Charlotte Country Clubs

[Drwoods2017]

16 minutes ago, 5 O'Clock Charlie said:

 

I hear this a lot but I don't get it. I'm in Myers Park and within 35-45 minutes there are a number of good courses that are in good shape and have really good greens and are decent layouts. Do I want to play these the rest of my life? No, I want to join a club, but for now I am keeping an open mind and enjoying the golf the Charlotte area has to offer...

 

Eagle Chase

Warrior

Fort Mill

Springfield

Skybrook

Tradition (Probably the best greens on this list)

Highland Creek

Waterford

Moorseville

Monroe (Not great, but it is still Donald Ross for the front 9)

 

Other mentionables - 

Rocky River

StoneBridge

Red Bridge

 

 

Not a single course you mentioned is in Charlotte. If you have to drive 45 minutes outside of a city you aren’t in it anymore. That’s my point. 

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:10 PM, Drwoods2017 said:

There’s no good public golf in Charlotte in my opinion. Mooresville golf course is the best of the options.

 

I agree those courses are not "in Charlotte", but as you said, Moorseville is the best of the options, which I had in my list. So who's right?

Look, I get what you are saying and if we want to be literal, yea inside of the city of Charlotte there are not many good options.

 

I think you should inform all the entities that rank public courses in Charlotte and correct them, as all of them list courses that are not "in Charlotte".

 

Good day sir.

[JRSc]

On 4/18/2023 at 10:04 PM, 5 O'Clock Charlie said:

 

I agree those courses are not "in Charlotte", but as you said, Moorseville is the best of the options, which I had in my list. So who's right?

Look, I get what you are saying and if we want to be literal, yea inside of the city of Charlotte there are not many good options.

 

I think you should inform all the entities that rank public courses in Charlotte and correct them, as all of them list courses that are not "in Charlotte".

 

Good day sir.

I grew up in Charlotte and the land is just to valuable for public golf. Most of the public courses I remember as a kid are gone. 
Anything within a 30 min drive is still Charlotte to me.

I would add Chester GC and Lancaster GC to your list. Lancaster has a Ross front 9. Both are walkable, fun to play and usually in great shape. Chester just completed a bunker restoration. 

[bluehose]

10 hours ago, sven_britt said:

Has anyone in the Charlotte area played the country club of Salisbury? If so, what are your thoughts? Their non-resident rates are pretty appealing for only being 50 minutes away from town. 

It’s great-have played there several times now.  I’ve only played in the fall and winter so can’t say how the bentgrass greens do in peak summer but it has always been in great shape.  If I lived in that direction I would join immediately.  Range is really nice too.

[bluehose]

Just now, bluehose said:

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by bluehose
Double post

[spineshank]

17 hours ago, sven_britt said:

Has anyone in the Charlotte area played the country club of Salisbury? If so, what are your thoughts? Their non-resident rates are pretty appealing for only being 50 minutes away from town. 

 

Ive played it twice. Good layout. 

[Volgolfer]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:16 PM, sven_britt said:

Has anyone in the Charlotte area played the country club of Salisbury? If so, what are your thoughts? Their non-resident rates are pretty appealing for only being 50 minutes away from town. 

Yes, I was a member there for 12 years before moving away.  It is a Donald Ross hidden gem.  Ground keeping staff is top notch and the pro staff is excellent.  Would not hesitate to recommend you join, a no brainer at the non-res rate.....

[caniac6]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:16 PM, sven_britt said:

Has anyone in the Charlotte area played the country club of Salisbury? If so, what are your thoughts? Their non-resident rates are pretty appealing for only being 50 minutes away from town. 

A few holes on the back can be very wet at times. Besides that, a very fun course.

[solidgranite]

Hello all!  Been following this thread and am also looking to move from Chicago to the Carlotte area.  We have been on a waiting list here for over 2 years wihtout any movement yet.  With that said, the wife and I would like to move somewhere with more private opportunities to join a club.  My wife is a beginner so being able to play without another couple is important to her (she gets extremely nervous).  Second, just the flexibility to play whenever we want without having to find a tee time well in advance.  Third, some amenities like a pool and tennis would be great for the family.

