Raleigh’s oldest public golf course extends lease while eyeing future projects to survive
Raleigh’s oldest public golf course is getting a multimillion-dollar makeover.
After years of financial hardship and nearly selling up more than a decade ago, Raleigh Golf Association (RGA) at 1527 Tryon Road has agreed to preserve the “main tract” of its historic course. This month, it signed a 20-year management lease extension with Raleigh-based McConnell Golf.
In exchange, the golf course management company has committed $3.5 million to renovate the course. Among planned upgrades: new irrigation system, fresh greens and a driving range featuring 60 hitting bays and lighting.
“Golf courses have been disappearing,” said Christian Anastasiadis, chief operating officer for McConnell Golf. “Per capita, Raleigh doesn’t have that many golf courses, especially affordable ones [like RGA].”
This investment secures the course’s future, he said. It also fills a need by offering a round of golf at a reasonable price. (Billed as a “walker-friendly,” no-frills course, most can turn up without a tee time and walk 18 holes for $22, depending on the day.)
“That’s the kicker. It’s affordable,” Anastasiadis said. “It has the potential to become one of Raleigh’s finest golf teaching centers.”
RGA is owned by more than 200 shareholders.
Separately, the board is considering selling 43 acres where five holes are located north of Tryon Road. It’s filed a rezoning request of behalf of the Atlanta-based developer Dominium to build affordable housing, the Triangle Business Journal reported in January.
Anastasiadis said those plans won’t impact renovations. The first 13 holes of the public course and the nine-hole “Stockholders” course will be reconfigured into an 18-hole track with many of the holes expected to remain “intact, renovated and enhanced,” preserving the course’s historic significance, he said.
Renovations are expected to be finished by 2026.
Raleigh’s oldest public golf course
Built in 1929, RGA comes with a storied past. Golfing legend Arnold Palmer played the course often when he was a student at Wake Forest College in the 1950s, and Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen played an exhibition match there in 1937.
But it’s also has faced challenges over the years.
During certain periods when the game’s popularity waned, it struggled to generate enough revenue to cover maintenance and operational costs. It has also faced pressure to sell for housing or commercial development amid Raleigh’s surging growth.
In 2016, McConnell Golf offered a lifeline. It signed a 10-year lease to manage the property.
“I used to play it when I first moved to town,” founder John McConnell told The N&O at the time. “It’s one of those courses that, quite honestly, the average high-handicap golfer can play and feel good about his or her game.”
The firm’s portfolio of 16 properties spans the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia. In addition to operating RGA, the company owns three private Triangle courses: Raleigh Country Club, TPC at Wakefield Plantation and Treyburn Country Club.
Mark Fleming, president of RGA’s board of directors, credited the partnership with McConnell with the course’s survival.
During a period when many public courses throughout America have been sold for development, “we’re proud that RGA will remain open and available for our community,” he said.
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Raleigh’s oldest public golf course extends lease while eyeing future projects to survive."
