Reynolds Park has been a regular in my playing rotation for several reasons.
The Perry Maxwell/Ellis Maples design has an outstanding combination of doglegs, blind drives, drivable par-4s, reachable par-5s and uphill and downhill approaches. Plus, the par-3s are some of the most difficult holes on the course.
Then, there’s the price — only $30 for seniors on weekends. The regular rates are $35 on weekdays and $40 on weekends, including carts. Walking is allowed at a discounted rate. The staff is friendly. The course is generally in good conditions and the greens can be slippery.
And of course, Reynolds Park offers three obvious advantages, especially to golfers who live and/or work in Winston-Salem: location, location and location. Only a few minutes from downtown, the Winston-Salem skyline is visible from various vantage points.
Though owned by the city, Reynolds Park is managed by a company run by longtime area pro Harold Kincaid, who had owned and operated the former Grandview Golf Club near Pfafftown. The course has a lot of regulars, from Wake Forest students to Seniors.
The course is challenging, but not punishing. From the back tees, Reynolds Park plays to par-71 and measures 6,379 yards with a rating of 69.5 and a 121 slope. Three other tees measure, 5,934, 5,283 and 4,475 yards. The facility includes a driving range, putting green, pro shop and snack bar.
I didn’t catch Reynolds Park at a favorable time last week. The greens remain good and have recovered well after aerification. But the undulating fairways are hard, making it easier for shots to roll off into rough.
I’ve played the course enough to know that conditions will significantly improve after a good rain.
Reynolds Park Road divides the course into two parts — 12 holes behind the clubhouse on the north side of the road and six holes on the south side that drop down into a valley then rise to return to the clubhouse crossing.
After a wide-open opening par-5 were errant drives are playable on the third and 10th fairways, the course tightens with the par-3 second, where woods line the left side and trees and Reynolds Park Road loom behind the green.
Reynolds Park Road comes into play at No. 3, a difficult driving hole requiring a slight draw into a tight fairway lined by trees on the right and the road and passing vehicles to the left. An accurate fairway wood or long iron is the smart play on a par-4 that measures only 368 yards from the back tees.
Then, the course crosses the road for some of the most memorable holes. The first is the par-5 fourth, which drops dramatically downhill off the tee, leaving a second shot over a creek and up a hill to the green. Another is the par-4 No. 6, which tumbles down the same hill on a fairway sloping hard into the dogleg.
Thanks to dry conditions, I hit fairway woods on both holes, leaving only a mid-iron on the par-5 and a pitch on the par-4.
Following another easy par-5 to open the back nine, players arrive at No. 11, a make-or-break short par-4, where birdie or eagle is possible, but double-bogeys are far more common.
Only 288 yards from the tips, the hole drops dramatically off the tee with good drives landing on a steep incline to the hilltop green.
A bunker on the left side of the fairway further tightens the target. Shots hit left on the tight, undulating fairway are typically blocked by trees. Shots hit to right run down a slope into rocks, dirt and out of bounds.
The hill makes the hole play at least an extra 30 yards, leaving most players lucky enough to hit a straight drive with a bind pitch to a green pitched back toward the downslope of the hill.
No. 12, a par-3 stretching to almost 200 yards, requires a long approach to a green perched on a small hill and guarded by two bunkers.
No. 14, a dogleg left measuring 389 yards from the back markers, is almost drivable for big hitters with a long draw that rolls downhill toward the putting surface.
The course’s toughest hole is the final hole, a 416-yard par-4 featuring a blind uphill tee shot. First-timers should be sure to aim left. A well-struck shot toward what appears to be the right side of fairway, will hit and filter down into woods causing a disappointing end to a round.
From the history — Maxwell designed it in 1940 while working on Old Town Club and Maples renovated it in the 1960s — to the unique assortment of holes with Reynolds Park Road as a divider, Reynolds Park offers a fun and unique experience.