North Carolina Golf Destinations

  • 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.

    The 18-hole East at Country Club of Whispering Pines in Whispering Pines, North Carolina is a private golf course that opened in 1959. Designed by Ellis Maples, East at Country Club of Whispering Pines measures 7138 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 125 and a 73.
    The 18-hole West at Foxfire Resort & Country Club in Jackson Springs, North Carolina is a resort golf course that opened in 1969. Designed by Gene Hamm, West at Foxfire Resort & Country Club measures 6742 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 129 and a 72.
    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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

    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.
    Rock Barn Golf & Spa offers two championship courses, one designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and the other by Tom Jackson. The Jackson Course tumbles across picturesque valleys, offering both dramatic elevation changes and beautiful scenery.
    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.
  • 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 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.
    Carolina Shores Golf and Country Club features immaculate rolling fairways, large greens, narrow tree-lined fairways surrounded by huge trees, 10 natural crater lakes, and 96 sand bunkers. A real local favorite for all the regulars in the Brunswick County town of Calabash.
    The 9-hole South at Thistle Golf Club in Sunset Beach, North Carolina is a public golf course that opened in 2000. Designed by Tim Cate, South at Thistle Golf Club measures 3351 yards from the longest tees.
  • 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.

    Crooked Creek Golf Club offers a challenging, but playable championship course that is one of the area's best values. The layout features well designed par 3s that will require some thought and receptive, well manicured greens that are player friendly.
    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.
    Neuse Golf Club was ranked as one of the best public golf courses in North Carolina, second only to Pinehurst. The layout winds along the Neuse River across rolling hills that are dotted with rocky outcroppings. Towering, mature pines accent the landscape as well, especially along the fairways. Each hole provides a dramatically different challenge and unique scenery