North Carolina Golf Destinations

  • Wilmington

    Wilmington, North Carolina exudes a sense of time and place. Anchored by its 200-block historic district, this bustling river city of over 100,000 residents has one of the most vibrant downtowns in the state, and one of the strongest tourist industries in the Southeast.

    The venerable Gene Hamm designed Echo Farms Golf & Country Club back in 1974, but ownership made a number of improvements to the golf course in 1995 including upgrading the greens to bentgrass, and Ian Scott-Taylor further improved the course in 1998.
  • Triangle

    The Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area -- also known as the "Triangle" -- bleeds college hoops. Duke University, the University of North Carolina, and North Carolina State are all within a half hour's drive of each other, and have cultivated some of the most intense rivalries in all of sports over the past 40 years.

    Wildwood Green Golf Club in northern Raleigh was designed with players of all skill levels in mind, Opened in 1986, the classic layout underwent a major renovation 10 years later that made it into a challenging but playable test that welcomes everyone from beginners to seasoned pros. Generous landing areas offer some room for error off of the tee and the greens are large and inviting.
    UNC Finley Golf Club is one of the top 20 collegiate courses in the country. The club offers a well conditioned comprehensive facility with a driving range, putting green, and chipping. Tom Fazio designed this challenging layout that is diverse enough to appeal to players of all skill levels. He included his trademark false fronts and greenside bunkers.
    Located near the banks of Swift Creek, Lochmere Golf Club has plenty of water incorporated into the layout, coming into play on nearly every hole. The golf course stretches across a lush, gently rolling landscape sprinkled with mature trees and ponds. The terrain showcases the best in Triangle golf.
  • Brunswick County

    As you drive north on U.S. Highway 17 from North Myrtle Beach and over the state line, t-shirt shops and mini golf courses give way to Mom-and-Pop seafood restaurants, quaint beach cottages, and rustic roadside gift shops. Anchoring the coast of this pristine region are the Brunswick Islands - a group of barrier islands that run from the world famous "seafood capital" of Calabash, North Carolina, all the way north to the Cape Fear River south of Wilmington. The scenery is unrivaled, as Carolina Oaks and Pines blend together to give the area a true mid-Atlantic feel.

    The 18-hole Tiger's Eye Golf Links at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina is a public golf course. Designed by Tim Cate, Tiger's Eye Golf Links at Ocean Ridge Plantation measures 7014 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 142 and a 73.7 USGA rating.
    Built on Jerry McLamb's 500-acre southern countryside family homestead, the facility features a front nine rolling through former tobacco fields and vegetable gardens, and a back nine meandering through pristine Carolina woodlands created by nature itself.
    The 18-hole Leopard's Chase Golf Links at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina is a public golf course that opened in 2007. Designed by Tim Cate, Leopard's Chase Golf Links at Ocean Ridge Plantation measures 7155 yards from the longest tees.
  • Western North Carolina

    Tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville sits at the meeting point of the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers. Donald Ross chose the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina as the setting for many of the golf courses in his prolific career.

    Nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sequoyah National Golf Club is surrounded by mature oak and fir trees. Owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee, the course is routed through flowered valleys that provide a colorful complement to the surrounding mountain views. It feels peacefully secluded but it is conveniently located less than an hour from Asheville.
    The 18-hole Southern Tee Golf Course in Fletcher, North Carolina is a public golf course that opened in 2001. Southern Tee Golf Course measures 2573 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 113 and a 70 USGA rating. The course features one set of tees.
    The 18-hole Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier, North Carolina is a semi-private golf course that opened in 1996. Designed by Thomas Walker, Smoky Mountain Country Club measures 6099 yards from the longest tees. The course features 4 sets of tees for different skill levels.
  • Village of Pinehurst

    Anchored by the Village of Pinehurst, the Sandhills region of North Carolina is made up of a collection of small towns and blessed with a sampling of public-access golf courses that many golf aficionados consider to be among the best in the world. The "Village" is home to the venerable Pinehurst Resort and Donald Ross' vaunted No. 2 course. The entire area oozes with layouts from Ross, Dan and Ellis Maples, Rees Jones, and Robert Trent Jones.

    Beacon Ridge Golf and Country Club, a Gene Hamm design on rolling, wooded terrain, opened in 1988. This well-maintained course has bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens. Perhaps what sets Beacon Ridge apart from a number of other courses in the Pinehurst area is its variety.
    The 9-hole Knollwood Fairways in Southern Pines, North Carolina is a semi-private golf course that opened in 1964. Designed by C. A. Pitts, Knollwood Fairways measures 2517 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 110 and a 31.9 USGA rating. The course features 3 sets of tees for different skill levels.
    Little River Golf Club is a Dan Maples "original" in his home town area near the village of Pinehurst. The rolling hills and flowing waters on this beautiful property make it a challenging venue for golfers of all skill levels.
  • Charlotte

    With destinations like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and Pinehurst, the Carolinas seldom look at their metropolitan centers for as golf meccas. Once upon a time, this was justifiable. Even as recently as the late 1980s, the Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham metro areas were severely lacking in daily-fee golf facilities.

    Rocky River Golf Club was carefully carved from lush, rolling hills and natural wetlands with the intent of preserving the beautiful terrain as much as possible. The course flows across the dramatic natural contours of the land, providing holes with plenty of elevation changes. Running alongside the rolling fairways are winding ribbons of native wetland grasses that weave through rocky outcroppings.
    Opened in 1958, Larkhaven Golf Course is one of the oldest public courses in Charlotte and it has remained one of the most popular. The course has a classic design with tight fairways lined with trees and small greens that are fast and sloped. It measures in at just over 6,700 yards from the back tees but it plays much longer thanks to the varied terrain. The layout is a challenging test that demands accuracy.
    Eagle Chase Golf Club is tucked away in the rolling hills of northern Union County, surrounded by nothing but acres of countryside and farmland. The secluded locale is ideal for golf, especially since it is conveniently situated less than an hour from Charlotte.