North Carolina club builds its reputation on culture, training, and genuine hospitality
Being recognized as one of the friendliest golf courses in the country doesn’t happen by accident. It requires the right culture, consistent training, and a staff committed to creating memorable experiences for every golfer who walks through the door.
That formula is clearly working at Woodlake Country Club in Vass, North Carolina.
The club, operated by Bobby Jones Links, was recently ranked No. 2 on GolfPass’ “America’s 25 Friendliest Public Golf Courses – Golfers’ Choice 2026.” The recognition is based on golfer reviews and reflects a commitment to hospitality that the staff has worked hard to build.
For general manager Jeff Crabbe, the honor was both validating and a bit surprising.
“Our staff from top to bottom goes above and beyond,” Crabbe said. “So I won’t say I was completely surprised, but when I got the email, it was still a great moment. It really validated the hard work our team puts in every day.”
The GolfPass list highlights courses where exceptional service keeps golfers coming back “round after round,” much like the best restaurants and small businesses rely on customer loyalty.
Reviews of Woodlake on GolfPass reflect that reputation.
“All the staff were super nice and very helpful,” one golfer wrote. “The layout is beautiful and the facilities were top-notch. Can’t say enough about it. Highly recommend it.”
A Club Reimagined
Woodlake already had a compelling story long before the recognition.
In 2016, Hurricane Matthew devastated the region and effectively wiped out the lake that once defined the course. The damage forced the club to rethink its future. After a complete renovation and reopening a little more than two years ago, Woodlake has emerged stronger than ever.
The course now operates as a private club with limited public access, welcoming both members and visiting golfers through public tee times and golf packages. Regardless of how players arrive, the goal is the same: treat everyone like a VIP.
And the experience is expected to improve even further when the lake restoration project is completed in the coming years.
A Service Philosophy by Design
Woodlake’s reputation for hospitality is part of a broader philosophy shared by all facilities managed by Bobby Jones Links, an Atlanta-based company that operates roughly three dozen golf properties across the country.
Central to that philosophy is a training program known as the “Member Journey,” or the “Customer Journey” at public facilities.
Allyson Kahl Darling, vice president of experiences for Bobby Jones Links, travels to each property overseeing the programs that shape both team member and guest experiences.
“The Member Journey is our service delivery roadmap,” Kahl Darling said. “We customize it for every property because each club is unique.”
While technical training and operational procedures remain important, she says the company focuses heavily on service training—how employees interact with guests and shape the overall experience.
“Our service training programs are designed around the full guest experience and the entire member journey,” she said. “We emphasize thoughtful, consistent care from the first interaction to the final farewell.”
The goal is to elevate every touchpoint along that journey.
“We want our team members to be genuine,” she said. “It’s not about pushing people through the club. It’s about creating real interactions and meaningful moments.”
Sometimes those moments come from the simplest gestures.
“It can be as basic as making sure a guest walks in and immediately sees a staff member who makes eye contact, smiles, and steps out from behind the counter to greet them,” she said.
Service Starts Before the First Tee
At Woodlake, customer service begins well before golfers hit their first shot.
Bag drop attendants do more than load clubs onto carts. They’re encouraged to interact with guests, learn names, and look for conversation starters—anything from a college logo on a bag tag to a favorite sports team.
The idea is to connect with golfers personally, understanding when they want conversation and when they simply want to enjoy the day.
“Our more experienced staff members take newer team members under their wing,” Crabbe said. “They teach the work ethic and best practices that help create a great customer experience.”
That attention to detail carries through every part of the operation—from the golf shop to the restaurant and back to the bag drop after the round, where staff members unload bags and clean clubs.
“The points of contact that really matter—customer service from the parking lot to the golf shop to the first tee—those are constants for our team,” Crabbe said.
The Right People Make the Difference
Even with training programs in place, Crabbe believes the biggest factor behind Woodlake’s reputation is simply the people who work there.
One recent example illustrated that perfectly.
A golfer who had booked a round through GolfNow drove nearly 90 minutes from Greensboro, only to realize he had forgotten his putter. While checking in, he mentioned the problem to golf shop attendant Baxter Billingsley.
Without hesitation, Billingsley offered a solution.
“Hey, I’ve got my clubs in my car,” he told the golfer. “Let me go grab my putter.”
The golfer offered to pay or leave his driver’s license as collateral. Billingsley declined.
“He just told him, ‘I don’t need anything. When you finish, just bring it back,’” Crabbe recalled.
“It was just thinking on your feet and doing the right thing,” he said. “That was a really cool moment.”
Creating Memorable Experiences
At its core, the Bobby Jones Links service philosophy centers on a few key principles:
Every guest interaction matters, from arrival to departure.
Team members are encouraged to engage warmly and authentically.
Staff focus on awareness, anticipation, proactive service, and empathy.
Operational efficiency matters—but genuine connections matter more.
The goal is simple: ensure every guest feels welcomed, valued, and cared for.
That approach, Kahl Darling says, is exactly why Woodlake earned its recognition.
“They absolutely earned it,” she said. “We’re very proud of our team and our partnership with them.”
For Crabbe, the philosophy comes down to one simple mindset shared across the staff.
“It doesn’t matter what your title is,” he said. “Woodlake Country Club is on all of our titles. We all do whatever we can to make people want to come here—and want to come back.”
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