April 2024 – My annual work trip to NC took me to Greensboro and figured would head a little south to Asheboro and try out Tot Hill Farm. Read they had just underwent some pretty massive improvements and both bloggers and golfers I know said this is a unique track and worth a try now that they’ve cleaned it up.
Tot Hill is a Mike Strantz creation – he of Tobacco Road fame. Strantz was a renegade designer who approached golf course design a little differently. His designs are mostly “love ’em or hate ’em” and rarely do you find someone who is in the middle – except now and with me. Both here and Tobacco Road (which I did a brief review on in my other Pinehurst courses review), I rank squarely in the upper middle of courses played. I like the visuals and uniqueness of his courses but do come across a hole or a green of his and feel they are a bit tricked up and find some to be down right unfair. Strantz passed some years back but he’s a different personality than most course designers. Check out video interviews (and a Golf Course Atlas interview with him) here.
Before I give a review of the course, let’s talk quick about Asheboro. This is in the middle of fucking nowhere. I planned our NC meeting in Greensboro because it’s halfway between Charlotte and RDU so it’s easy for folks to just meet here in the middle. Now Greensboro is no thriving metropolis mind you but at least it’s got a downtown area. Food options in Greensboro are pretty much limited to chains – this trip I ate at Flemings and the last Ruby Tuesday’s left standing (I think). OK I looked it up and that is an exaggeration. Ruby Tuesday did file for bankruptcy in 2021 and closed about half of its locations – there are now 230-some still out there. I spent far too much time on Ruby Tuesday – it sucks, go only if you have to. The build your own salad bar is the unique feature and something you rarely see now in this post-COVID world. But again too much time on Ruby Tuesday. Asheboro doesn’t even boast chains! We wanted to grab a bite after our meeting and closer to the course so we took the 40-minute ride into oblivion. Figured we would just Google a lunch spot down there on the way to the course. Well, what we found was a combination Harley Davidson shop, motorcycle museum and diner. There was no sign on it so when Jeff and Chris stopped I thought, “what are we getting motorcycles for lunch.” But no it was a little diner in the museum and shop and had some low price eats before heading to Tot Hill.
My buddies all had played Tot Hill before and all really loved it. They played before the renovations and all agreed that the course is even better now. Over a thousand trees were cut down and a lot of the scrub removed. The greens were re-grassed with Prizm zoysia grass which they can care for better than the previous greens which were pretty shoddy in reviews I read and from the guys’ memory. The greens were slow but we are guessing they are slow now but will cut ’em down some going into the summer. All-in-all I give Tot Hill 4 stars out of five and rank it just below Tobacco Road. I wouldn’t craft a trip to Asheboro from your local digs just to play it but if in the area, it’s definitely a unique play.
We played the white tees here which measure an embarrassingly light 5,800 yards. I have been playing so horribly that figured “why torture myself.” Tot Hill does play longer because of the elevation swings though and you always seem to be climbing after the first hole. Also, as my own clubs haven’t been helping me not suck, I just rented clubs. I’ve had – and it only worsened here – the shanks around the greens. Add to that my mental block on par threes and my 96 on a 5,800-yard course is the new normal for me unfortunately. So since I was sucking, figured I’d take a bunch of pictures so while Tot Hill is ranked a little below where I’d do a golf blog review, figured would do one. I have nothing pithy to talk about so I’ll go right into the hole reviews.
To start, they re-did one of the houses on property and converted it into the club house. Previously the guys said it was a trailer. The club house is small but has a nice enclosed porch area where we grabbed an après golf Miller Lite. There was no bar just an honor-system food and booze nook that you just bring up what you grab to the pro shop to pay for. The folks working the pro shop and tee area were all really hospitable and gave the whole place a nice friendly vibe.
Hole one is down hill and 360 yards from the whites. There is a little creek to the left of the green and everything runs down into the area. I left my approach in the drainage area right before the hazard and began the day with a skuller to the far side of the green and a three putt.
Two is generally flat and 370 yards. Stonehenge out there to the right is imminently in range for you decent golfers from the Strantz tees and sucky golfers from the whites. I found it and had to take a drop but avoided having to deal with my chipping shanks by putting my approach on.
