerance, “most of the good players feel like this is a better surface in terms of how the ball rests,” says Muirhead. “They are able to really pinch it off the fairway.” The turf transition required the course being out of play for 16 weeks, so it made sense to consider whether more could be done within that window of time. “It was designed with significant bunkers because it was such a large, open course,” says Powell. “One of the OLD CHATHAM The new par-four sixteenth hole is reachable from the forward tees
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