Golfweek's best you can play in NC

[AppAlum]

[quote name='Tmiller72' timestamp='1431862397' post='11572820']
Linville is great!
[/quote]

Yes it is. I played it on May 1st and the temp was 41 with a damp, cold breeze. Enjoyed every minute of it!

[bermuda]

Scotch Hall Preserve in Merry Hill should be on any list like this. A Palmer design on the Albemarle Sound and hardly ever crowded to where a round take 5-6 hours.

Of the list, I've played Mid-Pines and Grove Park Inn. Of others mentioned, I've played Lonnie Poole and agree it's hard, but I didn't feel like I was ever faced with a shot I didn't have the ability to hit or that wasn't fair.

[Mgnelson88]

So I'm at Sunset Beach right now...where should I go play? TE, LC, or Cape Fear?

[bermuda]

The Ocean Plantation courses are much closer. Cape Fear is about an hour away.

By the way, I would also add River Landing in Wallace to the list. I've never played there but read a lot of good things about it, and if it hosts local qualifying for the US Open, it must be pretty good.

[sopel10]

Just played all big cats and Cape Fear.

Leopard - should stay on the list, just below Cape Fear or so. Good condition right now besides the greens not rolling well at all.

Tiger - they lost their greens. Enough said...

Cape Feat - always amazing, but with so many houses being built, it's only a touch higher on my list than Leopard. Both have a similar feel. Better condition than Leopard.

[mayboy09]

I see a lot of love for the Mid-Pines renovation. I played there once before the renovation and it was one of the worst courses I have ever played in the Pinehurst area. There was nothing special about it at all. It was no different than playing one of my local courses. I don't see what they could have done to make it that much better.

[PGood]

I know this is a five year old thread but with the current situation, I am reviving it. Here is the most recent list from GolfWeek. A few changes. Some courses that people mentioned are now on here(Sunset)

 

1. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst (No. 14 c)

2. Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst (No. 85 m)

3. Mid Pines, Southern Pines ©

4. Dormie Club, Pinehurst (m)

5. Pine Needles, Southern Pines ©

6. Linville GC, Linville ©

7. Tobacco Road, Sanford (m)

8. Pinehurst No. 8, Pinehurst (m)

9. Bald Head Island Club, Bald Head Island (m)

10. The Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville ©

11. Ocean Ridge (Leopard’s Chase), Sunset Beach (m)

12. Mount Mitchell GC, Burnsville (m)

13. Duke University GC, Durham ©

14. Southern Pines GC, Southern Pines ©

15. Cape Fear National GC, Wilmington (m)

 

(m): modern

©: classic

[QC Heel]

Thanks for sharing. In my mind, no WAY should Dormie be ahead of Linville and Pine Needles.

[ArtMBgolf]

Tigers Eye + Leopards Chase are nice designs, but I feel that the rating committee is remembering the better conditions of when they first opened.

Currently they are not maintained well enough to deserve to be on the list, but I don't know enough NC courses to say for sure.

 

Rivers Edge used to be on the list, but dropped due to conditions. It is coming back now.

[KShelton_pga]

Was going to post the same, and Linville should be higher than Mid Pines also.

[PGood]

I have never played Linville but have played both Dormie and Pine Needles. I would keep Dormie above PN. I could play that course every day.

I would replace Duke with Cutter Creek. For those that know this course, it is a fantastic layout. If it were near any decent sized metro area, it would double the greens fees.

[golf_addict73]

I can definitely agree that the Big Cats courses shouldn't be on the list anymore. River's Edge, once it's finished it's construction/renovations completely should be on the list. The one course I firmly believe should be on the list (and is better than Cape Fear, which is saying a lot because it's been my favorite course in the area for years), is Compass Pointe. What a gorgeous track and in wonderful condition. I know they're doing a few layout changes, so that may be keeping them off the list, but once their work is done, I'd find it hard to keep them off.

[driveandputtmachine]

I have played all but #6 and #12, Tiger's eye was removed, which it should have never been on the list, and Leopard's Chase should be maybe 15 at best and only the first few months after it opened. The land is nothing special, didn't move enough dirt and the conditions tend to be horrid. Cape Fear is better than both, and not by a little bit. Drive a bit farther south and play Tidewater before any of the OR courses.

I Prefer both Finley and Poole to Duke's course.

[ArtMBgolf]

Rivers Edge used to be on the NC list, but dropped off with conditions issues and is now improving. They may never make it groomed well enough to get back on.

 

Compass Point is nice, but might be too new and undiscovered to get on the list this soon. It may have too many houses on the front 9.

What kind of changes are they making already? I only played it once and didn't have any layout complaints.

 

DriveandputtMachine, Tidewater is great, but it's in SC.

[golf_addict73]

I completely agree about Compass Pointe being too new to be on the list. River's Edge is just disappointing because of the damage done by the last years nasty frost/freeze. Compass Pointe changed one of their par 5s to a par 4 (I think because of right-a-way issues with a road, and turned the following hole into a par 5. They moved a fairway bunker on one hole to the opposite side of the fairway to keep people aiming further right of the houses. I'm not sure if they have any other plans, but the hole reconstruction was the biggest change.

[ArtMBgolf]

Rivers Edge installed new greens a few years ago and is pretty good now. Being 45-60 minutes from MB, depending on lodging, I don't think RE gets enough package play to provide the best conditions. The owners seem more interested if profit than premium conditions.

 

Rivers Edge has a lot of great holes and good scenery. The conditions are good enough, unless a group is looking for and willing to pay for premium conditions, so some groups get disappointed with RE, when paying package rates. Those playing RE on Local/Passport rates are probably very happy with the deal.

[CDLgolf]

I just played Mt Mitchell, its a fun mountain course. Scenery is great and its a welcome break to go up there and get out of the heat for a little bit. Another fun mountain course is Olde Beau in Roaring gap NC. I don't know that it would make top 15 but I thought it was as nice as Mt Mitchell.