No longer solely renowned as the “Home of the Floyds,” Cypress Lakes remains one of I-95’s most popular golf destinations
Fayetteville, N.C. (April 2009) – Although best known as the home of Ft. Bragg and the 82nd Airborne, Fayetteville assumes its mantle every year when spring rolls around as an immensely popular stopping-off point for northern golfers on their way down to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head or Florida – whatever the destination, rest assured, these folks are packing their golf clubs.
For years, given the high-ticket courses at some of the glitzier golfing Meccas, nomadic lovers of the links have enjoyed Fayetteville as a perfect warm-up spot for their trip.
Located off Interstate 95, about 35 miles east of fabled Pinehurst, Fayetteville offers avid golfers some of the best-conditioned layouts, fastest tee times, most affordable deals and easiest accommodations along the East Coast.
But this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, the concept of Fayetteville offering its popular “golf packages” can be traced back directly nearly a half-century to a place called Cypress Lakes.
Back then, Fayetteville’s draw that attracted migratory regulars from faraway locations like Canada, New York and Ohio came in the form of the Floyd family, namely father L.B., and his children, Raymond and Marlene.
L.B. Floyd was a Fayetteville-area PGA teaching professional who taught, among others, future PGA Tour pro Chip Beck. But L.B.’s two best students were his children, and when Cypress Lakes began to take shape both were on their way to making a name for themselves on their respective professional tours.
Raymond Floyd won 22 times on the PGA Tour, including four major championships: the 1969 and 1982 PGA Championships, the 1976 Masters and the 1986 U.S. Open, and he represented the United States on eight Ryder Cup teams and captained the team in 1989. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.
Meanwhile, Raymond’s kid sister, Marlene, was trying her hand on the LPGA Tour, where she posted a trio of third-place finishes during her career. She has gone on to serve as an analyst for NBC Sports golf telecasts and is considered one of the game’s top female teaching professionals, and Marlene still makes her home off the No. 10 green and No. 11 tee at Cypress Lakes.
Back in the 1960s, the land on which Cypress Lakes now resides was owned by Dr. William Thomas Rainey (co-founder of the Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital in Fayetteville), a horse-and-buggy doctor who didn’t mind bartering medical services for chickens, and who used the land as his summer retreat away from the pressures of hospital life where he nurtured a thriving turkey farm.
In the 1960s, Rainey passed the land down to his daughter and her husband, A.N. “Al” Prewitt, who was friends with L.B. Floyd and who had the wild idea of building a golf course out in the country.
During those days, golf was a game played mostly by the elite, who mostly enjoyed it at private golf and country clubs. “I’ve got some land,” Al told L.B. “If I build a public-access golf course, will you run it and be part-owner?”
“Cypress Lakes was built upon the idea that we need to expand the game of golf to all people,” said Tom Prewitt, Al’s son who now owns and manages the golf course. “That was the philosophy back then. They were way ahead of their time. It was a pretty bold statement for two guys to do what they did.”
Al and L.B. hired a local architect, Stuart Gooding, to design the golf course, although L.B. chipped in with his suggestions and the group received plenty of feedback about the layout from different golf professionals who came through town visiting L.B.
Cypress Lakes opened for play in 1968, and when it began marketing itself as the “Home of the Floyds” the migration from above the Mason-Dixon began, with flocks of golfers coming through Fayetteville hoping they might spend some time with L.B., or catch a glimpse of Raymond and Marlene.
For locals, too, Cypress Lakes became the area’s chief recreational attraction. “A lot of people got their introduction to golf at Cypress Lakes,” said head professional Robert Wilson. “This is where I took my first lesson 40 years ago.”
Through the years, the original 700 acres of unspoiled natural beauty has more than doubled in size, and Cypress Lakes is also one of the finest residential golf communities in North Carolina, now a semi-private club with approximately 120 resident members – although the 600 home sites are positioned back and out of play, and are balanced with wide-open spaces, wetlands, serene woods and horse pastures.
The golf course has been completely renovated throughout the past decade. In the mid-1990s, the putting surfaces were reshaped, contoured and reconstructed into top-of-the-line Penn A4 Bent grass greens that are like putting on smooth carpet.
In addition, the club recently spent a half-million dollars on a double-row irrigation that can water every inch of the golf course, using less water than they used before, meaning Cypress Lakes should have 50 percent more grass than they’ve had in previous summers.
“I live here on the golf course, so I would hear about it every day if we didn’t keep it up,” said Tom Prewitt. “We’ve spent the last 10 years transforming ourselves into a championship style course.”
A fair and straightforward course to play, Cypress Lakes is known for its immaculate greens and pristine conditioning. There is plenty of variety, including doglegs right, doglegs left, shorter holes, longer holes, and holes over water. There’s every shot a golfer can envision on this course.
The front nine is based around the placid Rainey Pond and is highlighted by No. 9, a picture-perfect golf hole that golfers both relish and fear the most. The par-3 plays to 180 yards from the championship tees and requires a full carry from tee to green over a Cypress swamp. A road is to the left. Bunkers protect the front of the green. Water is to the right. There is no bailout.
On the second nine, No. 11 is a double-dogleg and formerly reachable par-5, recently modified with the addition of a natural area 245 yards from the tee box, turning it into a three-shot hole even for the long hitters.
It is among several tough golf holes. No. 4, which used to be one of the weaker holes on the golf course, is now the No. 1 handicap.
Today, Cypress Lakes remains one of the best golfing deals you’ll find anywhere, and it is still the Fayetteville area’s most popular golf course – host to the county tournament, along with junior championships and the L.B. Floyd Celebrity Classic, an annual event every April that has raised $120,000 for a Children’s Wing at the local hospital named for Mr. Floyd.
“We pride ourselves in being one of the friendliest areas in the country,” said Prewitt, “and there are things to do here in Fayetteville that people don’t know about.”
More information on Cypress Lakes and Fayetteville’s “Golf on the Ready” promotion can be found at GolfOnTheReady.com or by calling 800-577-3787.
Contact:
Martin Armes, 919-608-7260, martinarmes@nc.rr.com
Brad King, 336-306-9219, king@bradkingcommunications.com
