Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek designed the course, noted golf course architects at that time. It is the only course ever to bear their names in Greensboro, North Carolina. There were once 140 of them stretching from Maine to New Mexico. Today there are less than 80 remaining.
When the golf course opened on August 1, 1930, West Market Boulevard (now West Market Street) had been extended to Sunset Hills, and there were very few homes for miles.
Starmount Forest as Host
Nearly eight years later, Starmount Forest was the inaugural co-host for the first GGO (Greater Greensboro Open) on March 26, 1938. Sam Snead, age 24, won the first tournament by five shots with an 11-under 271. He earned $1,200 for his efforts.
Starmount Forest hosted at least one round of the PGA Tour stop on 16 occasions from 1938-1960. During that time, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Ben Hogan were victorious on these hallowed grounds.
And they weren’t the first legends to walk Starmount. Before that, Henry Picard and Walter Hagen dueled in an 18-hole playoff for the 1932 Carolinas Open title. Hagen had already won five PGA Championship titles before that time, while Picard would go on to win The Masters six years later.
The 1947 United States Women’s Open was held at Starmount Forest Country Club, just the second year the event was held. Winning $1,200, Betty Jameson won by six shots with a nine-under 295. The layout for that event measured 6,414 yards. Par for the tournament was 76.
It was the first time a 72-hole stroke play format was used. The 1946 Women’s Open was played in a match-play format.
Starmount Forest Continued to Grow
In 1970 and 1971, the entire 18-hole championship golf course was renovated under the direction of course architect George Cobb. All tees and greens were rebuilt at that time.
This Greensboro, NC golf club area was purchased by the members in 1984 from the Benjamin family and Starmount Corporation. Starmount Forest has been member-owned ever since.
The club has undergone several significant renovation projects over the last three decades. In 1988, the club renovated several areas, including a new swimming pool, air-conditioned snack bar, tennis building, card/game room, and golf pro shop on the lower level.
Modernization
The Club built four new clay tennis courts in 2005, bringing the number of soft courts to eight. The original four courts were later deconstructed to make room for the current indoor facility. EZ Greensboro Junk Removal
A brand new, state-of-the-art indoor tennis and fitness facility was added to the club in 2008. The indoor tennis facility, which totals 22,000 square feet, has four DecoTurf courts for year-round play. The attached fitness facility spans just under 9,000 square feet and has two classrooms for fitness instruction, plus circuit training & cardio equipment on the upper level.
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