Moving to Durham- where to play/avoid

[drl1534]

As the title states, I’m moving to the Durham area this summer from PA. Curious of where the good golf is and also places to stay away from, as I’ve never played anywhere outside of Pinehurst when in NC. Probably can’t afford to join anywhere just yet, so mainly looking at public tracks. Would appreciate any help/info! 

[fairways4life]

--Your first place to look (IMO) is the Duke University course. Great track. I actually signed up for the CGA (Carolinas Golf Association) tournament there last night. Registration opened at 8:00. By 8:02 all 84 spots were filled and the wait list began to fill up. That's how well liked it is. Now, it isn't exactly cheap. So it may not be one to play all the time. 

 

--Finley (the UNC course) is not far away in Chapel Hill. Good course. And can be had for cheaper than Duke. 

 

--If you like old Donald Ross courses with a bit of charm, Hillandale is a fun track. 

 

--Falls Village used to be a decent track and then the condition of the course went completely downhill several years ago.  I don't know if the situation has changed since then? I haven't really heard. Maybe someone can provide an update on it. 

 

--Crossings Golf Club is okay. Some people seem to like it more than others. 

 

--There's a few others I haven't played. 

 

What part of PA?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by fairways4life

[JLaws_2929]

Lonnie Poole, the course at NC State is also a good option.

[NCLancer]

Do you know what part of town you'll be living in?  Traffic, while not really a concern for many, is getting worse and it all depends on how much time you have and the price you want to pay.  I think we have a few really nice courses (Duke, Finley, Lonnie Poole) and a few courses I'd rather stay away from but would play in a pinch (Falls Village, Crossings, Lake Winds). 

Welcome to the Triangle!   

[fairways4life]

9 hours ago, NCLancer said:

Do you know what part of town you'll be living in?  Traffic, while not really a concern for many, is getting worse and it all depends on how much time you have and the price you want to pay.  I think we have a few really nice courses (Duke, Finley, Lonnie Poole) and a few courses I'd rather stay away from but would play in a pinch (Falls Village, Crossings, Lake Winds). 

Welcome to the Triangle!   

 

That's why I didn't include lonnie poole or even something like wildwood greens in my previous post. Depending on where in Durham you're coming from, there are a lot of courses that can be a fairly easy drive or a nightmare. Even chapel ridge and the preserve can be a complete toss up in terms of a commute.

[Oh Hi Carl]

Hillandale has great character and really nice people.  Awesome food too.  Tremendous value. 

 

I played Finley for the first time last week and really enjoyed it.  

 

I'm a big fan of the Triangle area.  Enjoy it.   

[miss0033]

EDIT:  Sorry, I read it as you never played Pinehurst...  Then I re-read it and see that you have.  sorry.

 

I Still highly, HIGHLY recommend a visit to Tobacco Road if that hasn't been included in previous Pinehurst trip(s)

Edited May 11, 2022 by miss0033

[Mike_C]

I lived in Durham for several years until 2013 then moved to Texas.  I was a member at Croasdaile CC, but for courses open to the public, other than the college courses I liked the Preserve at Jordan Lake, Chapel Ridge too.  Hillandale was sort of fun old school, pretty cheap green fees also, but certainly not a "championship" type course.  

[shellback]

I have not been in the RDU area for a few years but I concur with Mike C's thoughts. Duke is great but expensive. Its also hilly. I don't care how fit you are if you walk you will be too tired to enjoy the last few holes. Finley is great also, and a relative bargain. But many patrons are students staff or faculty who are there to socialize not as avid golfers. You could experience a long round there. I enjoy the Preserve. Hilly and picturesque. Uncrowded the times I played there on weekday afternoons. I think that Preserve and Chapel Ridge are siblings both presently managed by the Arnold Palmer group. Hillandale OK as described above. I have not plated Lonnie Poole in Raleigh but some old friends enjoy it. 

[drl1534]

On 5/6/2022 at 8:47 AM, fairways4life said:

--Your first place to look (IMO) is the Duke University course. Great track. I actually signed up for the CGA (Carolinas Golf Association) tournament there last night. Registration opened at 8:00. By 8:02 all 84 spots were filled and the wait list began to fill up. That's how well liked it is. Now, it isn't exactly cheap. So it may not be one to play all the time. 

 

--Finley (the UNC course) is not far away in Chapel Hill. Good course. And can be had for cheaper than Duke. 

 

--If you like old Donald Ross courses with a bit of charm, Hillandale is a fun track. 

 

--Falls Village used to be a decent track and then the condition of the course went completely downhill several years ago.  I don't know if the situation has changed since then? I haven't really heard. Maybe someone can provide an update on it. 

