Assistant Superintendent

Highlands Falls Country Club is a very up-scale, private, 18 hole club located in the Western NC mountains. HFCC is originally a Joe Lee design that has just been renovated by celebrated architect Bill Bergin. Additionally, the club has been featured in many different publications. The par-3 15th hole, perched on a rock ledge underneath a 100-foot waterfall is created by the headwaters of the Cullasaja River. It is the hole that Ron Whitten, Golf Digest Senior Editor of Architecture, described as “the most memorable par three in golf”.

Highlands Falls mountain setting is the canvas on which players experience 6,300 yards of manicured playing surfaces flowing up and down over 250 vertical feet of elevation change, exploiting the dramatic features of the land. It is a compelling journey of excitement and reward, as well as a thrill of anticipation of what grand panoramic view might be presented around the next bend.

In 2020, Bill Bergin, ASCGA, and his team at Bergin Golf Designs elevated the golf experience at Highlands Falls to an even higher level. While keeping to the original playing corridors, he has fashioned a new experience based on the design strategies of golden age architects. “Highlands Falls is blessed with beauty and, while the original course took advantage of the diverse landscape, we discovered even more opportunities to integrate golf into its incredible mountain setting,” commented Bergin. “Rock outcroppings, rhododendron and hemlock trees abound, as the routing of the course is finessed across a diverse landscape that includes either a pond or stream on thirteen of the eighteen holes. Our goal was to position Highlands Falls as a premier facility in Western North Carolina. We have accomplished that and more.”

The club is seasonal with the course being opened from May through October. During this period, the course remains in tournament condition. All course projects are done during the off-season.  This is an excellent opportunity for a new graduate, AIT, or assistant who wants to learn at a facility with many resources. This is a management position in which the individual will learn to become a successful golf course manager. 

During the recent renovation, all the fairways were sodded with 007 bentgrass, the greens were seeded with 777 bentgrass, and the rough sodded with fescue/K. bluegrass.  The irrigation system is new with in's/out's on greens and fairways.  Also, the maintenance department is in the third year of a John Deere equipment lease.  All spraying will also be done with GPS sprayers.