Providence Country Club [Review]

In the late eighties, golf course architect Dan Maples was called upon to create a championship-style golf course just south of downtown Charlotte. When it opened in 1989, the Providence Country Club became the centerpiece of one of the finest country club communities in the Charlotte area.

In 2016, Raleigh-based McConnell Golf purchased the Providence Country Club, and in 2018, McConnell brought in noted golf course architect Kris Spence to rework the original Maples design.

Now part of the renovation included rebuilding all 18 greens and replacing the original Bent grass with Champions Bermuda.

“We did all the bunkers and took out about 475 trees, says Director of Golf Kevin Reardon. “It opened the place up and gave us some better airflow, adding character to the course.”

Providence Country Club was built on some swampland and was relatively flat. Dan Maples was able to move plenty of earth, creating a layout with noticeable elevation changes and contouring.

Also, in the re-design, Spence created bunkers with a lot more flash to them, as opposed to the flat bunkers in the Maples design. Still, they’re all playable, and believe it or not, not as penal.

Off the tee at Providence Country Club, you’ll find wide fairways to hit. However, if you do miss the fairway and end up in the rough, that is where one of the challenges of playing this golf course comes in.

The rough protects from players going too low. It’s not overly long grass, but if you’re off the fairway, it makes it very difficult to stay on par out here.

Providence Country Club in Charlotte North Carolina, designed by Dan Maples and redesigned by Kris Spence, is a traditional country club owned and operated by McConnell Golf in one of the most sought-after areas of the Queen City.

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