 

--Crossings Golf Club is okay. Some people seem to like it more than others. 

 

--There's a few others I haven't played. 

 

What part of PA?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appreciate the insight! 
 

Moving from the Scranton area

[drl1534]

On 5/6/2022 at 11:16 PM, NCLancer said:

Do you know what part of town you'll be living in?  Traffic, while not really a concern for many, is getting worse and it all depends on how much time you have and the price you want to pay.  I think we have a few really nice courses (Duke, Finley, Lonnie Poole) and a few courses I'd rather stay away from but would play in a pinch (Falls Village, Crossings, Lake Winds). 

Welcome to the Triangle!   

Will be in Mebane actually. Initially looked at Durham but the wife got a job in Burlington so we ended up getting a place in the middle

[drl1534]

On 5/11/2022 at 9:59 AM, miss0033 said:

EDIT:  Sorry, I read it as you never played Pinehurst...  Then I re-read it and see that you have.  sorry.

 

I Still highly, HIGHLY recommend a visit to Tobacco Road if that hasn't been included in previous Pinehurst trip(s)

TR is awesome. Played it on two separate occasions and I’m playing on heading down to that area as often as I can. Would be a shame not to make visits to TR and pinehurst with how close it is

[Mike_C]

1 hour ago, drl1534 said:

Will be in Mebane actually. Initially looked at Durham but the wife got a job in Burlington so we ended up getting a place in the middle

Mebane?  Then Mill Creek, I also really liked it.

https://www.golfmillcreek.com/

 

[caniac6]

2 minutes ago, Mike_C said:

Mebane?  Then Mill Creek, I also really liked it.

https://www.golfmillcreek.com/

 

Mill Creek is good. I haven’t played The Challenge in Graham in a long time, but that was a fun course, too. 

[GolfLiker]

19 hours ago, caniac6 said:

Mill Creek is good. I haven’t played The Challenge in Graham in a long time, but that was a fun course, too. 

Played the challenge a few weeks ago and it is great shape. Also really like Stoney Creek

[caniac6]

9 minutes ago, GolfLiker said:

Played the challenge a few weeks ago and it is great shape. Also really like Stoney Creek

I was going to mention Stoney Creek, but I wasn’t sure if it was close enough to Mebane.

[bill.ig]

Distance from Mebane with course quality considered

Mill Creek

Duke

Stoney Creek

The Challenge

 

North of Mebane is Quaker Creek, country course but $30 on weekend.

 

Longer drive to Bryan Park, north of Greensboro, two quality courses.

[NCLancer]

Welcome to the Triad!

I enjoy The Challenge as it has a strong variety of holes and the greens have been in good shape since their transition to Bermuda. 

The Valley (Burlington's muni) is also fun but not at all fancy. 

Quaker Creek can be a little rough as the summer goes on.

The heat/humidity is tough to get used to but golf in Dec and Jan is a bonus! 

[drl1534]

Thank you for all the recommendations. Move in date is Fourth of July weekend so I’ll be trying to get to a few of these spots that week. If anyone has anything else to add it’s all appreciated!

[caniac6]

If you are looking for private, Alamance Country Club , in Burlington, is really good. It’s a Donald Ross course from 1946, and just went through a renovation to restore a lot of the Ross characteristics. My old boss has been the superintendent there for over 25 years, so I can say without reservation, it’s in good shape.

[Tanner25]

Need to give a shout out to The Crossings in Durham. Played yesterday. The staff went out of their way to be friendly and efficient. As a high capper, I played the white tees. It played too short at times. But, made the course more playable. It is very challenging with a lot of water and junk you need to clear. The conditioning was quite good. If you play the right tees, it is a decent choice. They have a "hybrid course" where it is a mix of blue and white tees. I like that concept.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Tanner25

[drl1534]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:15 PM, bill.ig said:

Distance from Mebane with course quality considered

Mill Creek

Duke

Stoney Creek

The Challenge

 

North of Mebane is Quaker Creek, country course but $30 on weekend.

 

Longer drive to Bryan Park, north of Greensboro, two quality courses.

Heard good things from Bryan Park from a buddy of mine who has played some pretty nice places. Looking forward to a trip out there at some point. Appreciate the insight for the Mebane area places as well!

[Tanner25]

On a side note, there's supposed to be a Cleveland Demo day this Friday at Randy's Golf Center in Haw River. I always call to confirm that the sales rep shows up. July 1st, 2-6 pm. Could be a fun day if you are in town early. 

 

https://www.clevelandgolf.com/us/event-days.html

Edited June 29, 2022 by Tanner25