At 85, Reynolds Park stands test of time for Triad golfers

Winston-Salem and Forsyth County are home to a few of the most-prestigious and best-known golf courses in the state and the entire country.

But there’s likely no more important golf facility than the city of Winston-Salem’s Reynolds Park Golf Course, which has been introducing new players to the game for more than eight decades.

Originally designed by world-renowned architect Perry Maxwell, who designed the highly-acclaimed Old Town Club layout the year before, Reynolds Park has provided the public with a quality, well-maintained layout at an affordable price. Much of the labor was supplied through the Works Progress Administration.

For many golfers, Reynolds Park has provided not only an introduction, but a regular venue to hone their skills and enjoy regular play.

“A lot of people come out and say it’s where they played their first round of golf,” said general manager Harold Kincaid, whose company has leased and operated Reynolds Park since 2008. “It’s amazing when you look back at a lot of the old guys who learned to play out here.”

In 2025, Reynolds Park, built as a muni course with land donated from the Reynolds family, has observed its 85th anniversary.

The course, just a mile or so from downtown Winston-Salem, Reynolds Park has an interesting history from its Maxwell design to an update by Ellis Maples in the mid-1960s. Kincaid said he would like to bring back more of the seven altered Maxwell greens characteristics in the future, though today’s faster putting surface speeds require some modifications.

A decade ago, Bermuda greens were changed to Diamond Zoysia, a grass created for durability in this climate. Kincaid said the Diamond Zoysia is a bit thicker and more coarse than most Bermuda strands and requires only one — rather than two for typical Bermuda strands — aerification treatments each year.

“We were able to sod the Diamond Zoysia and get it open the fastest,” Kincaid said. “We had some events with 600 rounds in three days, and they looked the same after as they did before they played. “What gives the course its teeth are the up-and-down and sidehill shots.”

Built on rolling, wooded terrain, Reynolds Park isn’t particularly daunting from just a glimpse of the scorecard. From the tips, the par-71 layout plays modest 6,379 yards with a 69.5 rating and a 121 slope. The other tees measure 5,934, 5,283 and 4,475 yards.

The undulating greens are typically kept at a moderately fast 9 or 10 on the Stimpmeter. Most of the fairways are relatively generous with rough normally maintained at 2 inches or less. The greens complexes are modern with a variety of bunkers.

Though hardly a pushover, the course is highly playable for beginners and high-handicappers.

The course typically plays more than 30,000 annual rounds. With 18-hole fees of $35 (there is a discount for walking) on weekdays and $40 (walking discount available) on weekends, Reynolds is one of the most affordable courses in the Triad. Facilities include an equipped pro shop, snack bar, driving range and putting green.

“I bet we have as many walkers as anybody,” Kincaid said.

The course features a variety of straight and dogleg holes and uphill and downhill shots. Water comes into play on only three holes. The distance between greens and tees is mostly minimal. None of the climbs is overly taxing for walkers, who make up a significant portion of play.

“It’s a fun course,” said Kincaid. We go more for rounds for people to have a good time. I hate for people to have to stop and look for balls.”

“But a lot good players don’t go as low as they think they will.”

Thurman Edwards and Dutch Leonard served long terms as golf pro before American Golf took over management on a lease in the early 1980s. Kincaid, a Greensboro native and PGA of America member, owned and operated the former Grandview Golf Club near Pfafftown from 1990 until 2007.

The course is bisected by Reynolds Road, which runs from Winston-Salem State University toward Kernersville. The opening three holes on the north side near the clubhouse run near the road before the course crosses over to the remainder of the front nine, which features a variety of elevation changes, including a pair of significant dips off the tee at Nos. 4 and 7.

The back nine returns to the north side of the road with No. 18 finishing at the clubhouse.

During Maples’ renovations, some routing was changed. Nos. 10 and 11 and 12, which had been south of the road, were moved north. No. 1 was changed from a par-5 to a par-4. The par-3 second hole was moved. The original holes No. 13-18 were switched with 4-9.

Since Maples’ changes, some slopes on the greens have been softened as faster green speeds reduced the possible pin positions.

No. 4, a 516-yard par-5, grabs attention with a downhill drive toward a creek that bisects the fairway at the bottom of the hill. The second and third shots are uphill to a green guarded by bunkers on both sides. No. 8, a 393-yard dogleg right, returns up the hill to No. 9, a straight-ahead par-4.

No. 11 is a challenge, but a drivable par-4 opportunity. At only 288 yards from the tips, drives carry into a steep hill bank in front of the hilltop green. Right of the fairway, a rough area tapers off into woods. Bunkers in front of the green on each side must be navigated to drive the green.

The par-3s on the back nine require mid- or long-iron approaches. Nos. 12 and 16 each measure 196 yards from the back markers.

The course finishes with its toughest hole. The drive at the 416-yard 18th is blind and uphill, making a long tee shot necessary to reach the green. Drives hit off the right side of the fairway are often left with shots toward the green blocked by trees.

“The 18th is a hard hole,” said Kincaid. “You have to accurate on the tee ball so you have a second shot. If you hit a good tee ball, you can still hit it in bunker. It’s a blind tee shot and you have to favor the left side to get a kick to the right.”

This summer, some trees were eliminated to open up the 10th fairway.

But while major renovations are planned at Winston Lake, owned and operated by the city of Winston-Salem, Reynolds Park has stood the test of time as an quality, affordable option for players of all skill levels.

“The bones here are so good,” said Kincaid.