Quirky. Unusual. Remarkable. Bizarre. Artistic. Surreal. Unorthodox. Wild. Weird. Polarizing. Unique.
These and many other descriptions have been used to describe golf courses designed by Mike Strantz in recent decades. His layouts are best described as being fun for players who want something different.
Strantz, who had sharpened his pencil while working as a designer’s assistant for Tom Fazio in the Carolinas and Virginia, created or renovated nine courses bearing his name, with most being located near his home state. Strantz died in 2005, at age 50, from cancer. He was a hands-on designer who spent weeks on foot or horseback, spray painting features that he wanted to build or incorporate into the landscape.
Strantz, who was trained in studio art and sculpting, would sketch each hole in great detail before the course was built. He then led his team to bring his artwork to life. These golf holes are often characterized by difficult-to-reach locations, wild bunkerings, extreme greens and eye-popping slopes. They are loved by adventure-seeking players.
Mike Strantz’s detailed drawings of the holes are now displayed in the new Tot Hill Farm clubhouse. The clubhouse is a renovated farm house, which replaced the trailer that served as the former clubhouse. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Imagine the horror of their faces when Strantz’s course falls into disrepair. This happened to several of his layouts in 2008, after a financial crisis that affected the entire industry.
Tot Hill Farm Golf Course in Asheboro (North Carolina) is an example. It opened in 2000, but its former operators lacked the revenue to maintain and present it as Strantz intended. In recent years, trees have choked out strategic lines and fairways. Bunker edges have crumbled. And playing surfaces are suffering.
Pat Barber, a native South Carolinian, bought the course in early 2022. Barber, who already owned two courses in South Carolina near the coast – The Links at Stono Ferry & The Plantation Course at Edisto — saw an opportunity to restore Tot Hill Farm. Strantz’s designs continue to gain popularity and Barber wanted to bring Tot Hill Farm back to its former glory.
Greg Wood, director of operations at all three Barber’s courses, said, “The course itself and the natural beauty of the land really attracted us.” I’ve seen Mike say in video interviews that this was the best piece of property that he used in his design work. “All we could see was potential.”
Tot Hill was restored in spring 2022. It’s now easy to say that this design has joined the list of Strantz’s must-see designs. Strantz fans would be remiss if they went to the nearby Golf Mecca of Pinehurst, or the Carolina Coast and missed the amazing amount of work put into turning around Tot Hill Farm.
The site was always full of promise. The site has more than 250 feet of elevation changes and there are boulders all over the place. Holes often heave down, up and across rambling streams, and the green is often perfectly perched into the hillsides. It was only a matter of time before someone came along to scrape away the 20 years’ worth of hardship.
More than 1,500 tree stumps were removed, reestablishing the fairway widths. The original traps and arbitrary bunkers were re-established. The players must plan their route around the traps. With the corridors widened and the bowling alleys no longer so crowded, the turf is healthier.
Tot Hill Farm’s par-5 green is unlike any other putting surface the author has ever seen. It starts out small and then suddenly grows to a larger section at the back. This green has some strange nicknames due to its shape. Think juvenile humor. But if you want to hit it, be sure to lay well to the left on your second shot. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Prizm Zoysia was used to rebuild and surface the greens. This new grass strain promises to endure Asheboro’s frigid winters, which are too cold for Bermuda grass, and its hot summers, which are too humid for bent grass. The new surfaces have yet to fully grow in but they showed signs of life during a round played late last fall. This strain of zoysia has an interesting characteristic: the grass is so dense that it is almost impossible to make a pitchmark on a green. That same characteristic also promises a firm, bouncy surface.
Wood calls the entire project a restoration, and not a renovation. Crews meticulously restored what Strantz intended using his hand-drawn sketches. These sketches now decorate a new clubhouse, which has been built in an idyllic farmhouse to replace a trailer. The restorers had access to over 40 hours of video footage that featured the original design.
Wood, a member of the PGA of America for many years, commented on Strantz’s design, which is a contender to be included in Golfweek’s Best public access courses of North Carolina. “And for someone like me, figuring the puzzle out and the why, even now as I walk through a hole, there’s always something new.”
Tot Hill’s scorecard is a mix of wows from different angles and walking on eggshells. Tot Hill’s holes show that Strantz was not interested in creating easy golf. Tot Hill Farm, which is less than an hour away from Tobacco Road, punishes wayward shots. The greens often seem to dismiss approach shots as “not good enough”.
The green at Tot Hill Farm’s par-3 third is situated over a creek, which also wraps around the putting area. A deep bunker and a steep hill guard the back of the green. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Strantz designed greens with sections that are inaccessible for all but the most precise tour players. A player of average ability will not be able to play the narrow back right hole on the third par-3 hole. It is hidden behind sand beside a hill and a creek is just a few steps away.
The rear drop-down portion of the 10 thgreen is another thrilling moment. The center portion of the 12th green is now covered with tight fringe rather than even lower green height zoysia. Try to hit the right-hand portion of the 13 par-3 green hidden behind a boulder and beyond a stream.
Other oddities exist. As an example, the tees on several holes are arranged in such a manner that players have to double back and play across previous holes. The No. If a restored tee on top of a hill comes into play, it will count as 14. This can cause odd bottlenecks. While it may be possible on a course with limited rounds and a smaller number of players, it could become problematic during a busy day of public play.
Some purists of classic architecture might twitch at these and other examples. A golfer who is able to think ahead can avoid all of this trouble by choosing to play the safer areas of the greens in each of the above examples, and then using the putter for par. Tot Hill Farm has hazards that can affect a golfer’s score. Close by, there is a safer option. The golfer must put aside their egos and expectations, accept the limitations that Strantz has in certain places, while grabbing opportunities when more friendly hole locations are found. There are plenty of birdies to be found.
It’s really all about strategy. The frustrations with Tot Hill Farm may affect your stroke play even before you hit the first tee. For those who enjoy match play, this could be among the best courses in the U.S.
Wood stated, “If you play this course again and again, you will find that there are many ways to play each hole.” When I started the project, I did not really understand this. As I go on, I find it very interesting and I enjoy it more.
Nos. Nos. 10 and 12 share what was originally a double green. It still plays this way. The steep area in between is mowed at a tight, bouncy edge height. No. No. No. 12 crosses the water to the left. No. The 10 green proper has a large downward slope in the middle of the green that can send balls struck too deeply cascading down all the way to No. 12. (Courtesy Tot Hill Farm/Ryan Barnett).
Bookings for 2024 are increasing. The layout will reopen in the fall 2023. The green fees are low. They are currently $70 during the winter and will increase to $125 in the new year. Carts are an additional $25. Tot Hill Farm also appears as a package option around Pinehurst which is located less than an hour south via Interstate 74.
You could enjoy Strantz’s Tot Hill Farm by racing across the Carolinas. Play Tot Hill and Tobacco Road near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina , then Strantz’s Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and True Blue at the coast. This would be a great trip for a group of adventurous golfers.
Tot Hill Farm is a popular choice for players who are accustomed to booking and rebooking rounds. The layout is not classical, and some parts may be too harsh for all players. But the recent surge in popularity for Strantz courses, particularly on Instagram and X-the-former-Twitter, will surely help Tot Hill’s operators fill the tee sheets.
Wood stated, “We feel that we are bringing back something almost forgotten to the people. We think Mike was at the forefront. “We are so lucky to be involved.” Mike died way too early. We find it an honor to care for a Mike Strantz Course.
More photos of the course are available here:
