Featured photo: Corey Matthews plays at Winston Lake Golf Course (Photo by Jerry Cooper)

Revitalization efforts for Winston Lake Golf Course are underway, moving the historic playing field ever closer to hole 18.^th Hole in a months-long process to renovate the square.

The historic golf course in Winston-Salem’s East Ward was opened in 1956 for black golfers who were previously only allowed to play at the municipal Reynolds Park Golf Course and private country clubs after the courses closed.

The site has long been of historic significance in the community and is now recognized as such nationally. In October, City Council members voted to list the golf course on the National Register of Historic Places, and it was officially listed on the register on December 12.

In 2022, city officials approved spending nearly $1.72 million to improve the plaza.

One of the causes of the square’s problem is the large number of trees, which is why the city will spend $720,657 of the grant money on tree removal.

The money was originally earmarked for smoothing fairways and creating grassy areas affected by erosion and invasive vegetation, William Royston, the city’s director of recreation and parks, said during an Aug. 12 meeting of the City Council Finance Committee.

After several meetings with the golf community and city staff, the decision was made to remove several trees that were affecting play, Royston said.

The work will be done in phases, Royston said, with plans to close nine holes, complete work on half the course and then move on to the other nine holes.

The excessive tree cover results in limited visibility for golfers and drainage problems that negatively affect the condition of the greens.

The upcoming work on the golf course follows a course analysis by Richard Mandell, an “award-winning golf course architect” who was also involved in the renovation of Tanglewood Park’s championship course in Clemmons. Mandell was paid $175,000 to design and oversee construction of the project.

“The tree canopy surrounding the golf course has not received any significant maintenance over the past 30 to 40 years. It has been the primary factor in many of the aesthetic and maintenance issues we have had to deal with on the course,” Royston said.

City staff had originally expected to begin work in early spring, but a series of delays during the bidding process delayed work.

According to city documents, nearly 20 acres of trees will be cut down as part of the city’s golf course improvement plans, and 98 acres will be removed individually.

“I know you’re glad some of those trees were removed,” Mayor Allen Joines joked to Councilman Robert C. Clark.

“Oh boy, I’ve met at least that many,” Clark replied.

Overall, the city plans to redesign bunkers, renovate and replace tee boxes, design drainage and irrigation systems, remove trees, improve fairways and make other improvements to the course.

An evaluation panel comprised of staff from the Departments of Vegetation Management, Recreation and Parks, and the Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reviewed the proposals and selected W Brown Construction, LLC of East Bend, NC for the contract.

As part of their work, W Brown Construction will remove and dispose of trees, stumps, roots, brush and shrubs.

Companies were selected through a scoring process across five categories. While W Brown Construction received the most points of the five eligible companies, A1 Forestry was the only company to receive points in the “Commitment to Minority and/or Women-Owned Businesses” category. However, W Brown Construction received the highest score in terms of price and value.

Mayor Pro Tempore DD Adams, who has been playing golf since the mid-1990s, has been advocating for the redesign of this course for years.

“I’m so happy to see this, it’s been a long journey,” she said during the August 12 meeting.

When Adams plays golf at other communities’ courses, she notices a big difference between the improvements made to the courses there and those in Winston-Salem.

“We didn’t do that,” she noted.

“I hope this initiative will help us restore the lake to the size it was when I first played here almost 30 years ago,” she added.