In an area rich with some of the world’s most treasured golf courses and traditions, Woodlake Country Club in Vass, N.C., is emerging as an attractive option that both visitors and residents of the local community who are discovering a rare golf gem that won’t break the bank or take forever to play.

Most recently, Woodlake Country Club, nestled in the sandhills of North Carolina not far from such legendary golf locales as Pinehurst Resort, Pine Needles, and Tobacco Road, was named the 16th best course you can play in North Carolina by Golf.com. When you consider that Pinehurst alone has 10 18-hole courses and all of them are good to great, it puts into perspective how far Woodlake Country Club has come.

And it happened in a short amount of time.

The club's unexpected challenging times began in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew rolled through the area. The heavy rainfall forced the Army Corps of Engineers to compromise the dam and drain the gated community's 1,200-acre lake. The result was that not only did club members and locals lose their lake, but the course lost irrigation as well. The beloved course and club eventually closed.

Fortunately, the club was bought out of foreclosure in 2021 by Atlantic National Capital. The new owners – the Allison family who owns and runs North Carolina-based Systel Business Equipment – partnered with Bobby Jones Links to not only bring the course and club back, but to raise it to heights it never reached before.

Today, Woodlake operates to a grateful clientele from a new 3,500-square-foot clubhouse and other amenities like pickleball, swimming, a new fitness facility, and most importantly, a golf course that is better than ever. The original Ellis Maples design first opened in 1971, with many holes built close to the lake, but it was never as good as it is now, or will be in the near future.

The Allison Family brought in architect Kris Spence, a renowned Donald Ross and Ellis Maples expert, to lead a full restoration and rebuild of the course, including a newly designed 18th hole. The work on the par-72 course, which can stretch to more than 7,200 yards, included new Tif Eagle greens, a new irrigation system, and exacting standards for pristine turf conditions.

General Manager Jeff Crabbe, who came to Woodlake in August of 2023 shortly after the course reopened, said being ranked 16th is amazing, but they aren’t done yet.

“I think when the lake comes back, with the aesthetics of that, we could be top 10 in the state,” said Crabbe, whose career includes a decade-long stint at Pinehurst Resort. “We opened at a time when this area needed another golf course for people to join or just play. Many of the area courses have become so busy that you are seeing five- or six-hour rounds of golf. We’re still building our membership, so even when it's a beautiful day, they just show up and go to the tee.”

The long-anticipated construction on the dam has begun. When that happens, everything will have come full circle. And even though the course is receiving impressive reviews at present – while it features a bit of a South Carolina Lowcountry look, with marshes and wetlands bordering many holes –  when the 1,200-acre lake returns on holes  1,2,3,4,17 and the newly designed 18th, the course will really be special.  

As it stands now, there’s never been a better time to play or become a member, and Woodlake is also open for limited daily-fee and resort play. Guests can book stay-and-play packages at Woodlake's six luxurious one-bedroom condominiums. Dues and initiation fees are surprisingly attractive currently, especially for a club that has added nearly 200 members in less than two years. Crabbe expects membership will increase as more amenities open but will still be a tremendous value in this coveted golf market.

The club continues to improve under new ownership and expertise of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Bobby Jones Links, a premier golf management company that operates more than three dozen courses in 11 states.

Crabbe, a graduate of the PGA Professional Golf Management program at nearby Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C., said having Bobby Jones Links’ expertise and experience at their disposal is invaluable.

“They have other clubs that are similar to ours, so we can always share ideas and best practices,” Crabbe said. “Their relationships with vendors is certainly helpful. I would say more than anything, just the support of the professionals that they have on staff picking the phone up and having someone to call is extremely helpful.”

When Crabbe started at Woodlake, the course had already been open for a couple of months, so he didn’t see it at its worst. But he did see the pictures.

“I’ve been in the golf business a long time – 22 or 23 years – and I can’t believe the quality of the golf course and the club amenities that we have compared to the old pictures,” said Crabbe who gives much of the credit to superintendent Chris Dwiggins and his crew. “There were trees in the bunkers, there was grown-up brush that was eight to 10 feet tall. It’s amazing what has been done to bring this course into a position to become one of the best golf experiences in a state full of legendary places to play. To see the conditioning of the golf course that we have now, it’s hard to believe that it’s only been a brief period of time.”

Not to be overlooked is the brand-new clubhouse with its patio dining and excellent cuisine at Maples Grille, led by award-winning Executive Chef James Regan. Crabbe said the membership is learning just how good the dining experience is at Woodlake. Most recently, a group of members were able to go back into the kitchen with Regan and learn how to prepare a multi-course meal of stuffed mushrooms, marinated beet salad, Steak au Poivre, and Chocolate Mousse.

“I can’t believe it’s been only 16 months.” Crabbe said of rebuilding the member experience. “I love every second of this chapter in Woodlake’s history.”