Duke, UNC, NC State

I might be in the Raleigh-Durham area the last week of February or the first week or March. I am curious to hear from those of you with experience what the expected course conditions would look like at the college courses in the area. I've played once in the Pinehurst area around the same time of year, but don't know how much the conditions vary based on maintenance spending and the types of grass. If you have other course suggestions in the area I am open to those as well. Any input is greatly appreciated!

it could be a mess depending on how much rain we have had. The winter really is the rainy season here, and the courses in the Raleigh area don't drain as well as the courses in pinehurst. The grass will still be dormant too, so I wouldn't expect excellent conditions

That’s probably the worst possible time to play any courses in this area. The rain usually washes out the fairways by the beginning of February and they usually don’t start coming back in until April.

Thanks for the feedback. Is the drainage and overall conditions significantly better if I head an hour or so southwest towards Sanford and the Pinehurst area?

Pinehurst would be better than Tobacco Road. Although if you’ve never played Tobacco Road it’s worth playing. The call the pinehurst area the Sandhills for a reason. Sanford is sandy, but not as sandy as pinehurst and southern pines. Raleigh is all clay.

UNC Finley still plays fine that time of year in fact I play it a lot un February.

Like the other guys said, it really just depends on how much rain we have had. Temps can vary by a lot, you could find a 70F day, or 30. Finley, Duke, and Lonnie Poole are all pretty well maintained, but there's only so much they can do if the grass is dormant. IIRC Finely and Lonnie have Bent greens, so good in winter, Duke has Bermuda so if it gets too cold they have to cover them.

Has anyone played any of these three courses recently? If so, what were the conditions like?

Looks like some cold weather is coming in this week. If the lows are in 20s and the highs in the 40s, will the courses be open and playable? I don't know if courses in NC ever get shut down or have significant delays due to freezing conditions or frost.

With lows in the 20s this Thurs-Sat nights there will likely be frost delays until probably mid-morning, I'd think 9:30-10ish before they get anyone out. That's just a guess though, going off trends this winter from my home course in nearby Greensboro. If my previous comment about the grass types on their greens is correct, Finley and Lonnie don't have to cover the greens when the temps dip into the 20s, Duke might. Best bet is to give the pro shops a call and get the scoop.

Unfortunately I can't comment on the current course conditions since I haven't been in while, but at least where I am in the Greensboro area we've had enough rain to keep it cart path only for the past month. Just as it starts to dry out we get more rain. Lonnie, Finley, and Duke are all pretty top notch facilities though so they'll definitely be playable this weekend. Saturday may be a bit chilly, but looking like sun from Thursday through the weekend.