We killed a little time in the clubhouse and on the putting green after our morning round. There was a collegiate event that was finishing up before we could get going on the Champions course. And, that is quite fitting because it seems you cannot read anything about the Champions course without seeing some mention of a tournament hosted here!
Seemingly countless times on U.S. Route 29 I’ve passed by the road sign for Bryan Park, which says it was a host course for the US Amateur Public Links Championship in 2010. If you look online you’re bound to see some impressive credentials for the Champions course, which is a Rees Jones design. And, depending on what list you look at, the Champions course can creep into the top public courses in North Carolina. That is impressive in such a golf rich state!
Since we played the Players course in the morning, we got a taste of the lakeside setting at Bryan Park. There are a couple holes on the Players course with lake views, but there is no doubt that the Champions course is set on the better land! After a handful of wooded holes to begin, you get your first view of Lake Townsend on the 4th hole before the lake becomes the highlight of the back nine. In a part of the country where trees dominate the landscape, the lake views make the course stand out!
Like my morning round, I played from the white tees which are 71.8/129/6580. From there the Champions course has similar ratings when compared to the Players course. If you play the blue tees on both courses then the Champions course is longer and significantly more difficult! Even from the white tees though I thought the Champions course was at least a couple shots tougher.
In all honesty, the front nine on the Champions course isn’t terribly memorable. It has a reachable par 5 and two good par 3’s. From the white tees the 3rd is only 453 yards so it offers a birdie opportunity if you can get a drive between a row of bunkers on the right and trees on the left. The 4th is the shortest par 3 at 137 yards and offers the only view of Lake Townsend on the front nine. It is a good view though, as you can pull or chunk one into the lake if you aren’t careful! There was a guy out there fishing who waved at us while we were playing, too funny! The 7th is other par 3 on the front and plays over a valley and to a green cut into a hillside. If you miss short you won’t be able to see the green and if you miss long it will be an impossibly quick chip shot.
The back nine is where the Champions course gets special! For me, it is always tough for wooded courses to stand out. But, the 11th through the 15th are all memorable holes. Simply put, these holes are the reason that you’ll want to visit Bryan Park! You can be as aggressive or as conservative as you’d like and angles are super important on these holes. The 11th is an interesting dogleg right par 5 where you can pick all sorts of lines and clubs off the tee. The 12th runs out by the water and is a par 3 where you hit over a finger of the lake.
The 13th is the longest par 4 on the course and Bryan Park’s signature hole. It is 435 yards of stress as you drive over the lake to a peninsula fairway. The green sits at the end of the peninsula, surrounded by water. I made a par there and was thrilled! This stretch of holes is capped off with another short par 5, the 15th. You have to play it in segments as the fairway runs out into the lake. I laid up off the tee but still managed to get it close enough to the edge to go for the green in two.
Besides Lake Townsend, the are plenty of hazards, deep bunkers and more elevation change than I would have guessed. There are your usual Rees Jones mounds lining the fairways and the greens have many humps and swales. If you are playing to the centers of greens then you might find yourself spending some cash while trying to two putt. All of this considered the Champions course is worthy of the higher level tournaments it has hosted.
The Champions course was in very nice shape. It is still early in the season so it was maybe a month away from being in peak shape but most of the grass looked nice and full. The greens were slick and firmer so it was tough to score around them. We paid $82 to play the both courses at Bryan Park and I thought that was a great deal.
If you like modern golf, I think you’ll love the Champions course. Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of Rees Jones courses as I don’t really like all the mounding off the fairways that he uses and his courses are bit tougher than I prefer. At the end of the day though, Bryan Park was worthy of being on my Mid-Atlantic wish list! If you only have time for one round, then the Champions course is the one you’ll want to play.
#1 (392 yard par 4):
#2 (418 yard par 4):
#3 (453 yard par 5):
#4 (137 yard par 3):
#5 (411 yard par 4):
#6 (508 yard par 5):
#7 (155 yard par 3):
#8 (380 yard par 4):
#9 (393 yard par 4):
#10 (363 yard par 4):
#11 (501 yard par 5):
#12 (175 yard par 3):
#13 (435 yard par 4):
#14 (190 yard par 3):
#15 (458 yard par 5):
#16 (382 yard par 4):
#17 (408 yard par 4):
#18 (421 yard par 4):
