Palmer-designed Oak Valley has Found Its Niche

By JOHN KILGO

The people who own and operate Oak Valley Golf Club in Advance knew from the beginning that they would be challenged to carve out a niche for themselves in a golf-rich neighborhood that also is home to two of the best and most well-known courses in the Triad, Bermuda Run and Tanglewood.

Mission accomplished.

"Play on this course has been great since we opened it," says head golf professional Randall James, who came to Oak Valley when it opened in the fall of 1995. "We have been extremely well received by the Triad area. We are very picky about the tournaments we invite to come here because we get such good play."

So, while it might have a nice ring to it to say that Oak Valley is the best-kept secret in the Triad, it wouldn't be accurate. Golfers have found this semi-private Arnold Palmer design, and they keep coming back.

"You don't get bored playing this course," James said, "because it calls for so many different types of shots. It keeps your attention."

Of course, Palmer, who is recognized the world over as golf's King, is even more revered in the Triad. He played his college golf at Wake Forest, so people in this area consider him to be "homefolk." Having his name on the course as its architect gives Oak Valley strong credibility and standing.

James says that Palmer described this piece of work as having a "soft design." By that, he meant that he didn't have to move a lot of dirt to build a championships golf course. There are no dramatic drop-offs in the layout.

Palmer simply took the land, tweaked it and let the course fit into it naturally. He chose wisely. Some of the tweaks included moving creeks around to bring them into play, which the architect did with great success. The par 3 16th hole is a good example. Playing 176 yards from the back position (black tees), the golfer looks slightly downhill to a green that slopes right to left. Palmer has a creek snaking around the front of the green and continuing to the left side. A pulled or fat tee shot is almost certain to end up wet.

In fact, water comes into play on about 16 of the 18 holes at Oak Valley.

Ponds covered with lily pads pop up frequently, many of them shielded from view by big trees. The No. 1 handicap hole is No. 7, a par five that doglegs to the right. Plenty of trouble awaits errant shots on this 552-yard hole. A sand trap guards the landing area of the right. A creek dissects the fairway and empties into a pond on the right. The creek also fronts the green, which slopes sharply left to right. Some good shots hit just a tad short find the grass bunkers protecting the right of the green.

This is the hole that Oak Valley features on the front of its scorecard.

So, is it the signature hole?

"Good question," James replied. "Palmer was asked that question on one of his trips here. His response was: ‘Signature hole? Take your pick. It could be any of six or seven of the holes out there.' "

That's no exaggeration, either. There are some memorable holes on the course that take a high golf IQ to play successfully. If your idea of course management is to take a driver to the tee on every par 4 and par 5 hole on the course, you would be well-advised to bring extra golf balls and a lunch pail with you on your visit to Oak Valley. Palmer meant for you to think along with him when he put his mark on this design. Ripping a driver is not always the best approach here.

Take hole 10, for example. It looks serene and harmless enough from the tee box. But there's a pond on the right and also one straightaway. Hit the driver crisply and straight and you'll likely find water. The tee shot calls for a carefully placed ball about 200 yards from the tee. The hole doglegs sharply to the right. The green slopes left to right. It's an excellent short hole (370 yards from back tees), one that makes you think your way around.

"We have a good many risk-reward situations on this course," James said.

"You need to play smart. There are some holes that you can't just get up and rip it off the tee. It calls for many different kinds of shots to get around here."

Oak Valley's greens are large and undulating, but not as severe in their slopes as some Palmer designs. There are many subtle breaks, though, that can be frustrating, especially for newcomers. After missing a short putt on one Palmer-designed course, a golfer blurted: "Arnold couldn't putt a lick in his later years, so now he's going to make sure that none of us can, either."

It's a sentiment that pops up at Oak Valley from time to time.

James says Oak Valley draws many golfers from Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Statesville and Charlotte.

"And since we're situated so close to Bermuda Run and Tanglewood, I think many out-of-state golfers found us on their way to play those courses. They later stopped to play here. Once someone tees it up here, the golf course sells itself. It's fun to play."

Oak Valley is one of 214 clubs owned by ClubCorp. A company executive came to Oak Valley early in April to present employees with the company's coveted "Circle of Excellence," which it awards to only 13 clubs each year.

"We are proud of that," James said. "It's gratifying for us to have people come here to play and then tell us what a good time they had and how well they were treated. There are a lot of good golf courses in this area, and I'm happy to say that we're one of them. We've been rated a 4-star course by Golf Digest."

Many players walk at Oak Valley. Some carry their bags while others pull golf trolleys. It's an inviting course to walk because greens and tees are not separated by ridiculous distances. However, walkers are challenged by the uphill climb to the par 3 eighth hole as well as the trek up to the 17th tee from the 16th green. Those are two pretty good stress tests.

Golfers who want to walk Oak Valley's 7,058-yard championship layout can do so anytime Monday-Friday. On weekends and holidays, members are allowed to walk after 11 a.m. and non-members may walk after 2 p.m.

There are enough tee positions at Oak Valley to satisfy most golfers. The back tees are a challenge for low handicappers while those not as gifted in this sport can find a tee marker that suits their skills, where the game is still fun and irons can be hit into the greens.

"We think we have a special place here," James says, "and the play we get on the course seems to confirm that."

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