Not too long ago, the reputation of the once-glorious Foxfire was plummeting about as fast as a golf ball
careening down a steep bank. The clubhouse and two Gene Hamm golf courses grew ever shaggier under
previous owners who apparently thought maintenance was an unnecessary evil. And as the grass grew
longer, the modest membership grew thinner, threatening to put Foxfire's light out completely.
One of Foxfire's meticulously groomed holes
Then, along comes Scottsdale-based Golf Matrix, which bought the property out of bankruptcy in 1998. Golf
Matrix began at once to apply the financial bellows to the smoldering coals. Breathing millions of dollars into
the site, including the clubhouse and the courses, the company has begun to restore Foxfire's class. As a
result, Foxfire's old glory is coming back. It is definitely a place you should not miss when you visit Pinehurst.
Foxfire is located six miles west of
Pinehurst village.
The property includes a spanking new clubhouse, the renascent courses, an inn and golf villas. Homes,
many with good sized lots, line the courses but their modest number preserves the site's uncrowded atmosphere.
Foxfire Red and
Foxfire Grey
(renamed by the company) are two outstanding courses designed in the classic tradition. What you see here is
what you get, and what you get are two layouts that Donald Ross himself would have applauded. Furthermore,
with the improvements Golf Matrix has made, the courses are even better than when the original 18 opened in
1968. Two additional nines were built in 1972 and 1974 when the layouts were configured differently than they are today.
Foxfire Red, the 6,742-yard (from the back) 130-slope (6,333 yards from the middle) layout has brand new
greens outfitted in G-6, a recently developed strain of bent that is more disease-resistant and more
quickly self-repairing than G-2. The natural areas and the fairways have likewise undergone a redressing under
the Arizona golf management company. In time, these putting surfaces, already excellent now, will be
truly outstanding.
Foxfire Grey, a slightly longer but equally scenic route through pines, holly and hickory trees, and
other native vegetation, has an older strain of bent. Like the Red course, Foxfire Grey has had a
comprehensive make-over. The sand in all of the bunkers is totally consistent and comes from the same
source as the sand at Augusta. The natural areas are excellently groomed, the fairways are maintained
precisely. (Remember to call before your visit as conditions vary according to the superintendent's
schedule.)
Foxfire Grey sits on one of the highest points in Moore County. The back 9 has a few homes but you
get the feeling of wilderness on this 9, which has one fine hole after another. The 518-yard (from the
back) 13th, for example, is a terrific risk-reward hole that doglegs slightly around an environmental area
and water to an elevated green that sits atop a shelf with a steep incline off to the right and sand
left. From the green, you can look over the dense forest towards the east in the direction of
Pinehurst. Using a little imagination, you could well envision settlers in buckskin and wagons roaming
this untamed-looking and wondrously beautiful landscape.
View toward a green and one of several lakes at Foxfire
Foxfire Red has a few more homes along its fairways but it also has a remote feel to
it. In a design worthy of being a model for would-be golf designers, the course deftly mixes doglegs
with straight holes, long with short par 4's, and strong par 3's over forested
terrain of elevation changes and lakes. Among a slew of outstanding holes offering "pure" golf, the
12th is remarkable for its awesome length and appearance. To make the hole, it was as if the designer
took a giant razor and shaved a route through the trees like a barber shaving the head of a new Army
enlistee. The 573 yarder (552 from the whites) is virtually surrounded by trees. From an elevated tee box you
drive obliquely over a portion of the lake that guards the green of the previous hole to an upwardly
sloping fairway. The fairway levels out somewhat at about 300 yards and then makes a slow upward push
to the green wrapped in trees and colorfully bunkered. Putatively, Curtis Strange is the only golfer to hit
this green in two from the back tee. With two career shots, some golfers could do it from the forward tees.
Foxfire has the distinction of being the club where E. Harvie Ward was the head professional. His
tenure started in the early 1970s and ended with his retirement in 1982. Today, the septuagenarian continues
to give occasional lessons and play with friends at Pinehurst #2 and Forest Creek, where he is a member.
A native of Virginia, Ward moved to Tarboro, N.C., early on and went to Chapel Hill, becoming the
nation's top amateur golfer. In a career of stunning achievements, Ward finished fourth in the '57
Masters and was a cinch to become a top professional golfer. But financial opportunity came to him
in the form of a partnership in a San Francisco auto business and he spent many years in California
before returning to his adopted state of North Carolina. The clubhouse of Foxfire is adorned with
pictures of the great Ward.
A long time designer with distinguished credential, Hamm has said that his original 18 at Foxfire
was among his best work. Having played both courses, I would elaborate and say that Foxfire's two
courses deserve to be ranked among his best. You will not be disappointed with these tracks.
Play them and enjoy!
Members and those staying at Foxfire's accommodations have access to Beacon Ridge Golf
Club featuring another Gene Hamm design that is shorter but not less
challenging. 
Pinehurst Golf
