Our Picks for The 10 Best Golf courses in North Carolina
1. Pinehurst Resort (No. 2)
Address: 1 Carolina Vista Dr, Pinehurst, NC 28374, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Public
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 138
Course Rating: 76.5
Total par (men’s tees): 70
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,588
Scorecard: Link
Pinehurst No. 2 is the most famous course at Pinehurst Resort, and first opened in 1907 which was designed by Donald Ross. It is considered to be Ross’ best work and he continued to perfect it until his death in 1948. Pinehurst No. 2 has consistently been ranked as one of the top courses in North Carolina and among the best in the United States.
2. Old Town Club
Address: 2875 Old Town Club Rd, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27106, Davidson County
Type of field: Links
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 140
Course Rating: 74.5
Total par (men’s tees): 70
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,038
Scorecard: Link
Old Town Club provides an atmosphere of elegance and hospitality for its members and their guests. Designed by famed architect Perry Maxwell and established in 1939, its main attraction for many of its members is the 18 hole golf course. The course was immediately heralded as one of the top ten courses in the USA.
3. Wade Hampton Golf Club
Address: 17 Whisper Fade Rd, Cashiers, NC 28717, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 136
Course Rating: 74.4
Total par (men’s tees): 72
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,154
Scorecard: Link
Wade Hampton Golf Club is considered by many to be an example of several design elements that have dominated course architecture throughout the years . Opened for play in 1987, Wade Hampton Golf Club was named after the Confederate cavalry leader, Gen. Wade Hampton III, who was also Governor of South Carolina and later US Senator during the 19th century.
4. Roaring Gap Golf Club
Address: 2663 Roaring Gap Drive, Roaring Gap, North Carolina 28668, Alleghany County
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 138
Course Rating: 75.7
Total par (men’s tees): 72
Total yardage (men’s tees): 6,455
Scorecard: Link
The club was formed in 1926 as a private mountain getaway for the summer months and indeed by its President Leonard Tufts, it was originally marketed as “the Pinehurst of the Mountains”. Designed by Donald Ross, this mountain top layout enjoys far reaching views from the fringe of the escarpment.
5. Charlotte Country Club
Address: 2465 Mecklenburg Ave, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205, Mecklenburg County
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 146
Course Rating: 75.9
Total par (men’s tees): 71
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,335
Scorecard: Link
Desgined by Donald Ross, he expanded its original nine-hole course in 1915, remodeled it while adding grass greens in 1925 and further tinkered with it in the 1940s. Robert Trent Jones Sr reworked the layout in the 1960s. The course has hosted the US Amateur in 1972, the US Senior Men’s Amateur in 2000, and the US Women’s Amateur in 2010.
6. Quail Hollow Club
Address: 3700 Gleneagles Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 139
Course Rating: 74.9
Total par (men’s tees): 72
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,144
Scorecard: Link
Founded by James J. Harris on April 13, 1959. The club hosted the Kemper Open on the PGA Tour from 1969 through 1979, and the senior tour’s PaineWebber Invitational from 1983 through 1989. Quail Hollow was designed by golf course architect George Cobb who designed several golf courses, primarily in the southeastern United States. Opened in 1961, it underwent a series of improvements, including modifications of several holes by Arnold Palmer in 1986.
7. Grandfather Golf & Country Club
Address: 2120 Highway 105 Linville, North Carolina (NC) 28646, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Private
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 136
Course Rating: 74.7
Total par (men’s tees): 72
Total yardage (men’s tees): 7,010
Scorecard: Link
Nestled in the heart of North Carolina’s majestic Blue Ridge Mountains in Linville, North Carolina. Designed by Ellis Maples and considered his architectural masterpiece, Grandfather Golf and Country Club offers a renowned Championship Golf Course that has been ranked by the North Carolina Golf Panel as the second best course in North Carolina after Pinehurst #2.
8. Tobacco Road Golf Club
Address: 442 Tobacco Road, Sanford, North Carolina (NC) 27332, USA
Type of field: Links
Course access: Public
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 150
Course Rating: 73.2
Total par (men’s tees): 71
Total yardage (men’s tees): 6,554
Scorecard: Link
Established in 1998, Tobacco Road is younger than many of the courses it has surpassed in its accumulation of accolades. Architect Mike Strantz who designed the course was a student of the Golden Age Architects. Known for his daring and unconventional style, Strantz loved to push the design boundaries and the nine solo projects that completed before his untimely death in 2005.
9. Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club
Address: 1010 Midland Road, Southern Pines, North Carolina (NC) 28387, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Public
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 127
Course Rating: 71.4
Total par (men’s tees): 72
Total yardage (men’s tees): 6,515
Scorecard: Link
A rarity among Donald Ross masterpieces, Mid Pines Golf Course remains exactly as the world renowned architect built it in 1921 and impeccably restored by Kyle Franz in 2013. The renovation was honored with GOLF Magazine’s Best U.S. Resort Renovation and Restoration of the Year. The course, often characterized as “pure Donald Ross,” was designed to fit perfectly into the natural landscape, as was Ross’s signature approach.
10. Dormie Club
Address: 5817 State Rd 1210, West End, NC 27376, USA
Type of field: Parkland
Course access: Public
Length of play: 18-hole course
Slope index: 138
Course Rating: 73.7
Total par (men’s tees): 71
Total yardage (men’s tees): 6,883
Scorecard: Link
Ranked by Golfweek as the #10 Best Private Course in North Carolina. In 2010 it ranked as #3 Golfweek’s Best New Course in 2010. Desgined by the Coore & Crenshaw design team, Dormie is the first Coore & Crenshaw course in the state. The golf course was finished in January of 2010 and opened for play Memorial Day Weekend.
