As part of the celebrations for last week’s 75th anniversary Wyndham Championship organizers brought into the media center two of the greats of the game in Bob Goalby and Dow Fistenwald.

Goalby captured the the 1958 Greater Greensboro Open, as the event was then known, and a year later Finsterwald was crowned 1959 champion.

However Goalby wrote himself into golf’s history book in winning the 1968 Masters but only after controversy surrounding Argentina’s Robert de Vicenzo who thought he had tied Goalby but in signing his scorecard he signed for a ‘4’ at the 17th hole when in fact he had taken a birdie ‘3’.

Sam Snead Drive leading to Starmount Forest Country Club where ‘Slammin’ Sam’ won in 1938 the first of eight Greater Greensboro Open titles. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Finsterwald also is a former Major Champion having captured the 1958 PGA Championship and a year after losing the Major in 1957, adn the final year the PGA Championship was played in a match-play format.

However with both Goalby and Finsterwald in the Media Center they spoke of the early years of the Greater Greensboro Open and that including the event being staged at the Starmount Forest Country Club.

In fact, Goalby won at Starmount Forest as did Finsterwald a year later.

I took the opportunity on Saturday morning of this year’s Wyndham Championship to visit the course.

Entrance to the Starmount Forest Country Club. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

In turning into the course the first sight that struck me apart from the wonderful condition of the golf course was the road leading up to the clubhouse, and named – Sam Snead Street.

In fact, Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open on eight occasions and then a PGA Tour record until Tiger Woods matched the feat of Snead in winning eight WGC – Bridgestone Invitational titles,

Bob Goalby and Dow Finsterwald winners of the 1958 and 1959 Greater Greensboro Open. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Not all of Snead’s successes in the Greater Greensboro Open were at Starmount Forest Country Club but in the period from 1938, and the staging of the first Greater Greensboro Open, to 1960 when the event moved from Starmount Forest for a last time, Snead won at Starmount on debut in 1938 and then again in 1950, 1955, 1956 and 1960.

And to put a newer date on Starmount Forest Country Club and Sweden’s Carl Petterson, who grew up living adjoining the 18th hole of the course, in 2008 captured the Wyndham Championship.

Hereunder is a selection of photographs of Starmount Forest Country Club.