You're probably right about it being his private golf course, but it's not barren, it looks like a warm season grass that has gone dormant for our brief winter here.
The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is on the cusp of a climate zone that will support either fescue or a warm season grass. 20 miles south of me, the warm season grasses stay green all year and fescue will cook.
When the landscaping is completed, I predict a mixture of grass variety's that guarantee four seasons of green.