The par-three third features a crazy green and played to about 150 yards.
Four is a dogleg right called “Fairway to Heaven.” It’s 400 yards from the whites but a par 5!!! Easy birdie right? Possible eagle?” Nope I suck and shanked my way to a seven.
Four from the fairway. The photo does not do justice to how far up hill this is. See the little creek at the foot of the hill? Knowing I had a 200-yard approach to an uphill green that I don’t have, I tried to lay up but hit it flush right into the creek. Drop. Over club to make sure I don’t come back down the hill. Poor chip to the fringe. At least I only two-putted from there.
You get back-to-back par fives with the 490-yard fifth. A creek sits about 30 yards in front of the green so you have to determine if you have the ability to get over it on your approach or lay up. Below is where I laid up to and a good shot of the tough green to get to. I sliced it right but had a nice chip (finally) to this extreme front pin position.
The 130 yard sixth. Crap left. A bogey four after another shank.
Seven features a visually intimidating drive but there is actually a lot more room than it looks once you get beyond the bunkers. Just 334 yards from the whites. Forget what I did here but since it was another double on the card, I am sure I shanked a chip.
Eight’s an uphill par five and the first hole where you get an open “meadow” vibe. I bogeyed but was on the back of the green and had a tricky putt down a steep tier that I almost sunk for par.
Nine is another wicked uphill approach with the club house in the background. I left it short, hit to the back of the green and a three putt to wrap up a 51 on the front that was well-deserved. It’s actually a par-37 on the front and the back is a bit easier, though with a lot more water.
Nine from where I left my approach.
The pro shop guys at the turn said don’t worry about the wall on 10, it’s an easy carry, well we all ignored the advice and not one of us carried it. The green here is really the first ridiculous one that is unfair. I was in the trees so punched out beyond the wall and kept it left and was on in three and two putt but Jeff hit it great, right-side of the green, pin high but boom it rolled off and down the hill and into the water. He dropped and his drop rolled down the hill and into the water. Chris hit it a bit long and his ball rolled all the way down and onto the 12th green.
The 11th and 145 yards – all kinds of shit left so keep it right. I did. Chipped up (a shank that hit the hill and popped up nicely to the green) and lipped out the par putt for a bogey.
The twelfth could be the signature hole. Short at 340 yards but the green is on the water and a scary approach. My drive was right and between the trees with no shot at the green so had to punch out.
Here’s my punch out giving me about 100 yards to the green and splash! Same shot now laying four and got it to the right of the green and a three-putt seven. That’s the tenth green to the right.
The thirteenth is the shortest hole on the course. Just 122 yards. My buddy Mark hit it left, hit the rocks, shot across the green, hit another rock and jumped up in the air before splashing down. I hit it to the same spot but just five yards less, hit the hill and rolled down in front of the flag for my first par of the day.
The 14th is called High Wedge. It should be called boomerang as you have to sling it around the rocks right. I hit it to the perfect spot but somehow fucked up and got another double.
A repeat of 13 you ask? Nope the 15th has a nice little waterfall behind the green (hence the name Waterfall), rock pile left, and water right. Just over 125 yards and a nine to the right fringe and two putts for my second par of the day.
Sixteen is a short par 5 measuring 455 yards from the whites. Tight landing area and a creek up in front of the green. Played two perfect shots to get to right in front of the water. I was behind the bunkers with rock faces you see at the top of the page and got a nice six over them. Another shitty chip left me square in three putt country where I happily obliged.
Seventeen is the middle of the meadows finishing holes and a big fairway to land. A bogey after yet another shank left me to the fringe but sunk long putt.
Eighteen is a silly par five. You drive to a creek then the fairway makes a hard right but there is nothing stopping you from just going straight on your second. I hit a horrible hybrid on my second but still only left me about 100 out on top of the hill. My buddies who took the fairway route had this approach shot which actually was much tougher. Just a dumb design. I included my Wingman layout below showing you where I hit my drive. It is the one or two goofy holes on both Strantz courses I’ve played that keep his courses out of the top 100 consideration even for those who love his quirky, rugged designs.
Golf Scrapbook 