5 Interesting Facts About Wells Fargo Championship’s Venue Quail Hollow Club Explored

North Carolina will soon witness a field of 69 PGA Tour pros teeing off at the Wells Fargo Championship. The World No. 1—Scottie Scheffler will be absent from the Charlotte greens. A knee injury has also resulted in Ludvig Aberg’s withdrawal from the sixth signature event. However, the World No. 2 —Rory McIlroy will be very much present alongside the 2023 winner, Wyndham Clark, who will also be in the field, followed by Viktor Hovland, who will be playing his first event after the 88th Masters.

Quail Hollow Golf Club has a special place in the history of the PGA Tour. Over the years, many things have happened at the North Carolina-based golf club. Here are five things that set this historical course apart from the rest.

5. Quail Hollow never had a clubhouse

Before Quail Hollow, the go-to place for Charlotte residents to play was the Charlotte Golf Club. Many could not get access to the Club. Soon, the residents realized they needed another facility to enjoy golf. That’s when the task of converting the old 275-acre Morrocroft Farm in southern Charlotte, which was the biggest dairy farm in North Carolina, into a beautiful golf course was given to George Cobb (the designer behind the ANGC’s nine-hole par-3 course).

The Quail Hollow Golf Club was inaugurated on June 3, 1961, and didn’t have a clubhouse on the course. Club founding member James Harris’s wife wanted Quail Hollow to be a small family club that had a pool but eventually, it was opened in 1967.

4. The magnificent opening hole

The players starting at the first hole, par-4, will have the time of their lives at it. Redesigned by Tom Fazio a few years ago, the tee box is surrounded by a theatrical two-story seating facility. The hole was extended, which took up the space of what used to be the second green and debuted in the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

The 520-plus-yard opening hole, which can host thousands of people, is the highlight for four days straight, and as the Club president once said, “That first hole, you’d better have your game going before you hit it,” can make any pro nervous.

3. The only two players who won thrice at Quail Hollow

In 1977, the late Tom Weiskopf showed up at the Kemper Open hosted at the Quail Hollow Golf Club frustrated because of his past performance. Despite his bad form, Weiskopf won at the Kemper Open and became the first three-time winner of Quail Hollow. His record was equaled only 44 years later by Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman won the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship for the third time; the first two were in 2010 and 2015. To date, Weiskopf and McIlroy remain the only two three-time winners of the Quail Hollow GC.

2. The unforgiving Green Mile

On the Quail Hollow Golf Club, the Green Mile consists of three holes—the 16th, 17th, and 18th—and has been dubbed one of the toughest stretches to conclude the round. Starting at the 16th, all three holes have water surrounding them, making the pro jittery in case of a water dump. The 17th is basically an island and the 18th has a continuous stream on the left, a bunker on the right, and a little uphill to reach the green. The last hole has been known as the toughest finish in golf.

1. Quail Hollow isn’t the second Augusta National

Just a few hours down the road, patrons can also visit the Augusta National, which has been hosting the Masters since 1934. So, when Quail Hollow was inaugurated, there was competition between the two clubs. Like at ANGC, Quail Hollow also had its own traditions and a similar count of 250 members.

When a player wins at Quail Hollow, as an honor, he gets a salute from the members and the fans. From a grand ballroom to a cozy card room,  Quail Hollow has been different than Augusta National in many ways. The former chairman, Jack Crist Jr., once revealed that although ANGC was an inspiration, “we have not attempted to make our course another National.”

The PGA Tour pros will now head to the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, which has hosted it since 2003. Who will Quail Hollow favor this year? Share your prediction in the comments.