WRAL Sports Fan

Golf

Duke design ranked No. 1 in Triangle

By Staff and wire reports

Feb 12, 2009

DURHAM — The Duke University Golf Club has been ranked No. 1 in the Triangle for the fourth straight year by Business North Carolina magazine. The publication’s April edition also ranks the 7,105-yard, par-72 Robert Trent Jones-designed course 25th in the state.

“It is a great honor for the Duke Golf Club and I am not surprised,” Duke women’s coach Dan Brooks said. “Robert Trent Jones built the course and Rees Jones, his son, improved upon it. For the player who appreciates a good golf course, Duke is going to definitely going stand out for somebody who knows what a quality golf course is. They are going to appreciate Duke is one of the best.”

The Duke University Golf Club opened to the public on Sept. 26, 1957, and was immediately labeled one of the top university golf facilities in the nation. The accolades were great enough to attract the 1962 NCAA Golf Championships. Ironically, there was a soon-to-be-famous golf course architect playing in that NCAA field from Yale University — Rees Jones, eldest son of the Duke golf course designer.

In 1988, university officials recognized that the golf course needed restoration. While no one denied the magnificent routing of its holes, the condition of the course had become unacceptable by Duke University standards. Rees Jones, now a master architect in his own right, was the only choice for this redesign. Final major construction began in June, 1993 and was completed in April, 1994.

“The Duke Golf Club is a difficult golf course, which helps our team out the most,” said Brooks. “It is hard and you have a lot of tough decisions to make, including how much risk you want to take on a shot. To train we need a golf course that penalizes you for not thinking well and that is what Duke does for us.”