 

What are the best options that have either no wait, or at least a year or less?  I was thinking about focusing on a golf community that offers membership if you buy a home.  i think we are flexible on dues and initiation, just want to have the best overall experience with the ability to move and play soon!  

 

Thanks in advance!

[ncgolfer1234]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:16 PM, sven_britt said:

Has anyone in the Charlotte area played the country club of Salisbury? If so, what are your thoughts? Their non-resident rates are pretty appealing for only being 50 minutes away from town. 

It's only 50 minutes away if there is no traffic.  Depending on what part of Charlotte you're in, it could easily be double that if you aren't close to 85 and there is any traffic.

[RC16]

I’m in South Charlotte and considering joining a club. I’m not far from Cedarwood, Raintree, Piper Glen, etc. I’ve played Raintree numerous times and am not impressed so I’ve already ruled that out. One of the recent posts had Piper Glen at 30k with no waitlist and Cedarwood at 25k with 2 years. Any reason why Piper Glen has no waitlist other than the apparent large price increase in the last two years? Anyone with their finger on the pulse of these clubs think that could go down/deals may be available? 

[PeteNC]

On 6/3/2023 at 11:46 AM, RC16 said:

I’m in South Charlotte and considering joining a club. I’m not far from Cedarwood, Raintree, Piper Glen, etc. I’ve played Raintree numerous times and am not impressed so I’ve already ruled that out. One of the recent posts had Piper Glen at 30k with no waitlist and Cedarwood at 25k with 2 years. Any reason why Piper Glen has no waitlist other than the apparent large price increase in the last two years? Anyone with their finger on the pulse of these clubs think that could go down/deals may be available? 

 

Piper Glen is Clubcorp/Invited so more for profit and typically low level quality/service though the course itself is in good shape overall.  They've done some sketchy things to members(especially <40 over the years)

 

  It's also more $$ than the courses you mention.

[NSMuni704]

Northstone CC or as we call it N$ Muni 

 

Tennis - New Facilities 

 

Pool - Tons of social members lurking around. (Feels dirty)

 

Driving Range- mostly hit off mats uphill. The range doesn’t have a sprinkler system and the grass is mostly horrendous. It’s probably the worst ranges at a private course in the Charlotte area.

 

Golf Course- The fairways are decent and wide, however there seems to be tons of standing water even when it doesn’t rain. The course superintendent’s nick name is “Hurricane” D. He doesn’t seem to care much about the quality of the course, he just does the bare minimum. Allegedly the course gives him a bonus based on the amount of money he doesn’t use. So there aren’t any nice flowers around the tee boxes, the pins hardly get changed on the weekends, and the bunkers are never raked. You will be hitting out of foot prints from every sand trap.  The rough and areas off of the fairway are a mix of different weeds and grasses, it looks like a bad municipal course on most days. Tons of overgrown weeds/trees leaking onto the cart paths and you have to duck and dive out of the way to get through. On 18 you cross a bridge and they have some ornamental grass that blocks the bridge, if you play with your spouse, or take a client out to golf, they get a face full of grass. On hole 13, the signature par three, they covered a sinkhole with closet door, I had to explain to my guests that this wasn’t normal, it was an embarrassment.

 

Greens - 3-4 years ago the greens were great. They are horrendous now. Tons of fungus rings and weeds growing out of the greens. At one point there were mushrooms on all the greens. This is very disappointing and sad to see. The greens roll about 4 on a stimpmeter on a good day. The cups are cut incorrectly and put back in rough shape, so you are always putting over a dead cup that interferes with your pace and direction. It' so bad, I am embarrassed to bring guests.

 

Pace of Play - normally you can get around in 4 hours. There are days that seem to take forever. The course is for profit, so 200+ rounds per day is average. With 600 golfing members; getting tee times or in any events can be challenging. Morning tee times are brutal to get, you have to camp out or call in, and there is usually only one pro answering the phone. Not a very efficient process. Most guys in  “cliques” get the times.

