I had a great time at Colonial Country Club in Thomasville, North Carolina. This Colonial Country…read moreClub is not to be confused with other clubs around the country that share the exact same name. I believe the most famous Colonial Country Club is the one in Fort Worth followed by Cordova, Tennessee (outside of Memphis). Both have hosted PGA Tour events with the former also hosting both a men's and women's US Open major championship.
While this Colonial Country Club in North Carolina may not have that kind of history or prestige, it's still a nice, private club nonetheless and I found it to be real treat to play on. My dad and I had planned to play one of our usual rounds at his home club, High Point Country Club (Willow Creek golf course). However, because of a tournament at Willow Creek, we played here instead because the clubs have a reciprocal agreement in place.
This was my first visit to Colonial, but not for my dad. He's played Colonial several times over the years with other High Point Country Club members for various reasons, reciprocity being one and tournaments, I believe, being another. He and my mom have also attended holiday parties at the clubhouse for Thomasville Medical Center. The day of my visit, the clubhouse and course were setting up for a wedding. The wedding ceremony took place on the scenic lakeside 16th fairway and it appeared the dinner reception was inside the clubhouse: https://www.instagram.com/p/COWFnSjhkP5/.
Before playing any "new" course (new to me), I like to do a little research. For Colonial, I checked out their website, Facebook, and Instagram. Having lived in Atlanta for the past 20 years, playing golf in metro Atlanta, and following many Atlanta area golf courses on social media, I noticed something immediately when I looked at Colonial's IG -- the club is now managed by Atlanta-based Bobby Jones Links. The dead giveaways were the pictures of the staff members who were awarded Clover Leaf (employee of the month) awards. They do the same thing at courses I follow in Georgia like Bobby Jones Golf Course, Legacy and Fox Creek, and Cobblestone. What a small world. In general, I think Bobby Jones Links has done a great job on the social media front. Their shirts look nice too.
There are scenic views shortly after driving onto the property at Colonial. The course features three lakes (Upper, Middle, and Lower). On the front nine, starting with the 5th green, you get great views of Upper Lake. The 6th hole, par 4, has a blind uphill tee shot which I was not a fan of (I don't like blind shots). Upper Lake comes into play on the 8th hole, par 3, which measures 178 from the tips (blues). No. 9 is dogleg left par 5. On that hole, you'll want to err right on your drive because the fairway slopes right-to-left. I sliced my drive to the right side of the fairway and it rolled down to the center, putting me in great position for my next shot.
As far as the back nine is concerned, I thought the tee box for 10 was a little confusing for a first-timer with the way the boxes are positioned between 12 green, the practice short game area, and 13 tee, plus the way the cart path goes. No. 10 is also a par 5 so it's hard to see exactly where you're supposed to hit. Anyway, that's just a minor gripe. The 10th green is tucked away in a corner so you do need to set yourself up for a good look by hitting a decent second shot. Holes 16 and 17 are some of the most picturesque and beautiful on the course. A par 4, 16 bends left around Lower Lake while 17, a par 3, is similar to 8 on the front, with a forced carry over water, but significantly less water to cover. The front ends dogleg left, the back dogleg right (par 4), both finishing at the clubhouse.
Colonial opened in 1958. There are five sets of tees. From the tips, the course measures 6,809 yards with a 72.3/126 rating/slope. Not too long nor difficult, relatively speaking.
When we played, the conditions were very good overall. Both the tee boxes and greens were in excellent shape. The greens were firm and fast. The only thing I didn't like about them was you could clearly see where numerous holes had been previously cut (just me being picky). Parts of some fairways could have used some work, but generally, there were no glaring issues maintenance-wise to me. It was what I expected out of a private country club in Thomasville.
As far as layout and design, aside from the aforementioned water holes, I do think the holes are a bit simplistic and lack creativity or variety. Many of the fairways and greens are huge and there aren't a whole lot of trees separating holes. That makes Colonial very playable and more enjoyable for high-handicap golfers like my dad and me. Most holes do not have homes on them, so in that sense, this course feels more secluded and pure which I like.
There's a pool, tennis courts, locker rooms and showers in the clubhouse, and two air blowers to clean your shoes.
Service was terrific. The staff was friendly.