Municipal Golf:       
The Buncombe County Course

In magnificent Asheville, North Carolina sits one of the little known, yet nearly all original Donald Ross designed golf courses, the Buncombe County Municipal Course.

Also known as the Asheville Muni, this course follows the original plan drawn by Ross in 1927 to the letter with the exception that the nines have been reversed. The tenth tee at one time was imprudently moved to make room for maintenance building which makes the hole an offset with an ill defined driving area. Other than this one architectural blunder (which could be easily corrected) this golf course is a step back into the 1920’s. The course follows the land with dead certainty. One can well imagine, while standing in the fairway how the ground swelled and fell prior to the introduction of the holes.

The front side is on a flatland that sits in front of the clubhouse. The holes meander through the property with distinction. Although the front is not terribly long it offers some wonderful holes. There is a drivable par four of some 280 yards, fronted by a bunker to catch those not up to the task. The green on this particular hole is deceptive and pitched from front to rear, forcing the long hitter to be careful in his placement.

The front ends with two fairly heroic holes. Number eight is an uphill 220-yard par three with a small and demanding green. Number nine is a classic Ross closing hole. The tee shot is blind yet well guided by the fairway bunker forms left when the bunkers were long ago abandoned. From the flat in the fairway the player faces a shot of 210 to 150 yards to a cleverly protected green.

The backside is a different experience. It begins at the top of the flatland and proceeds through a series of hills and valleys. There are no holes that play in the exact same direction and a great deal of mature hardwood trees that play havoc with the wind. The tees and greens are purchased on what must have been the most usable plateaus. All the threes and fours are demanding. The fives are reachable in two but do not allow for the wayward second shot. Left, right and long are invariably going to produce bogey or worse. All in all, this course is a hidden gem.

Unfortunately, it is too well hidden. Due to budgetary deficiencies the course has suffered many years of neglect. The Asheville Municipal is in a downward spiral that is the product of too little cash flow and too much play. Greens fees do not exceed $ 20.00 and the revenue from carts is negligible. Because there is insufficient cash generated by the facility, the course suffers. The County itself has far greater priorities and therefore probably does not even give much consideration to the course. $ 500,000.00 I improvements to this course would make it one of the best municipal tracks in the United States. The bones are there; the grooming is all that it needs. A little drainage, some selective tree cutting and pruning, a well thought out bunker plan and some attention to the health of the turf grass could turn this place into a destination. All of the Ross genius is present; it just has to be uncovered.

We at the Ross Society urge the commissioners of Buncombe County to take a look at what they have. A plan for restoration would not be terribly costly and could well lead to increased revenue. The restoration of this timepiece would benefit the County, the residents of the county and the world of golf in general.
                     

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