 

Golf Shop - The pros here don’t want to be here, with the exception of the newer pro.  The rest of them are not helpful in anyway.  The pros do the bare minimum and mostly hide in the back on the computer. If you ask them to grip a club or help book some tee times, they act like you are ruining their day. The service is awful and the bad attitudes are borderline offensive. For golf events or any tournaments, they all seem very annoyed that they have to be there or have to put any effort into the event. They definitely need some new pros here. The guys that have been here a while are disgruntled and need to move on.

 

Membership cost - There is a waitlist for new golfing members. Estimated 1 to 2 year wait as of August 2023. Costs to join are fair and you think it’s valuable since they do not have a huge down stroke. It runs about $5000 per year, you can split this into quarterly or monthly payments. You pay these dues every year, and they go up incrementally every year. There is no “locked-in” pricing. The golf membership is over 600 members, which is way too many. The club house is very basic, and the bar is very loud. I wouldn’t recommend bringing any family members for lunch on the weekends, they’ll hear an earful of foul language and guys drinking, carrying on. 

 

Overall this is a Walmart of country clubs, very corporate, no emphasis on service or quality, we are all just a billing number. Just cheap enough to keep you. If you want service and a "country club" feel, it’s just not here.

[spineshank]

23 hours ago, NSMuni704 said:

Northstone CC or as we call it N$ Muni 

 

Tennis - New Facilities 

 

Pool - Tons of social members lurking around. (Feels dirty)

 

Driving Range- mostly hit off mats uphill. The range doesn’t have a sprinkler system and the grass is mostly horrendous. It’s probably the worst ranges at a private course in the Charlotte area.

 

Golf Course- The fairways are decent and wide, however there seems to be tons of standing water even when it doesn’t rain. The course superintendent’s nick name is “Hurricane” D. He doesn’t seem to care much about the quality of the course, he just does the bare minimum. Allegedly the course gives him a bonus based on the amount of money he doesn’t use. So there aren’t any nice flowers around the tee boxes, the pins hardly get changed on the weekends, and the bunkers are never raked. You will be hitting out of foot prints from every sand trap.  The rough and areas off of the fairway are a mix of different weeds and grasses, it looks like a bad municipal course on most days. Tons of overgrown weeds/trees leaking onto the cart paths and you have to duck and dive out of the way to get through. On 18 you cross a bridge and they have some ornamental grass that blocks the bridge, if you play with your spouse, or take a client out to golf, they get a face full of grass. On hole 13, the signature par three, they covered a sinkhole with closet door, I had to explain to my guests that this wasn’t normal, it was an embarrassment.

 

Greens - 3-4 years ago the greens were great. They are horrendous now. Tons of fungus rings and weeds growing out of the greens. At one point there were mushrooms on all the greens. This is very disappointing and sad to see. The greens roll about 4 on a stimpmeter on a good day. The cups are cut incorrectly and put back in rough shape, so you are always putting over a dead cup that interferes with your pace and direction. It' so bad, I am embarrassed to bring guests.

 

Pace of Play - normally you can get around in 4 hours. There are days that seem to take forever. The course is for profit, so 200+ rounds per day is average. With 600 golfing members; getting tee times or in any events can be challenging. Morning tee times are brutal to get, you have to camp out or call in, and there is usually only one pro answering the phone. Not a very efficient process. Most guys in  “cliques” get the times.

 

Golf Shop - The pros here don’t want to be here, with the exception of the newer pro.  The rest of them are not helpful in anyway.  The pros do the bare minimum and mostly hide in the back on the computer. If you ask them to grip a club or help book some tee times, they act like you are ruining their day. The service is awful and the bad attitudes are borderline offensive. For golf events or any tournaments, they all seem very annoyed that they have to be there or have to put any effort into the event. They definitely need some new pros here. The guys that have been here a while are disgruntled and need to move on.

 

Membership cost - There is a waitlist for new golfing members. Estimated 1 to 2 year wait as of August 2023. Costs to join are fair and you think it’s valuable since they do not have a huge down stroke. It runs about $5000 per year, you can split this into quarterly or monthly payments. You pay these dues every year, and they go up incrementally every year. There is no “locked-in” pricing. The golf membership is over 600 members, which is way too many. The club house is very basic, and the bar is very loud. I wouldn’t recommend bringing any family members for lunch on the weekends, they’ll hear an earful of foul language and guys drinking, carrying on. 

