The Lonnie Poole Golf Course (LPGC) is renovating its putting surfaces to provide golfers with faster, firmer and more consistent greens during the peak of the season.
“Our goal is simple: we want to provide the best possible playing conditions for more golfers, more often,” said Brian Green, director of golf course maintenance. Key benefits will include:
- Summer speed and firmness: Golfers can expect faster, truer and firmer putting surfaces during the heart of the season (June 15 – Sept. 15).
- More tee times: The new turf removes the need for excessive daytime hand-watering and moisture management, significantly improving pace of play and opening up more usable segments of the tee sheet.
- Half the maintenance downtime: LPGC will move from two annual aerification closures down to just one, keeping the course open for more rounds per year.
- Tournament-ready conditions: The transition allows LPGC to host high-profile tournaments and amateur events during the late June to early September window—a period that was previously restricted due to heat stress on the cool season bentgrass greens.
- Winter resilience: Improved recovery and more predictable reopening times following freezing winter events.
The decision comes as Raleigh’s climate continues to shift. Over the last 30 years, average summer nighttime temperatures have risen by 3 to 4 degrees, making traditional bentgrass increasingly difficult to maintain at a championship level. In 2025, the course faced six consecutive weeks where nighttime temperatures stayed above the critical 70-degree recovery threshold for bentgrass.
“Since 2019, we’ve seen a 15% increase in rounds played,” Green continued. “This conversion ensures that as our community grows, our course doesn’t just keep up; it gets better. We are committing to a surface that thrives in the North Carolina heat, providing a better product for our players from the first tee to the 18th green.”
Other improvements include more durable green collars and firmer surfaces that are more resistant to ball marks, ensuring high-quality conditions for the first group of the morning and the last group of the day.
Project Timeline
The golf course will close June 15, 2026, with the greens conversion project expected to take 8 to 10 weeks, depending on weather. The course anticipates reopening in late August. The Terrace Restaurant will also be closed during this period.
Outside of regular course play, golf operations will continue normally. The driving range will remain open except for a two-week period to repair worn areas in the heavily impacted landing zone areas of the range. Club fitting, equipment repair, golf shop as well as instructional and player development programs will also operate normally.
All Charter Partner and Champions Club Cardholders will have options emailed to them for the next renewal cycle. All Package Plan holders (Strutting Wolf, Staff/Faculty, and Student) as of the June 15 closure date and the August reopening date will have their plans extended for the full duration of the course closure.
“We thank our charter partners, package plan holders and the golfing public for their patronage, patience and support as we move forward with this critical and exciting improvement to the Lonnie Poole Golf Course,” said Green.