Bel-Aire Maintains Popularity  in 32nd Year 

By NAT WALKER

A.A. “Red” Brame bought the Beeson dairy farm northwest of Greensboro in 1968 and a year later his sons – Jay, Don and Lee – were surprised to see bulldozers moving dirt and round mounds being formed throughout the 131-acre tract.

“I said what are you doing?  Oh no you’re not,” Jay, the elder brother, said relating a long-ago conversation. “Oh yes I am,” his father said.  Indeed he was and on Labor Day of 1970 Red Brame opened Bel-Aire Golf Club on Pleasant Ridge Road near N.C. 68.  The course’s name came from a shortened version of Red’s mother-in-law’s name – Bell – and a lengthened version of the word air because it was located near the Triad’s major airport.

Red Brame, with a couple of surveyors, routed the course. Then Brame oversaw the construction himself. Except for cart path improvements and enlargement of a few of the greens and tee boxes, Brame’s creation is virtually the same today – 32 years later – as it was the day he opened for business.

With an estimated 40,000 rounds annually, including nine-hole rounds, it is clear that Triad residents are still enjoying Red Brame’s handiwork.

And well they should.  The 6,449-yard, par-72 layout features four challenging par-3 holes and the domed greens of many holes provide a true test of any golfer’s short game.

The Brame brothers enthusiasm for the par 3 holes is obvious.  “I think they are four of the best par-3 holes in the area,” Jay said.  “They’re tough and I’ll guarantee you’ll seldom find anyone who played them all in par.”

At 191 yards (from the back tees), No. 4 requires a lofted shot to a fairly shallow elongated green that slopes away on all sides.  Miss the green and the golfer is faced with a testy up and down.

No. 9 is a par-3 that intimidates both the golfer and any motorist on Pleasant Ridge Road who might be traveling beside the 210-yard hole.  After completing this nerve-wracking hole, the large dairy barn that the Brames and the late Greensboro architect Pete Peterson converted into an impressive clubhouse is a welcomed respite before setting out on the back nine.

No. 11 is another longish par-3 at 194 yards that jars your senses again after finishing the relatively straightforward par-5 No. 10.  Another lofted shot to yet another sloping green ensures the best result.

The last of the par-3s is No. 17.  The ball must carry nearly all the way to the green to avoid submergence in the largest of Bel-Aire’s four lakes.

The par-3s, however, are not the only challenging aspects of Bel-Aire.

Water is a factor on five holes, all on the backside.  Many Bel-Aire regulars consider No. 13 to be the most interesting of the quintet.  The back tee of this par 4, 392-yard beauty is located at the bottom of a hill with the green nowhere in sight.  A fairway wood will carry the ball to the other side of the hill and toward the green that is fronted by a small lake and backed by a grove of trees.  A golfer lucky enough to get a reasonably flat lie will enjoy one of the most scenic views at Bel-Aire.  A short iron should reach the green.

 No. 16 is another tester.  It is a tough par-4 of 411 yards.  A blind uphill tee shot to a sloping fairway sets up a medium-to-long iron shot to a hillside green across a lake.  Lee, the youngest of the Brame brothers, says No. 16 and No. 18 are the two most aesthetically pleasing holes at Bel-Aire.

While the front has its challenges, holes 10 through 18 are the most fun to play.

As Jay put it:  “The front side is relatively easy, but the backside wakes you up.”  The topography of the land is the difference.  “The front is mainly flat and the back is hilly.”

Bel-Aire had its heyday in the 1970s, prior to the golf course building boom that produced Bryan Park, Jamestown, Pine Tree, Pine Knolls, Stoney Creek, Greensboro National, Country Hills and others. 

Bel-Aire hosted the Gate City Open that featured the likes of Jim Thorpe and Jim Dent.  The News & Record tournament was a popular four-day event put on annually by the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department for area amateurs.  The City Am was a prestigious local event played at Bel-Aire prior to the opening of Bryan Park in 1974.

Today, Bel-Aire is a popular venue for corporate and charitable tournaments and the Brames cater to seniors on weekdays.  And, because of the lay of the land, Bel-Aire is almost always playable.  “It can storm all night and with the drainage of the course it will be ready for play the next day,” Jay said.

By keeping the course in good shape and offering its clientele competitive rates and special promotions, Bel-Aire has kept pace with the competition brought on by the proliferation of area golf courses.  “Golf courses are like McDonald’s today, there’s one on every corner,” Jay said.  “People have a large number of choices and can play a different golf course every day of the week if they want to.”

Bel-Aire currently offers a $350 gold card that pays for 42 rounds of golf with cart.  “That translates to $8.33 a round with cart,” Jay said.  “You won’t find a better deal.”

Several years ago the Brames sold property containing its practice range across Pleasant Ridge Road to an apartment developer.  Since then speculation often arises that the family will sell the golf course.  Jay says there are no current plans to do so.

“The property is very valuable when you consider we got $60,000 an acre for the practice range property when it didn’t even have water and sewer service.  Nobody today would build a golf course on this land because it’s so valuable.  I don’t know what the future holds, especially if the Federal Express hub comes to the airport.  We might get an offer that would be foolish to turn down.  But right now, we have no plans for this property other than as Bel-Aire Golf Club.”

The Triad boasts longer and more difficult courses, but Bel-Aire has stood the test of time and remains one of the better public courses in the area.  The brothers Brame along with club pro Jimmy Dunn and greens superintendent Galen Shelton make this promise – Bel-Aire Golf Club will provide a pleasant and challenging experience for low and high handicappers.