When a golf course architect chooses to live and work in close proximity to one of his creations, that alone should tell you the course is particularly special.
That’s certainly true of the Champion Hills Club, whose centerpiece is a magnificent golf course sculpted from rough terrain by a modern-day Michelangelo of course design, Tom Fazio.
Champion Hills opened in 1991, and for years it was Fazio’s home club. No small part of his fondness for the course derives from overcoming the challenge in building it.
“Most people look at a golf hole as it plays, from tee to green,” Fazio said. “To understand what we did here, and at other sites where the terrain is severe, it’s more instructive to look at the hole sideways.
“To level the playing field, so to speak, we pulled the ridges into the valleys and filled the hollows, creating playing platforms. This is an example of the method used to convert the vertical challenge of the site into a playable golfing ground, a method we repeated on virtually every hole on the course.”
As Fazio notes, that methodology creates a feeling that the golfer is playing downhill on most of the holes, and in fact, only six shots play uphill throughout the course of a round.
The high point of the tract of land chosen for the course features an impressive clubhouse with high beamed ceilings that offer a sense of openness that is accentuated by breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The spacious clubhouse at Champion Hills provides a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
(Photo courtesy of Champion Hills Club)
The net elevation change from the highest point to the lowest point on the golf course proper is roughly 200 feet, and Fazio uses the changes in terrain to create drama and challenge. The ninth hole, for example, plays more than 100 feet downhill from the clubhouse, the second of two “drop-shot” par-3s on the front nine.
The steeply downhill tee shot on the par-3 ninth hole makes club selection a real challenge.
(Photo courtesy of Champion Hills Club)
To start that front side, Fazio follows the tenets of golf course architects of the past, creating a short opening par-4 hole that invites the player into the round. A drive to a generous fairway on the first hole leaves a short pitch to a wide green that slopes from back to front.
The first hole at Champion Hills is a short, welcoming par-4.
(Photo courtesy of Champion Hills Club)
The second hole is the shortest par-3 on the course—124 yards from the burgundy tees we played when touring the course in late July. Hitting the green, however, is just the beginning. The ample putting surface features subtle contours that can confound a golfer’s ability to read the correct speed and line.
That’s a characteristic of almost every green on the course. And that’s one reason why Champion Hills is an ideal member course. Local knowledge gained from repeated playing is likely to have a profound effect on a golfer’s score.
Sometimes, though, a good visual will suffice. Standing on the 11th tee, facing the longest par-3 on the course, Lee Spencer figured out that a tee shot to the right could propel off a bank on that side of the green to good advantage.
Sure enough, she hit her target, and her ball got the “member bounce” off the sidewall and rolled toward the hole, stopping four inches short of an ace.
Lee Spencer came this close to a hole-in-one on the par-3 11th hole at Champion Hills.
(Photo by Reid Spencer)
Each of the short holes on the course has a distinct identity. The second green is set on a table top. The fourth hole, like the ninth, plays steeply downhill from the tee to a green deep enough to have a major influence on club selection, depending on pin placements. Unlike the ninth, the fourth features a steep hill rising to the right of the putting surface.
The aforementioned 11th plays down a treelined fairway and crosses a rocky stream. The 17th , framed by a waterfall, features a world of trouble to the right, creating a terrifying prospect when the pin is located on that side of the green.
As a general rule, the four par-5s offer generous landing areas from the tees and opportunities for birdies if you don’t stray from the fairways. The two most difficult are the third hole, which boasts a massive green that slopes from front left to back right; and the 16th, which favors a drive over water to the left side of the fair way and a carry over a creek to set up the third shot.
Because the approach at the 16th is uphill to a deceptive degree, it’s easy to leave the third shot short.
The tee shot on the beautiful par-5 16th hole requires a carry over water to a left-to-right sloping fairway.
(Photo courtesy of Champion Hills Club)
You don’t play your second par-4 at Champion Hills until you reach the sixth, a rare uphill hole that features a tri-level green that narrows to the back. When we played the course in July, the hole was cut in the top tier, with very little room for error on the approach.
The seventh is a downhill 368-yard par-4 that turns to the left. The eighth is a short hole of 339 yards with an uphill second shot to a two-tiered green that’s difficult to read.
Hole 10, one of the longer par-4s at 399 yards, plays from a chute to a fairway that slopes left-to-right. The second shot is steeply downhill and demands precision to finish near the flag. To us, the 12th was the most difficult of the par-4s, with one of the most demanding tee shots and an uphill approach to a large and tricky green.
The 14th plays 327 yards to a green protected by a bunker in front. To Fazio, this hole is emblematic of the entire course.
“A tee shot across the 50-foot-deep ravine to a wide uphill fairway provides a wonderful sense of how this course fits into its surrounding environment,” Fazio said.
One of the most picturesque par-4s is the 15th, which suggests a 3-wood or long iron shot to the fairway below, followed by a short approach over a creek that meanders to the left of the fairway and crosses in front of the green.
View from the top tee box on the lovely 15th hole.
(Photo courtesy of Champion Hills)
A creek also runs the full length of the 401-yard finishing hole, but down the right side. Though the fairway is ample at the 18th, it slopes right to left, and any drive hit to the right faces imminent danger of falling into the hazard (we refuse to use the generic term “penalty area”).
The final hole is a lovely, demanding par-4 enhanced by rhododendron and mountain laurel that lend a true North Carolina mountain feel.
Though Champion Hills plays to 6,527 yards from the tips, and though the general direction is predominantly downhill, the seemingly short yardage of the par-71 layout is deceptive, as the respective rating and slope of 71.7 and 144 clearly indicate.
And though the course was masterfully carved from rough terrain, there are no rough edges. Champion Hills is immaculately maintained, both by a superb grounds staff and by a membership imbued with respect for the special place afforded to them.
It’s no wonder Champion Hills is ranked 13th among “best private courses” in North Carolina by the prestigious Golfweek Rating panel and 64th on that same publication’s list of the best 200 residential courses in the United States.
It’s also essential to note that Champion Hills is more than just a golf course. It’s a community within easy reach of small-town Hendersonville, of tony Asheville with its plethora of exotic restaurants and craft breweries, and of the Blue Ridge Parkway and some of the most majestic mountains east of the Mississippi River.
Managed by Troon Prive, Champion Hills takes pride in its friendly atmosphere and progressive leadership. On our July visit, we had the distinct pleasure of playing a few holes with General Manager/COO and PGA member Dana Schultz, a former star on the Texas Christian University women’s golf team.
In 2021, Champion Hills introduced a new “Equity 55” membership for those age 55 and younger. The program features an initiation fee of $40,000 divided into four equal payments over four years, along with other favorable benefits.
There are also a very small number of national memberships available to non-residents. Since 2013, property ownership is not a requirement for membership at Champion Hills. To explore membership options, visit www.championhills.com or call (828) 696-1962.