 

Overall this is a Walmart of country clubs, very corporate, no emphasis on service or quality, we are all just a billing number. Just cheap enough to keep you. If you want service and a "country club" feel, it’s just not here.

 

Thats a shame. Ive never played but have been there a few times. 

[ishank1]

On 8/16/2023 at 10:04 AM, NSMuni704 said:

Northstone CC or as we call it N$ Muni 

 

Tennis - New Facilities 

 

Pool - Tons of social members lurking around. (Feels dirty)

 

Driving Range- mostly hit off mats uphill. The range doesn’t have a sprinkler system and the grass is mostly horrendous. It’s probably the worst ranges at a private course in the Charlotte area.

 

Golf Course- The fairways are decent and wide, however there seems to be tons of standing water even when it doesn’t rain. The course superintendent’s nick name is “Hurricane” D. He doesn’t seem to care much about the quality of the course, he just does the bare minimum. Allegedly the course gives him a bonus based on the amount of money he doesn’t use. So there aren’t any nice flowers around the tee boxes, the pins hardly get changed on the weekends, and the bunkers are never raked. You will be hitting out of foot prints from every sand trap.  The rough and areas off of the fairway are a mix of different weeds and grasses, it looks like a bad municipal course on most days. Tons of overgrown weeds/trees leaking onto the cart paths and you have to duck and dive out of the way to get through. On 18 you cross a bridge and they have some ornamental grass that blocks the bridge, if you play with your spouse, or take a client out to golf, they get a face full of grass. On hole 13, the signature par three, they covered a sinkhole with closet door, I had to explain to my guests that this wasn’t normal, it was an embarrassment.

 

Greens - 3-4 years ago the greens were great. They are horrendous now. Tons of fungus rings and weeds growing out of the greens. At one point there were mushrooms on all the greens. This is very disappointing and sad to see. The greens roll about 4 on a stimpmeter on a good day. The cups are cut incorrectly and put back in rough shape, so you are always putting over a dead cup that interferes with your pace and direction. It' so bad, I am embarrassed to bring guests.

 

Pace of Play - normally you can get around in 4 hours. There are days that seem to take forever. The course is for profit, so 200+ rounds per day is average. With 600 golfing members; getting tee times or in any events can be challenging. Morning tee times are brutal to get, you have to camp out or call in, and there is usually only one pro answering the phone. Not a very efficient process. Most guys in  “cliques” get the times.

 

Golf Shop - The pros here don’t want to be here, with the exception of the newer pro.  The rest of them are not helpful in anyway.  The pros do the bare minimum and mostly hide in the back on the computer. If you ask them to grip a club or help book some tee times, they act like you are ruining their day. The service is awful and the bad attitudes are borderline offensive. For golf events or any tournaments, they all seem very annoyed that they have to be there or have to put any effort into the event. They definitely need some new pros here. The guys that have been here a while are disgruntled and need to move on.

 

Membership cost - There is a waitlist for new golfing members. Estimated 1 to 2 year wait as of August 2023. Costs to join are fair and you think it’s valuable since they do not have a huge down stroke. It runs about $5000 per year, you can split this into quarterly or monthly payments. You pay these dues every year, and they go up incrementally every year. There is no “locked-in” pricing. The golf membership is over 600 members, which is way too many. The club house is very basic, and the bar is very loud. I wouldn’t recommend bringing any family members for lunch on the weekends, they’ll hear an earful of foul language and guys drinking, carrying on. 

 

Overall this is a Walmart of country clubs, very corporate, no emphasis on service or quality, we are all just a billing number. Just cheap enough to keep you. If you want service and a "country club" feel, it’s just not here.

Very sad to hear this.  I belonged to Northstone for a number of years until I moved further away in 2007.  Northstone was never an elite or upscale club, but it was a good place to belong and you could always count on very good conditions.  Back then there was no initiation fee or monthly minimum for dining, just the regular monthly dues (extra for a locker, club storage, etc.).  Now that there are waiting lists at just about every private club, what real incentive do some of the clubs have to enhance conditions, member services, etc., especially those clubs just in it for profit.  I believe Northstone used to be owned by ClubCorp (now Invited).  Not sure if that is still true.

