Winston-Salem, NC: Where Arnold Palmer Made Golf Cool

©Journal Communications/Eric Waters

There is a single statue commemorating a person on the Wake Forest University campus in Greater Winston-Salem, NC. 

It is not in honor of a former university president, student, local politician or area business leader. No, the statue is of a golfer, the legendary Arnold Palmer, who played for Wake Forest in the late 1940s and early 1950s. 

That alone says quite a bit about the importance of golf to Wake Forest University and, by extension, the Greater Winston-Salem area. 

Palmer won the NCAA individual championship twice while at Wake Forest before going on to become an iconic figure in the world of golf, compiling 92 professional victories. 

His success teed up the Demon Deacons to establish one of the best overall collegiate golf programs in the country. 

Wake Forest University

The Wake Forest men’s team has won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship 19 times over the years and has produced numerous well-known PGA Tour players along the way. Meanwhile, the school’s women’s golf team has captured eight ACC titles, including three in the past seven years, and won the national NCAA Division I championship in 2023. 

“Arnold Palmer got it started. He was kind of the first guy to make golf cool,” says Wake Forest men’s golf coach and former PGA Tour player Jerry Haas, who played for the Demon Deacons in the 1980s. “And both the men’s and women’s golf teams have kept the momentum going ever since.”

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University Golf: A Tradition That Endures

While Palmer is the undisputed king of Wake Forest golf, there is a crowded leaderboard behind him. The list includes Curtis Strange (won the U.S. Open in consecutive years), Jay Sigel (won the U.S. Amateur in consecutive years), Lanny Wadkins (33 professional wins, including the 1977 PGA Championship) and Gary Hallberg (a four-time, first-team All-American at Wake). 

In the years since Haas became the Deacons head coach in 1997, the men’s team has produced Webb Simpson (won the 2012 U.S. Open and the 2018 Players Championship) along with Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young, who were awarded PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors, one in 2021 and the other in 2022. 

There have also been a couple members of the Haas family who have swung through Wake Forest on their way to professional careers. Jay Haas, Coach Haas’ brother, led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA championships in the 1970s before winning 33 tournaments as a pro, and his nephew, Bill Haas, was a two-time NCAA Player of the Year and the 2011 FedEx Cup champ on the PGA Tour. Now, Coach Haas’ son, Kyle Haas, is a member of the Wake Forest men’s team. 

“I used to say I was the C-player in the family, but now, I guess I’m the D-player,” Jerry Haas says. “The history and the tradition of golf at Wake Forest just goes on and on.” 

©Journal Communications/Eric Waters

Top Winston-Salem Golf Courses

While great golfers can be found on the Wake Forest campus, great golf courses can be enjoyed throughout the Greater Winston-Salem region. One of the best is right next door to campus.

The Old Town Club was established in 1939 with a layout designed by famed golf course architect Perry Maxwell. The course is known for its far-reaching fairways, miles of creeks, uneven terrain and cross-course vistas. Golf Digest ranks Old Town the third-best course in North Carolina and one of the top 100 courses in the U.S. Additionally, Wake alumnus Wadkins called it “one of the best proving grounds in the world for serious young golfers.” 

Here are some other courses of note in the Greater Winston-Salem region:

• The 18-hole Reynolds Park municipal course, which opened in 1940. Maxwell was also one of the designers. 

• Tanglewood Park, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the site of the 1974 PGA Championship.

• Forsyth Country Club, designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Donald Ross. The course’s first nine holes opened in 1918. The course was expanded to 18 holes in 1923 and expanded once more in 2006. 

• Salem Glen Country Club, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus.

• Bermuda Run Country Club, which was named a top-10 course by the Triad Business Journal.

• The 70-year-old Maple Chase Golf and Country Club.

• Oak Valley Golf Club, which was designed by none other than Mr. Arnold Palmer. 

“I’m 61 and have lived here more than half my life, and the golf in Winston-Salem is just fantastic,” Haas says. “We have so many courses in this area. There is always a great place to play.”