Graymere Country Club

David Johnson Golf Design LLC

Graymere Country Club

Columbia, Tennessee

Graymere Country Club was founded in 1924 as a nine-hole golf course. In 1969 a second nine holes was added. In 2003 I was hired by the Club to create a long-term Master Plan for Improvements to the golf course. Over the past twenty years much has been accomplished: enlarging and lining the irrigation pond, re-grading some fairways to reduce severe cross slopes, adding and enlarging tees, adding storm drainage, tree removal and planting, and wall to wall cart paths. In 2023, on the eve of the Club’s 100th Anniversary, I was tasked to create a new Master Plan to propel the Club into its second century of success.

Hole 5 Pond Construction

Irrigation is the lifeblood of a golf course. Unfortunately, at Graymere Country Club, the irrigation pond was undersized and often developed fissures in the subgrade that allowed irrigation water stored in the pond to leak out. A major piece of the year 2008 renovation at Graymere was to enlarge and deepen the irrigation pond and line it so that it would never leak. This was a major undertaking as the base of the pond contained a lot of rock which had to be removed. Once the rock was removed, the bottom of the pond was plated with soil, smoothed and graded, then lined with PVC.

Hole 5

The par four, 5th hole at Graymere has a tight landing area, with the irrigation pond down the left side. Players have the option of laying up short of the pond, leaving an approach of at least 150 yards, or taking on the pond to gain a shorter approach.