Golfers sometimes get a mulligan and sometimes entire golf courses do also.

This week, Starmount Forest Country Club announced a major renovation project that’s meant to “elevate our members’ golfing experience to new heights.”

 The Country Club calls the move a “comprehensive revitalization initiative that aims to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of our history-rich golf course, ensuring a world-class experience for golf enthusiasts of all levels.”

There are a lot of parts to the big renovation project, which will involve a course redesign.

The club has acquired the services of renowned golf course architect Kris Spence – who, according to Starmount officials, has a reputation for “bringing classic golf architecture back to life.”

 Spence will redesign the course in a way that brings it stylistically closer to a course from 1931, the year after the club opened.

 The redesign will focus on things like improved playability, especially on and around putting surfaces.  The new course will also offer more strategic challenges for golfers, but it’s meant to lead to greater enjoyment for golfers of all skill levels.

According to club officials, the new course will be very eco-friendly and will incorporate sustainable practices including new water conservation measures.

The course will also remain true to the native landscaping.

Here are some of the new features Starmount officials say golfers can expect:

• Exciting additions to the course, such as new bunkers and tee boxes strategically placed to elevate the challenge and visual appeal of each hole.
• Enhanced Accessibility. There will be some strategic tree clearing for expanded sightlines across the golf course.
• An Infrastructure Overhaul. Updates will include a new state-of-the-art irrigation system and an improved drainage system.
• New grasses. Hybrid Ultradwarf Tifeagle Bermudagrass will be used on the greens. The Rhino Times is not familiar with that type of grass; however, a Google AI bot says that the grass is “known for its excellent putting surface, color retention, and ability to tolerate heat and shade.” (By the way, the green collars will have Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass; the fairways will have Tif-Tuf Bermudagrass and the Tee-off areas will feature Zeon Zoysiagrass.)

Club officials call the renovations a testament to Starmount’s commitment to providing an unparalleled golfing experience – and they say the changes will help Starmount remain one of the premier private clubs in central North Carolina.

Starmount General Manager Ray Armini said everyone there is really looking forward to the finished product later this year.

“We are excited about the upcoming renovations and believe that they will exceed the expectations of our valued golf community,” he said. “The improvements will position Starmount Forest Country Club as a top-tier private club.”

The renovation project began in December of 2024 and it’s expected to be finished sometime this fall.

Unfortunately, the course will be closed until the renovations are complete.

Located near the center of Greensboro, Starmount Country Club has a history that dates back nearly a century. Founded in 1930, the club was one of the original co-hosts of the PGA Tour’s Greater Greensboro Open – now called the Wyndham Championship – and the course was graced with the likes of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Walter Picard and Arnold Palmer.

 In 1947, Starmount hosted the US Women’s Open’s first stroke-play event, with LPGA founding member Betty Jameson winning the title that year. The club has recently hosted the Carolinas Open, US Women’s Open Qualifier and the US Senior Open Qualifier.

Starmount has a 6,800-yard golf course, two golf simulators, six lighted outdoor clay tennis courts, a 22,000-square foot indoor tennis center with four hard surface courts, a resort-style pool, a two-story fitness facility and a 34,000-square foot clubhouse.

And, of course, these days you have to have pickleball courts so the club is getting some of those as well by the summer of this year.