‘Dyed’ in the Wool: The Top P.B. Dye Courses to Play or Join

If there was a shortlist of under-appreciated golf course architects, P.B. Dye might rank near the top. Ironic, given his unabashedly outgoing demeanor and penchant for promotion. Interestingly, though, the youngest son of the legendary Pete Dye was always happiest on the seat of a bulldozer during his design heydays in the 80s and 90s.

Just as he embraces life to the fullest, Paul Burke Dye relished the opportunity to work with golf resort and community developers. These were, after all, his clients, and golf courses as the leading amenity for both business models were an inevitable truth. In other words, if you can’t beat, build with them.

For traveling golfers or those looking to settle down in a golf community, here are some of the top P.B. Dye golf courses you can play (public) or join (private).

P.B. Dye Golf Club

PB Dye Golf Club

Most golf course critics consider the P.B. Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville, Maryland, to be Dye’s seminal work. Golf Digest once ranked it as one of the 50 Toughest Courses in America, and its resistance to scoring and strategic shot values are off the charts. The layout pitches and rolls over 250 acres and boasts the complete array of P.B. Dye accouterments: mounds, moguls, multi-tiered greens and deep pot bunkers. P.B. Dye Golf Club is open to the public with rates starting at $65 in the afternoon.

For more information: www.pbdyegolf.com.

Olde Cypress Clubhouse

The Club at Olde Cypress

Olde Cypress in the golf capital of Naples, Fla. is eminently enjoyable, progressively playable for the forward to middle tees, and long enough to challenge long hitters from the tips. Seeking omnipresent sunshine, pristine beaches and a lifestyle only Southwest Florida can offer, new members have flocked to this privately owned, private club over the past 18 months. Adding to the attraction: Olde Cypress recently reopened following a re-grassing of all tee boxes, fairways and greens, as well as updates to bunkers, the practice facility and clubhouse. Membership categories include social, full golf and associate golf and offer access to the club’s other amenities, like tennis, pickleball and fitness, as well as fine and casual dining.

For more information: www.oldecypress.com.

Cherokee Valley Course and Club

Cherokee Valley

At Cherokee Valley just north of Greenville, S.C., Dye essentially delights golfers with multiple courses within a single layout. The first four holes are relatively flat and laid out in proximity to the new golf shop and chef-driven restaurant,Core 450. Six through eight take players closer to Glassy Mountain, nine and 10 circle around the practice range, while 11-18 feature more than 300-feet of elevation change. Both memberships and daily fee play are offered, as are golf packages featuring the club’s quaint cottages. Cherokee Valley is just 30 minutes from downtown Greenville, one of the best small cities in the U.S.

For more information: www.cherokeevalleyclub.com

Moorland Course

Moorland Course at Legends Resort

When P.B. and developer Larry Young unveiled the Moorland Course at Legends Resort in Myrtle Beach in 1990, shock value was a necessary ingredient to make a splash in a market with more than 100 golf courses. Golf Digest immediately tapped it as one of the toughest tracks in the U.S., and Dye and Young delighted in causing golfers to rise to incredible heights and sink to considerable depths all in five hours. The 245-yard par-4 16th hole is guarded by the Grand Strand’s most famous bunker, dubbed “Hell’s Half Acre.”

For more information: www.legendsgolf.com/moorland

The Links at Fisher Island

For a nine-hole facility to make a list of its designer’s best golf courses, it has to be something special. The Links at Fisher Island is more than that – it’s one of the country’s most precious golf assets. The course is the centerpiece of the Fisher Island Club, a 216-acre barrier island off the coast of Miami. Dye loves to say he packed 18 holes of design features into nine holes at the Links at Fisher Island. Not only did he do that, there’s a full-size practice range and an immaculate 10,000-square-foot clubhouse. Equity memberships are offered for property owners and a limited number of non-owners.

For more information: www.fisherislandclub.com.