With two championship courses and spacious practice facilities, Grandover Resort is a popular venue for high school and college golf teams.
According to Grandover’s director of golf, Jonathan York, several Triad college and high school teams use the facilities.
Leading the list is UNC Greensboro, whose men’s and women’s teams call the resort home. In addition to the expansive outdoor facilities, UNCG has its own indoor facility at the resort, complete with hitting bays, simulators, and a high-tech putting green.
UNCG men’s golf coach Terrance Stewart said Grandover offers various advantages, just a few minutes from campus.
“We have a great partnership with Grandover,” Stewart said. “Our teaching studio has more golf technology than any other spot in North Carolina.”
Grandover also offers different courses.
“The East Course is a beast, very challenging where you fight for pars,” said Stewart. “The West is fun, offering more birdie opportunities.”
In Grandover’s studio, PuttView helps players with speed and line for putts. SAM PuttLab improves their mechanics.
With TrackMan 4, players receive swing data and can play simulated rounds on top courses.
While universities like UNC, Duke, and Campbell have school courses, Stewart said UNCG benefits from Grandover’s facilities and several other public/private courses.
UNCG shares a facility with Precision Golf at Bryan Park, which has two courses.
Other college teams practicing at Grandover include N.C. A&T, Guilford, Greensboro College, High Point, and Winston-Salem State.
Stewart’s teams, dominated by Triad natives, have won three Southern Conference championships and earned seven NCAA Regional at-large bids. Last spring, Kelvin Hernandez (pictured) qualified for the NCAA Championships.
“It’s great we can play different types of courses,” Stewart said. Ø
UNCG golfers practice in their Grandover studio.
Grandover features dramatic stone-lined creeks, and luxury touches with bridges and tunnels.
“That six-week period from July 4 through August 15, with bentgrass, you have to treat it differently,” York explained. “You keep the grass longer, and the greens slower, which makes putting less enjoyable. Now, during the prime golf season from April through October, the greens grow well, and they’re healthy and happy.”
In April, Grandover began removing the bentgrass surfaces, and the greens were sprigged on Memorial Day. Some greens were slightly altered to accommodate the faster speeds allowed by Tif- Eagle Bermuda. Koury construction staff also softened the surfaces, which typically become firmer with Bermuda grass.
The most significant change is at No. 4, where a three-tiered green was converted into two tiers.
The grounds staff took advantage of the course closure to clear out several trees, especially those around greens, to allow more sunlight, which is beneficial for Bermuda grass.
Grandover has filled a void in the Triad since its development over the last three decades. The East Course opened in 1996, followed by the West Course in 1997. The hotel and its facilities opened in 1999.
Though the pro shop is conveniently located in the resort’s main building, and the spacious practice areas are just outside the door, the courses wind through woods, creating a secluded, tranquil atmosphere.
Grandover’s courses and practice facilities are open to both hotel guests and the public. The resort’s Griffin Club loyalty program offers discounts on golf fees, instruction, dining, and spa services.
Packages and outings can also be arranged through the 1,000- room Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons and the Holiday Inn Greensboro Coliseum, both also owned by Koury.
As a premier resort — Grandover joined the elite ranks of Wyndham Grand hotels in 2022 — the staff delayed the original opening date to ensure the new putting surfaces were in perfect condition.
