Carlton/Marshall Golf Design

Sanford, NC

The Matchbox is a short course built alongside the famed Tobacco Road Golf Club in Sanford, North Carolina. It opened in August 2026 near the 12th and 13th fairways of the original Mike Strantz-designed course, on ground that once held spoils from the quarry excavation used to build Tobacco Road in the 1990s. The 12-hole course was designed by Carlton/Marshall Golf Design with Mark White, one of the original shapers who worked under Strantz. Holes range from roughly 40 to 105 yards and wind through trees and around a pond, using synthetic turf blended into the natural ground to avoid clearing trees or installing irrigation. The Matchbox is open to the public alongside Tobacco Road's regular tee-time system, offering a quick round for guests already playing or staying at the property.