|
 The
Old White Course was originally named the Number One
Course, as it is the oldest of the three courses at
the Greenbrier. Designed by Charles Blair MacDonald,
Old White opened in 1913 to great praise, as the noted
architect who counted esteemed clubs like National
Golf Links and Chicago Golf Club on his resume had at
last built a gem in the Allegheny Mountains. Macdonald
laid out a course over pastures that lend the design a
traditional Scottish flavour—a common characteristic
of Macdonald designs—and allows for a lot of
pitch-and-runs into the greens. As most of his designs
are private, the opportunity for resort guests to play
Old White and get a true sense of Macdonald’s genius
should not be passed up.
The course is a par-70 layout
measuring 6,652 yards, and has a wonderful sets of
greens, some of which demand carries and others which
can be reached with approaches low to the ground. This
classic variety makes up for the modest length of Old
White, requiring golfers to make use of every shot in
their bag.
The opening hole at Old White might be
its strongest. In 1938, noted architect Robert Trent
Jones wrote an article for Towne & Country
featuring his ‘Dream 18,’ and the opener at Old
White was among them. The back tee of this 449-yard
par four is right in front of the clubhouse veranda;
an intimidating shot on its own, made more difficult
when resort guests are gathered on the patio for
drinks. The hole plays downhill to a fairway bending
right through two tall stands of trees, and the
approach is to a green framed with bunkers on three
sides. It is a classic opening hole.
While there are no par fives on the
front side at Old White, the sixth, named
‘Lookout,’ is as close as it gets. At 444 yards,
the tee shot on this dogleg-right par four is to a
stretch of fairway that slopes severely to the left,
away from the green. An ideal drive will hug the right
edge of the fairway, and be long enough to reach the
corner and not be blocked out by trees. A more
conservative tee shot to the left leaves the golfer
with an uphill, right-to-left approach to a shallow
green with a large bunker guarding the left corner.
‘Lookout’ is the course’s hardest hole for good
reason.
The eighth is the ‘Redan’ hole, a
design original of Macdonald’s that has been copied
worldwide for decades. The reputation of this hole
precedes it; popular opinion is that this reproduction
outdoes the original at North Berwick in Scotland. The
green at this 187-yard hole runs diagonally from right
to left, and is guarded by a deep bunker front left.
The play is to the right edge of the green so that it
runs up the green.
The 12th is the first par
five at Old White, after a par-34 front nine. 549
yards from the back tee, the true challenge at 12 is
not in the drive but in the approach. The green is
severely elevated and a pair of bunkers guard the
slope. An extra club is usually required to safely
reach the green.
There are few water hazards on the
course, but the finishing stretch beginning at the 15th
sees water in play on the final four holes. 15 is a
220-yard par three over a wide stream to a deep green
surrounded by two big bunkers. 16 demands a drive that
carries a pond to reach the narrow fairway, and then
an iron approach over the river and its stonewall
banks to a pretty green framed by sand.
17 is the second of two par fives at
Old White, measuring 514 yards. The tee shot tempts
players to cut off as much of the stream that bisects
the tee deck and fairway as possible. As the green is
open in front, a well-executed drive should give the
longer hitter a chance to reach the green in two.
The Old White closes with a par three,
on that resident pro Sam Snead has aced five times.
Measuring 162 yards from a slightly elevated par
three, the final approach must be played over two
bunkers and a stream fronting the green
The fact that MacDonald crafted a
course with a par-34 front nine and a par three
finisher shows that the architect worked with the
land, instead of against it, to carve out a beautiful
and unique classic in the Allegheny Mountains. |
