Raleigh NC area Golf Course Recommendations

[Mark S]

Hello all, and especially to those in the suburban Raleigh, NC area!  My family and I are planning a move to that area this year, and I was wondering if there are any courses that you would strongly recommend.  To date, I have played The Neuse, the course at NC State (LOVED IT), River Ridge....and MANY forays into the Sandhills/Pinehurst area.  All recommendations are welcome - thanks in advance!

[PeteNC]

To Play or Join?  Where in the area are you looking to move? 

[PGood]

Finley(UNC), Umstead Pines, Eagle Ridge are all fun ones to play

Edited February 16, 2021 by PGood

[Mark S]

1 hour ago, PeteNC said:

To Play or Join?  Where in the area are you looking to move? 

Not sure yet if I'll join anywhere, so just looking at nice courses that I can play.  Eventually, if I find something I really like I'd consider joining if it was the right fit.  We are looking at Cary, Apex, Holly Springs.

[Poser]

chapel ridge, finley, duke, and heritage are great courses in the area open to public play.  If you can take a trip check out cutter creek it's one of the hidden gems in NC

[PGood]

16 hours ago, Poser said:

chapel ridge, finley, duke, and heritage are great courses in the area open to public play.  If you can take a trip check out cutter creek it's one of the hidden gems in NC

Yeah, Cutter Creek is one of my favorites. In my opinion, if it were in the Triangle, it would be in the top 3 courses. I just hate that its 90 min away. 

[Golfrnut]

4 minutes ago, PGood said:

Yeah, Cutter Creek is one of my favorites. In my opinion, if it were in the Triangle, it would be in the top 3 courses. I just hate that its 90 min away. 

 

90 minutes?  From Raleigh?  Or the west side of Raleigh?

 

30 minutes from my area, and I feel like I'm one of the few that's just 'meh' on it.  Lol  🙂   For whatever reason, it just doesn't suite my eye and I don't know why.  Greens and fairways are top notch though.  Been caught in a few mid spring downpours there and 30 minutes later you wouldn't know it....that drainage system is something else...or at least it used to be.

 

Lonnie Poole (NC state) got beat up this year the last time I was up there.  Not sure if it was the influx of golfers this year with COVID or what, but the greens were just peppered with ball marks and bare spots.  I love bent grass and was pretty disappointed.  Wanna say that was the early part of Sep.

 

OP,

 

Would agree with the others here.  The Neuse is good for all the times I've been up there.  Not long, but lots of elevation changes.  You have Tobacco Road (which I still have yet to play but the road system makes it a 2 hr drive for me) just to the south.  Heard good things about Eagle Ridge.  There's also a lit Par 3 down the road from Lonnie Poole so you can mix and match a day of golf if you want to...or add the 'Drive Shack' in there too.

 

Wouldn't say the area is 'lacking' by any means.

[PGood]

1 hour ago, Golfrnut said:

 

90 minutes?  From Raleigh?  Or the west side of Raleigh?

Yep, 90 min from Wake Forest.

[Golfrnut]

Just now, PGood said:

Yep, 90 min from Wake Forest.

 

 

Wow...  And now that I think about that again, I guess you are in the same boat I am traveling to TR, no VFR direct route so you have to run to Greenville, then south.  When I thought about that initially, I was thinking about Ironwood for some reason, which is Greenville.

[PGood]

21 hours ago, Mark S said:

Not sure yet if I'll join anywhere, so just looking at nice courses that I can play.  Eventually, if I find something I really like I'd consider joining if it was the right fit.  We are looking at Cary, Apex, Holly Springs.

Don't waste your money playing Lochmere. See if you can get on at 12 Oaks in Holly Springs. Nicklaus signature course. It's private but not too costly from what I recall. Hard as hell but still fun

[ewe8523]

Southern Wake County isn’t far from Keith Hills either which is very underrated in my opinion given the price. 

[Mark S]

6 hours ago, Golfrnut said:

 

90 minutes?  From Raleigh?  Or the west side of Raleigh?

 

30 minutes from my area, and I feel like I'm one of the few that's just 'meh' on it.  Lol  🙂   For whatever reason, it just doesn't suite my eye and I don't know why.  Greens and fairways are top notch though.  Been caught in a few mid spring downpours there and 30 minutes later you wouldn't know it....that drainage system is something else...or at least it used to be.

 

Lonnie Poole (NC state) got beat up this year the last time I was up there.  Not sure if it was the influx of golfers this year with COVID or what, but the greens were just peppered with ball marks and bare spots.  I love bent grass and was pretty disappointed.  Wanna say that was the early part of Sep.

 

OP,

 

Would agree with the others here.  The Neuse is good for all the times I've been up there.  Not long, but lots of elevation changes.  You have Tobacco Road (which I still have yet to play but the road system makes it a 2 hr drive for me) just to the south.  Heard good things about Eagle Ridge.  There's also a lit Par 3 down the road from Lonnie Poole so you can mix and match a day of golf if you want to...or add the 'Drive Shack' in there too.

 

Wouldn't say the area is 'lacking' by any means.

I have played Tobacco Rd quite a few times....its unlike any course I've ever played.  So much fun - you gotta do it!!

[Golfrnut]

1 minute ago, Mark S said:

I have played Tobacco Rd quite a few times....its unlike any course I've ever played.  So much fun - you gotta do it!!

 

Yeah, I agree, it just agitates me I have to drive twice as far as the crow flies to get there as no one decided to put highway between my area and that one.  So it's an hour + north just to turn around and go south again to get there.  I choose to use it as an excuse  🙂