Designer
Russell Breeden, well-known in the world of golf course architecture, and one of the top senior designers of the 20th century, has made a name for himself in designing courses that are friendly and easy for anyone to play. Breeden, born in 1917, moved his family out of their home state of Virginia to become an assistant to Fred Findlay, a legend in golf architecture. After years of understudying and perfecting his skill, he ventured out on his own in 1961 to begin constructing courses with his unique vision.
His hands-on approach was described by his wife as “someone who preferred to be in a bulldozer than at the drawing board.” Eventually, his sons, Glen and Andy, would work with him in golf course design and take over after the 1980s when Breeden left the business to retire.
Course Overview
River Bend YMCA Golf Club is fortunate to have had the insight and creativity of Russell Breeden’s design. Opened in 1966 by Bob and Paul Porter, the River Bend YMCA Golf Club is one of the few YMCA owned golf courses in the United States, resting its ideals and mission on values of character building and self potential. It is a beautiful mature and modern course surrounded by the mountains of western NC. The semiprivate course is ideal for anyone with a passion for a challenging golf experience and spectacular scenery.
River Bend is a golf course that utilizes many of the existing features of the area to provide a natural and very aesthetically appealing track. The routing flows through the existing contours of the land effortlessly, thus creating a continuous succession of sensational holes.
Small contoured greens make accurate iron play a necessity for a ball played to the short side of the green, which will result in higher scores. Playing the course from tee to green at a 4 1/2 hour pace of play is not overly demanding, but again, ball placement is a must. There are four sets of tees allowing play to encompass a full range of opportunities for all who delight in the game. River Bend appeals to all skill levels of golfer from beginners to scratch.
The expected pace of play clocks in right at 4 hours 30 minutes, with starting times scheduled on 8 minute intervals. Below you will find the U.S.G.A. Course and Slope Ratings, the yardage for each hole based on various tee boxes, the pace of play per hole, the handicap, and of course….Par!
The U.S.G.A. Course and Slope Ratings are:
Tees Men’s Ladies’
Red 72.5/134
Black 69.8/130 75.7/139
White 67.0/119 72.0/126
Grey 64.5/111 69.3/117