PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida– Bobby Weed Golf Design (“BWGD”) is pleased to announce that a formal agreement has been approved to comprehensively renovate all 27 holes at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Club. The transformation will begin this summer and last 16–24 months.
“My wife, Leslie, has generational family ties in Waynesville that date back over 100 years,” said golf course architect, Bobby Weed. “As long-time area residents, we sincerely thank Grey Raines and David Tart of Raines for allowing our team to modernize this revered western North Carolina layout.”
Situated near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Waynesville Inn & GC is set to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2026. The original nine holes were built by Donald Ross. 18 more holes were later added. The 111-room Inn and accompanying golf course will join Raines’ boutique hotel division, Woven by Raines.
BWGD’s Master Plan will identify the club’s most actionable items, while combining a long-term sustainability strategy that allows the Waynesville Inn & GC to prepare for future needs. Features of the Master Plan include timelines, infrastructure and capital improvement needs, a hole-by-hole analysis, a full course restoration, agronomic best practices and efficient budgeting.
BWGD will modify the mountainous golf course from 27 to 18 holes. A study will also be commissioned to explore the addition of a new short golf course and Himalayan-style putting green. Moreover, a full-service practice facility will be employed by enlarging teeing grounds and adding practice target greens.
“With deep roots in the Carolinas and 40-plus years of experience, we have entrusted Bobby Weed Golf Design to direct our golf course restoration,” said Grey Raines, managing partner of Raines. “Bobby has pledged to be on-site to lead our promising road ahead, and for that we are most grateful.”
Notably, BWGD possesses extensive knowledge of restoring and carrying on the legacy of original Donald Ross designs. Other Ross layouts that BWGD has been hired to preserve include Linville Golf Club, Palatka Golf Club, Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club, Timuquana Country Club and University of Florida’s Mark Bostick Golf Club.
Bobby Weed Golf Design (BWGD) possesses some of the most innovative minds in golf. Bobby Weed has designed over 50 new courses and comprehensive renovations spanning from the “golden age” of design to the “modern era.” His work features a balance of visual appeal, sustainability and playability, all informed by an environmentally-sensitive aesthetic and an exceptional hands-on approach.
His professional career began in the 1970s with an extended apprenticeship under Pete Dye, sparking a near 40-year friendship with Mr. Dye. Hired in 1983 as the Golf Course Superintendent at TPC Sawgrass, Weed went on to become the PGA TOUR’s first in-house golf course architect. He was responsible for many of today’s best known TPC venues, which continue as host sites for prominent professional events.
In 1994, Weed’s career reached new heights with the formation of his own design firm. Both his original and renovated courses are consistently ranked at the top of their respective design categories.
BWGD is also a leader in golf course repurposing – a means to update layouts through redesign and reallocation of partial acreage for higher value land uses – which results in successful, refined and durable golf course designs.
Weed is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He is also a 42-year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, was a former Certified Golf Course Superintendent and is a member of the Florida Turfgrass Association.
More information: bobbyweed.com
