Friday, Jul. 10, 2009
Lockwood Folly a unique nook in the forest
05-29-09 The eighteenth green next to the inlet at the Lockwood Folly Country Club. Photos by Tom Murray / tmurray@thesunnews.com
Lockwood FollyThomas Paine would have been a proponent of Lockwood Folly Country Club.
The club's location and layout both promote isolationism.
The 6,836-yard Willard Byrd design is nestled against the Lockwood Folly River in a rural area near Supply, N.C., and covers a lot of acreage, as each hole is cut through trees and set off on its own.
"I love the individualized holes," said Marvin Latimer of Surfside Beach, an actor and mortician who took part in review of the course in late May. "These new courses try to put 18 holes on a piece of land that's too small and all the holes are crammed together. This is a great tree-lined course."
Joining me and Marvin of Big Brother V fame in the review foursome were Delwyn Smith of Myrtle Beach, the general manager of an Arby's location and 8-handicap, and Treeonna Barney of Longs, a part-time waitress and 34-handicap.
"The holes are well defined by trees, and the trees are mature," Delwyn said. "Every hole had unique characteristics requiring lots of different shots and lots of placement. It's an excellent layout."
There's a diversity of tree types on the property including pines, live oaks, red oaks, cypress and hickory, and canopies on some holes affect shots from even fairways. A number of ponds create forced carries though none off the tees are particularly long or squeeze fairways enough to encourage layup shots, hence the high slope of 140 from the tips. Holes generally have at least subtle turns left or right.
"There's a good variety between dogleg lefts and dogleg rights," Marvin said. "You have to shape balls both ways. The holes are individualized and no two look much alike. It has good personality."
Woodrow Wilson would have appreciated the layout's finish, which embraces the world around the course. After meandering through tall trees and housing for 17 holes, the dogleg-right 18th hole turns to a stunning conclusion, with the green backed up to the river across from Oak Island and near where it empties into the Intracoastal Waterway.
"It was breathtaking and tranquil," Marvin said. "Coming to 18 is really why you play golf: the scenery and competition all in one."
TifDwarf Bermudagrass greens are fairly flat with only subtle breaks. "The greens are medium speed but well maintained," Marvin said.
Our foursome found the rough to be minimal on the 21-year-old semi-private course, which is owned by its members. "The rough is high enough to be penal but not enough to slow down play," Marvin said. "You can always find your ball."
Conditioning was good throughout the course, and though the bunker sand has a darker tint, it plays well. "The course has great bunkers with sand, not dirt," Marvin said.
Likes
Delwyn thought the staff was amiable and the outdoor restrooms were well maintained. The club was easier to find than the last time Delwyn played several years ago because of better road signage.
Treeonna particularly enjoyed the scenery and thought the course was fair for women despite a fair amount of water. "I am a beginner and the course is forgiving," she said. "I think the back nine is a little more difficult because of the carries but the fairways are still forgiving. It's a little narrow but I'm not stuck in the trees."
Marvin enjoyed liberal chipping areas around greens and landing areas on tee shots, and also thought combined green and cart fees between $50 and $90 depending on the time of year were a bargain. "It's an awesome course for the price," Marvin said. "This is a $100 course. I'm definitely going to come back here with my boys."
Dislikes
Delwyn thought out of bounds stakes were too close to fairways in many areas because of encroaching housing, and thought the teeing area on the driving range was too sandy.
Marvin echoed Delwyn's sentiments on some of the club's amenities, including the interior decoration of the clubhouse, which was distinctively 1970s and '80s. "The clubhouse is out of date and the practice area is subpar for a course of this stature," he said.
Marvin also didn't like driver being taken out of his hands as early as the par-4 first, fourth and fifth holes, leaving forced carries on a couple second shots.
Treeonna thought the amount of water and sand on the layout made it difficult for high handicappers.
Par-3s
The par-3s measure from 180 to 211 yards from the tips, which Marvin played. "They're very well designed and very tough," Marvin said. "I hit from 3-iron to 5-iron."
The 200-yard second hole requires a long carry over wetlands. The back tee has an angle farther to the left than the other tee boxes and has a tree in front of the tee box to the left and tree in front of the green to the left that can come into play. The white tee can be either 175 or 157, depending on the tee chosen.
The 211-yard sixth hole is either 183 or 160 from the white and has bunkers right and left of the green and water right. The 180-yard 11th is 157 from the white and features a bulk-headed water hazard guarding the right side of the green.
The 197-yard 16th is either 184 or 174 from the white, has long bunkers to the right and left of a narrow green and requires a short carry over water. "The par-3s are long and challenging but fun," Delwyn said.
Par-4s
The par-4s measure between 365 and 459 yards from the blue tee and from 335 to 402 from the white, with only one hole longer than 378.
Driver is tough to hit on the first, fourth and fifth holes. The 430-yard first hole is a sharp dogleg left with fairway bunkers left and right. The fairway ends quickly if you don't hit a draw. The 365-yard fourth has water on the right side of the fairway beginning 150 yards from the green and trees pinching the fairway on the left. The 389-yard fifth is a dogleg left with a carry over water of more than 100 yards to the green.
The 405-yard eighth has wetlands down the left side and a pair of trees on the right side of the fairway come into play 120 yards from the green. The 380-yard ninth is a dogleg right with water at the back of the bend, 260 yards from the back tee.
The 459-yard 12th is perhaps the toughest hole on the course. Water narrows the fairway from the left about 190 yards from the green and continues along the left side of the putting surface. Bunkers make drives difficult and surround greens on the 418-yard 13th and 374-yard 14th holes, and protect the entire right side of the 392-yard 17th. The 408-yard 15th is a sharp dogleg-left.
"Some of the fairways are pretty tight and have severe doglegs, and if you're on the wrong side you have no shot," Marvin said. "They force you to make good shots."
Par-5s
The par-5s are not overwhelming and can present birdie opportunities. They measure between 467 and 537 yards and are only 443 to 488 yards from the white tees. "They're short enough to reach in two with a good tee shot," Delwyn said.
The 467-yard third hole is tight and protected mainly by bunkers lining both sides of the fairway. The 524-yard seventh is only 442 yards from the white, and while there's water on the right side there is ample room on the left to set up a second shot to a reachable green.
The 537-yard 10th features a long, tree-lined corridor of a fairway. Water fronts the green and a small pond sits 230 yards from the back tee on the right side of the fairway. The spectacular 500-yard 18th is 453 from the white and has a pond on the right side of the fairway landing area backed by a bunker. A long fairway bunker is deep down the left side of the fairway and water comes into play to the green's right.
"The par-5s have good risk-reward but some are pinched too close to water and you can't hit driver," Marvin said.
Favorite holes
The favorite hole for both Delwyn and Marvin was the 18th. "It's amazing and tranquil and a well-designed dogleg," Marvin said.
Treeonna enjoyed the par-4 12th hole, which measured a long 342 yards from the red tee with a carry off the tee and water to the left side of the fairway and green. "The water [in front of the tee] wasn't too far that I couldn't hit it over but it was still challenging," she said.
Least favorite holes
Though Delwyn said he couldn't choose a hole he didn't like, Marvin's least favorite holes were the par-4 first and par-5 third sandwiching the par-3 second because they were fairly tight to start. "The first couple holes are tough driving holes and golf is hard enough in the fairway, much less the woods," he said.
Treeonna's least favorite hole was the par-4 fifth hole, measuring 297 yards from the red tee, because of a 100-yard carry. "It was narrow and there was a long carry over water to the green," Treeonna said. "It was hard for me."
Contact ALAN BLONDIN at 843-626-0284.