Tom Gillispie: July 2018

(NOTE: Written for the Winston-Salem Journal's 2018 golf special section.)

Professional instruction a highlight at Salem Glen

By Tom Gillispie

The Salem Glen Golf and Country Club in Clemmons features a unique golf course in the Triad.

First, it is the only Triad course built by Glen Day, the architect for golf great Jack Nicklaus. The club plays that up with the Jack’s Grille snack bar and a members-only area called the Bear’s Club, echoing Nicklaus’s nickname, the Golden Bear.

Club owner and general manager Darren Mangus says that Salem Glen especially stands out because of its instructors.

“As we were thinking about and how we could make Salem Glen different and make us stand out about the rest of the (Triad) courses, one of the things we thought about was professional instruction,” said Mangus, who took over ownership of Salem Glen on March 31, 2016.

“You can go to pretty much any golf course and the pro will give you lessons,” Mangus added. “Some courses don’t have a class-A PGA professional; we’re fortunate to have two, with Jimmy (McMullen) and Justin (Malone). We’ve very excited, because when we looked around the Winston-Salem area there’s not a true golf academy out there, where someone is just dedicated full-time to teaching, with good equipment to do it with.”

Malone, the head professional, says he teaches about 30 hours a week, and McMullen teaches 40 hours per week. And he says it IS a big deal to have a full-time instructor with PGA certification.

“It really is,” Malone said, adding that it’s a reason Salem Glen has a growing membership.

“Some golf course hire people who are not PGA certified,” Malone added. “(McMullen) has no obligation to the shop; he’s just a teacher.”

Malone says Salem Glen has several teaching programs, including summer camps for juniors and adults, plus group clinics on weekends for middle-school, high-school and JV golfers. McMullen is also the head coach for the West Forsyth High School girls team and the West JV boys team.

“About anything you can think of (in teaching), we have it,” Malone said.

Asked if it’s tough being a full-time instructor, McMullen said, “No, not really. You have to enjoy teaching, and you need patience. I love it.”

The course in Western Forsyth County features 150 feet of elevation change, 4½ miles of creeks and nine lakes scattered throughout the layout.

Malone, a native of Oak Ridge who attended the town’s military academy, says the Clemmons golf course is “just a very playable course.

“We are family oriented, with a growing membership,” he added. “The staff has brought new energy. We have great food and a golf academy with Jimmy McMullen the head of instruction. It’s a very active club.”

When asked about his favorite hole, Malone said, “I’d say No. 11, just because of the tree. You can hit just about anything there; it’s neat, very narrow (the green).”

That tree, which hangs out over the fairway, is featured in Salem Glen’s logo.

“The best view is off the No. 4 green,” Malone continued. “You can see (the fairways) numbers 5, 6 and 7, plus a bit of 8. The front nine is more link style, and the back nine is more woodland.”

Malone says he hasn’t yet made a hole in one at Salem Glen.

“I’ve come close,” he said. “I’ve made seven holes in one (overall). I got one while skipping school, and they found out about it the next day from reading the (news)paper.”

Malone says the club has plans to add tournaments in the near future, perhaps one or more Carolina Golf Association tournaments.

“We have a lot of plans; we just need to finish doing them,” he said.

Salem Glen’s golf shop hours are currently 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

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