Sanford’s municipal course emerged as a Depression-era civic project. The State Historic Preservation Office’s county survey notes that the “Sanford Golf Course and Club House” were developed in the mid-1930s with Town of Sanford and Economic Recovery Administration funds; the course “was laid out by … Donald Ross” and “originally had sand greens.” That primary state documentation firmly ties the layout to Ross and the New Deal context.
Local reporting places the opening in 1934 and attributes the first nine holes to Ross. The course operated initially as a nine-holer, consistent with many small-town munis of the era. Several local histories also recall its earliest years with sand greens, before conversion to grass as water and maintenance resources improved.
Expansion to a full 18-hole facility came later. Multiple local accounts credit Bobby Powell—Sanford’s longtime manager/superintendent (1967–1998) and a former professional golfer—with completing the back nine in the late 1960s, turning the course into today’s 18-hole muni.
In the early 2000s the city undertook a significant upgrade. Course professional David Von Canon has stated that “in 2002, we did the big renovation with the new greens, built the driving range, [and] changed some holes.” Separate portfolio materials from Robbins & Associates (Rick Robbins, ASGCA) document a renovation/master-plan commission at “Sanford Golf Club” including design of five new holes, renovation of 13 existing holes, and addition of a practice area—work that aligns with the range build and hole changes referenced locally.
Unique Design Characteristics
Because Sanford began as a Ross nine and later grew to 18, the course today blends Depression-era corridors with later additions. The front-side profile—short-to-mid par-4s punctuated by compact one-shotters—reflects the modest land and budget of a 1930s municipal nine (e.g., front-nine par is 35 with six par-4s and one par-5 with a total distance of 2,894 yards). While greens were rebuilt in 2002, the scorecard’s yardage pattern still shows the emphasis on approach precision rather than brute length, a hallmark of many small Ross munis from the period.
Sanford NC
The back nine, attributed to Powell’s late-1960s expansion, adopts a broader scale as the property falls toward the Buffalo Creek corridor. The municipal course’s own map places “Buffalo Creek” alongside the inward side; the routing there incorporates the property’s lowland views, with the longest par-5s at 16 (522 yards) and the finishing 18th (483 yards) encouraging strategic positioning before the approach. These later-built holes contrast the tighter, compact front side.
Sanford NC
Identifying which specific holes most clearly preserve Ross’s 1934 work is complicated by subsequent expansions and the 2002 rebuilding of greens and several hole corridors. Given those changes, the front nine likely retains more of the original corridor geometry than original green contours.
Historical Significance
Sanford is representative of Ross’s Depression-era municipal work in North Carolina: a community course conceived in the hard years of the 1930s and realized with federal relief support, then adapted over time as the city’s golf demand grew. As a Ross-attributed muni situated roughly 30 miles from Pinehurst, it contributes to the region’s broader narrative of Sandhills golf development beyond the resort gates. The State’s architectural context explicitly records the Ross authorship and sand-green origin—details that anchor the course within the New Deal recreation-infrastructure story.
At the local level, Sanford’s city course has sustained a continuous golf culture for nine decades, most visibly through the long-running Brick Capital Classic—an invitational that reached its 49th playing in 2025. That continuity underscores the course’s role as a civic venue and helps explain its place in regional media roundups about Sanford/Lee County golf.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing & landforms. The course retains a two-era feel: a compact front-side routing from the original nine and a more expansive back-side routing from the 1960s expansion. The municipal course’s map and present scorecard confirm the current sequencing and yardage distribution; however, the precise extent of original 1934 fairway alignments is uncertain without historic aerial comparison.
Greens & bunkers. Greens were rebuilt “in 2002,” and several holes were altered during that project; Robbins & Associates’ portfolio notes the design of five new holes and renovation of 13 existing, along with practice-area construction. The shift from sand greens in the 1930s to modern turf surfaces necessarily means original Ross putting-surface construction no longer survives in situ. Bunker schemes likewise reflect cumulative changes across expansions and renovations.
Practice & facilities. Today’s range, short-game areas, and clubhouse operations are municipally managed, with consistent public programming and seasonal hours posted by the City of Sanford. These additions/updates are part of the course’s adaptive evolution while preserving its public character.
Overall integrity assessment. Sanford preserves its historical significance primarily through documented authorship, site continuity, and community use, rather than intactness of original 1934 greens and hazards. The front-nine corridors likely echo Ross’s layout; the back nine expresses the 1960s Powell expansion; and the 2002 works modernized playing surfaces and practice infrastructure.
Citations & Uncertainty
There is a persistent local note that formal in-house documentation proving Ross’s authorship is scarce; staff and golfers have repeated the attribution for decades. Against that, the State Historic Preservation Office’s county-wide context (prepared for the National Register program) explicitly ascribes the layout to Ross and records the sand-green origin—providing a stronger documentary anchor than informal lore. This report defers to the state survey while flagging the local caveat.
Sources & Notes
North Carolina SHPO / National Register Context — Historic and Architectural Resources of Lee County, North Carolina, ca. 1800–1942 (Continuation Sheets), noting “Sanford Golf Course and Club House … [course] laid out by Donald Ross” with “sand greens,” developed with Town/ERA funds. (LE 727 entry).
City of Sanford (official site) — “Golf Course” landing page (amenities, location/operations, attribution to 1934 Ross design) and “Scorecard” page (official scorecard images with yardages/ratings).
Routing Map — “Course Layout (PDF)” showing the present routing and Buffalo Creek relationship on the inward side. City of Sanford, NC.
Local reporting (The Rant, 2023) — “Four for fore | Golf still the top draw in Lee County,” and the companion “Sanford City Golf Course” item with quotes from David Von Canon: Ross designed the first nine; Bobby Powell finished 18 in the late 1960s; 2002 renovation rebuilt greens, added the range, and changed holes. THE RANT (July 2, 2023).
Architect of later renovations — Robbins & Associates (Rick Robbins, ASGCA) portfolio pages listing Sanford Golf Club, Sanford, NC: “Design of 5 new holes, practice area & renovation of 13 existing holes.” Robbins & Associates International, Inc.
Tournament continuity (Brick Capital Classic) — City calendar entry (2025) and local radio coverage of the 49th edition (2025), documenting the event’s longevity; additional historic mentions on the course’s social feed. City of Sanford; WFJA/WWGP Sports.
Attribution caveat (discussion thread) — GolfClubAtlas forum posts noting the course’s staff lacked formal Ross documentation even as the attribution persisted locally; included here solely to illustrate the documented uncertainty. (Forum thread, 2015).
