A Bit More of a Challenge
Say you’ve reached a point in your golf game where you feel that you’re making progress—the drives are straighter, the chip shots are more accurate, and the putts are falling with greater frequency. You want a bit more of a challenge. The Cleghorn Golf and Sports Club at Tryon Resort can provide that.
“It’s a mountain course in the foothills,” said club general manager David Quiroz, describing the lush, rolling topography of the course, which is located near Rutherfordton, North Carolina, where the Piedmont begins to stretch toward the peaks.
The elevation changes require skill and strategy to negotiate, and will mean that players will use every club they bring, according to Quiroz, who has been in his job at Cleghorn since May.
“It will make your imagination work hard,” he said.
Cleghorn’s layout, though, offers some advantages as well. At most courses, you can see other golfers at adjacent holes. And that can be a distraction. That’s not the case at Cleghorn.
A Bit More of a Challenge
“One of the most unique characteristics of the course that I like is that when you play a hole … it almost feels like you’re deserted in the hole you’re playing,” Quiroz said.
Only on Nos. 3, 11 and 17 is there really a view of other holes or golfers, unlike a number of resort courses. “The ‘secluded-ness’ of the hole you’re playing—it just lets you concentrate on that one hole,” Quiroz said. “With that said, that’s what makes this golf course somewhat penal as well,” adding that it’s easier at times to log a penalty stroke if your ball goes astray and winds up in the trees.
Despite the challenges Cleghorn can present, it’s not such a difficult course that you will want to donate your clubs to charity after finishing a round. In fact, No. 1 has the potential to start you off right. It’s a reasonably short (324 yards from the back tee) straightaway par 4.
“You can get it in the middle of the fairway and the green is in front of you, and then you go from there,” he said.
A hole a bit later on where you can gain a stroke is No. 9.
“It’s a driveable par 4 (342 yards and a slight dogleg left) for some of the bigger hitters,” Quiroz said. “You can make up some ground there.”
On the other hand, Quiroz said the toughest hole is probably the closer. No. 18 is a par 5 (573 yards) with a tough second shot that can be intimidating because of the water.
Also, watch out for the par 3s.
“The par 3s out here are where you’re going to get really beat up or really rewarded, Quiroz said with a chuckle. “They will make you think twice.”
His favorite hole is No. 15 because of the stream that runs on the right side. It’s a dogleg par 4 (391 yards) that can be tough because it is so narrow, but the beauty of it Quiroz describes as heavenly.
A Bit More of a Challenge
Quiroz has an extensive background in golf, with stops in Arizona (Phoenix Country Club), Washington state (Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish) and Mexico (Vista & Marina Vallarta Club de Golf in Puerto Vallarta) on his resume. More recently (2017-20) he was the assistant and then head pro at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Arden, North Carolina.
Prior to returning to Western North Carolina with his family, Quiroz managed a staff of 20 at Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station, Texas.
Part of what drew him to Cleghorn is what he sees as the club’s potential.
“It has the distance and the opportunity to be a very high premier championship golf course, whether it’s college tournaments or a senior tournament, and I’ve had somebody approach me about a high school tournament,” Quiroz said. “It could be a very strong golf course. The bones are here; we just need to put a little meat on them, if you will.”
And if Quiroz is bullish on Cleghorn’s potential, he’s also quite optimistic about the golf business in general, especially coming out of the pandemic.
“Covid did wonders for golf,” he said. “There were so many golf courses (in danger) of closing, and it was one of the only sports we could do outdoors. Plus you have social distancing of six-to-eight feet easily.”
The effort golf courses put forth during the pandemic has paid off, Quiroz said.
“There are golf courses that went from 40,000 or 50,000 rounds (annually) to 60,000 or 70,000 rounds,” he said. “Courses that were getting 100 players per day are getting 150 players.
“It turned into a sport that is very, very strong (in a business sense),” he added.
The clientele at Cleghorn is quite varied—from youth to players in their 80s, and includes both the public and those who have memberships. “We cater to all,” Quiroz said.
And there have been some celebrity sightings at Cleghorn. Superstar country music group Old Dominion played there when they headlined a show at the nearby Tryon International Equestrian Center. Pro golfer Scott McCarron, who was on the PGA Tour and is now part of the PGA Tour Champions, has also played at Cleghorn. And former Major League pitcher Scott Eyre, who has a World Series ring from his stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, is actually a member at Cleghorn.
But you don’t have to be a celebrity to find a warm welcome, according to longtime club member Jordan Barnes.
“What I love about it is that we’ve got a sense of family,” Barnes said. “It’s a great place to live, work and play, and be a part of the community.
“Whether you’re a member or not, it’s always a family atmosphere,” he added.
“There’s a huge care factor here, and that’s an attraction,” Quiroz said.
The course at Cleghorn was designed by George Cobb, whose other works include Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Other amenities at Cleghorn include a fully stocked pro shop and a pool, plus a sporting clays course at the adjacent Cleghorn Gun Club.