[Lukedog]

One course that hasn’t been mentioned here is Cabarrus Country Club in Concord, NC.  I’m a member at this course and can get there from my house in Noda within 25-30 minutes depending on traffic.  I’ve been a member there for a few years.  Greens are in great shape, nice driving range, nice chip/pitch area, putting green, good course layout, decent food/restaurant, and nice pool and tennis courts.  I believe it’s only like $7-$8K initiation fee and dues are $600/month.

 

Considering the cost, it’s a great value, and good location- especially if you are in the center to north side of Charlotte.  I haven’t checked but I don’t think there is a wait.

[RoyCal]

In my opinion the best public in the Charlotte area is the Fort Mill Golf Club, owned by a private foundation and open to the public.  Front 9 is Ross, back nine Cobb.  The front nine is the better of the two.  Private prices continue to rise.  Rumor has it that the initiation fee at Carolina Golf Club, traditionally the least expensive of Charlotte's real privates, is going to $60K, but no official announcement yet.  They have a significant wait list as do the other prime privates.  Note that Carolina is known as a "golfers club," but that's only because it is only a golf club.  Any recreational golfer of any ability who respects the game and takes it seriously while enjoying himself or herself is more than welcome.

[spineshank]

On 12/7/2023 at 6:34 PM, RoyCal said:

In my opinion the best public in the Charlotte area is the Fort Mill Golf Club, owned by a private foundation and open to the public.  Front 9 is Ross, back nine Cobb.  The front nine is the better of the two.  Private prices continue to rise.  Rumor has it that the initiation fee at Carolina Golf Club, traditionally the least expensive of Charlotte's real privates, is going to $60K, but no official announcement yet.  They have a significant wait list as do the other prime privates.  Note that Carolina is known as a "golfers club," but that's only because it is only a golf club.  Any recreational golfer of any ability who respects the game and takes it seriously while enjoying himself or herself is more than welcome.

 

I like FM but #12 might be the worst hole in the area. 

[JRSc]

2 hours ago, spineshank said:

 

I like FM but #12 might be the worst hole in the area. 

Have you played it since they took down all the trees on the left? 
Better but still the worst hole on the course.

[Atwsc7]

17 hours ago, JRSc said:

Have you played it since they took down all the trees on the left? 
Better but still the worst hole on the course.

I was talking about the 12th hole at Fort Mill the other day. We were talking about the worst golf holes we've played. I really love Fort Mill, but I hate the 12th hole. The fairway is always like Mud because the fairway is in a trough. I think taking the trees out on the left at least would open it up more and let more sunlight in.

[CDLgolf]

12 hours ago, Atwsc7 said:

I was talking about the 12th hole at Fort Mill the other day. We were talking about the worst golf holes we've played. I really love Fort Mill, but I hate the 12th hole. The fairway is always like Mud because the fairway is in a trough. I think taking the trees out on the left at least would open it up more and let more sunlight in.

 

They took all the trees from the cart path to the fairway out. It helped a bit but I played there Monday and it's still a muddy mess. They need to run a French drain from the pond all the way up the middle of the fairway.

[Atwsc7]

12 hours ago, CDLgolf said:

 

They took all the trees from the cart path to the fairway out. It helped a bit but I played there Monday and it's still a muddy mess. They need to run a French drain from the pond all the way up the middle of the fairway.

Yea that's a good idea. Everything drains to the middle of the fairway. I think they could move the fairway a little further right and put some dirt out there to have it drain to the right of the cartpath.

 

[spineshank]

On 12/12/2023 at 3:37 PM, JRSc said:

Have you played it since they took down all the trees on the left? 
Better but still the worst hole on the course.

 

No. I had no idea they did that. I havent played there in over a year. 

[Dr. Bombay]

On 12/7/2023 at 6:34 PM, RoyCal said:

Rumor has it that the initiation fee at Carolina Golf Club, traditionally the least expensive of Charlotte's real privates, is going to $60K, but no official announcement yet.  

 

How about the dues?