Oak Hollow remains a Pete Dye classic

Two, Oak Hollow and Blair Park golf courses, are city-owned and operated inside the city’s boundaries. Blair Park, more than 70 years old, is a traditional layout divided into sections by residential streets. Oak Hollow, which opened in 1972, is an early work of noted golf course architect Pete Dye and has drawn both praise and criticism since the day it opened.

Dye’s courses continue to excite and dumfound to this day. They are much like a hearty slice of Swiss cheese. Either you like it or you hate it. There’s no middle ground.

When Oak Hollow first opened with its Kentucky bluegrass fairways, blind shots, puzzling greens, railroad ties and seascape pilings, it was unlike anything Piedmont golfers had ever seen. Three to five shots more difficult than gentle Blair Park, Oak Hollow’s subtleties were a bit of a shock.

Detractors called it Oaf Wallow and joked that Dye built the golf course where Oak Hollow Lake should have been. The lake bed, they claimed, was much more suited for a golf course. They also made fun of Dye’s early career as an insurance salesman, saying he would make a fortune selling life and accident policies on the first tee.

Others liked the challenge of a thinking man’s golf course and, as the course matured and erratic fairway bounces were smoothed out, Oak Hollow grew in popularity. The original course was planted in bluegrass because someone on the city council wanted the course to be green 12 months a year. A frequent comment of the early days was that if a golfer could play Oak Hollow from the bluegrass fairways (perfect for winter, but shaggy by necessity in warmer months) he could play anywhere. The flyer lie wasn’t invented at Oak Hollow but it was raised to an art form in those early days. More practical bermudagrass soon replaced the bluegrass. Bentgrass greens were added and the course was on its way to what it is today, a tract that draws more than 40,000 rounds each year and caters to three thriving local golf associations.

Asked about the elements of a great golf-course design, Dye once said, “It’s the ambience of the setting of the existing ground and the vistas and views you portray in those existing areas. I think what separates some of the better designers is their ability to take the different things they’ve seen, put it on a piece of land and make it look like it’s been there.’’

Dye proves that at Oak Hollow with his use of Oak Hollow Lake as both a playing hazard and scenic backdrop, especially on the front nine and holes 11, 12, and 13 on the back nine.

Golf Digest has, over the years, ranked Oak Hollow as one of the top 25 public courses in America, a top 75 course in value, and a 3.5-star rating among places to play in North Carolina.

Steve High is the 28-year golf professional in High Point, most of his tenure at Oak Hollow. Rick Briley is the course superintendent.

“The course has changed some over the years,’’ High said, “but mostly because of trees lost in storms, shoring up holes around the lake and just general maintenance. We’ve tried to stay as close to Pete Dye’s original design as we could.”

Oak Hollow uses four sets of tees for its par-72 challenge. The championship (blue) tees measure 6,564 yards and prove a golfer can get all he wants and still be less than 7,000 yards. The regular, or mixed tees, play at 6,155 yards. The senior, or white tees, are 5,613 yards and the red tees are 4,825 yards.

My thinking about the course has evolved over the years. Dumber than most golfers, it took me about two years to figure out how to play the 15th hole, a par-5 with a roller-coaster fairway and sharp dogleg left. I used to try to cut the dogleg but wasn’t long enough to accomplish my goal and invariably wound up in a brushy ravine and a scramble to make double-bogey. I finally discovered that an aiming point much further to the right would allow the ball to land and kick left down a steep fairway hill. Pars and even birdies suddenly became attainable.

The second hole, a short par five, is another example. At 456 yards from the mixed tees, it invites – no, goads – a golfer to go for the green in two. It’s an easy par-5 if the golfer lays up to the left of the long, narrow green, but almost everyone goes for it in two. Long hitters who can get a short iron in their hands for the approach shot have a distinct advantage. Anyone attacking the green with a 5-iron or more is leaning heavily on luck because the green isn’t really designed to take such a shot and the ball often rolls off to set up some very difficult chip shots.

The third hole is a short, 340-yard par-4. Any drive left of center will bound down another steep hill and possibly reach an inlet of the lake. The best aiming point is toward the course parking lot, but too much club will put you out of bounds between an SUV and a Subaru. In other words, you don’t automatically pull a driver and blast away at Oak Hollow. Smart play is always rewarded.

The 11th hole, a 437-yard par-4, may be the toughest hole on the course, as it demands a perfectly placed tee shot. The 18th hole, another par-4 that peaks out at 448 yards, is a strong finishing hole.

The signature hole is the 420-yard, par-4 sixth, a dogleg left around the lapping waters of the lake. An island tee box at the tips offers an air-gulping challenge for the brave. The rest of the golfers can bite off as much of the dogleg as they feel they can chew. It’s a well-earned par.

There is no sameness to the holes at Oak Hollow. Each is its own challenge. The elevated greens and well-planned bunkering don’t leave much to chance.

Oak Hollow is a frequent host to tournaments, corporate outings and clinics. It has even been the site of one wedding.

I know, because my wife and I were married on the 10th tee at Oak Hollow on Feb. 9, 1992, complete with an arch formed by golfers holding crossed drivers.

Like I said, smart play is always rewarded at Oak Hollow.