Triad Area Public Courses?

[TheF5key]

Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point NC area

Looking for some recommendations please:

We have a small group that ventures to North Carolina every April for a golf vacation. We end up spending a few days in the Pinehurst area and that's the main focus of our trip. But...

We've found that the perfect one day drive from Michigan ends in Winston-Salem, so we always play at least one round in the Triad. We could easily do more. In fact, I'm thinking we'll probably try and play 36 this year (we might play Tot Hill Farm in Asheboro as the second half).

So far, we have played:

Tanglewood (Championship) outside W-S
Bryan Park (Champions) in Greensboro
Oak Hollow in High Point

All three have been great. Okay, Bryan Park was waterlogged when we played it in '08, but you can't blame the course for that.

I've started doing some internet research on courses to play but would love any suggestions you might have. We're all decent but not great players (7-14 hcp range in season) who are going to be rusty. Don't care about big name designers. Love courses that aren't really housing developments. Prefer not to spend more than $100 on a round and half that is better.

I guess we could always play a little later and drive down to the Triangle area (haven't played Finley, Duke or NCSU courses yet to name 3) if that's a better option.

Thanks in advance guys.

[OneBowTie]

If your looking to play courses on your drive back to Michigan.....you might consider playing ROCK BARN .....the Senior Tour plays there on the Jones course....pretty nice course....... you could be heading West on I 40 past Winston Salem and continue beyond Statesville....course is in Hickory-they have 2 courses there, so you could play each course or if you play early, do a replay on the Jones course.....then exit continue west on I40 toward TN and I75

NOTE.....better check and make sure that I40 is open in asheville- has been closed due to rock slide

Don't know which courses your playing in Pinehurst area.....there are so many great courses in that area that you could continue to play

on this board you will find many fans of a couple Mike Stranz courses.....Tobacco Road and Tot Hill Farm.....both target golf with blind shots and some gimmick greens....

[TheF5key]

Thanks for the suggestion, will have to check out Rock Barn.

Anyone have any thoughts on:

Lexington G.C.
Salem Glen
Oak Valley
Reynolds Park?

Not looking for Augusta, just a nice place to play.

[AltusBeliever]

You are in luck with your idea of paying less than $100 in the Triad. I would put the Triad up against most regions of the country for low cost, quality golf.
My suggestions-Grandover East-last yr was $50 or so
Meadowlands- used to be my favorite before houses but the houses do not interfere with your play. Conditioning is not what it used to be but very nice.
PineBrook CC- a private club that is really semiprivate. Ellis Maples design. Crazy fun greens. Not long. Front nine open, back nine hilly an tighter.
Bermuda Run CC (not the West course)-private but going thru a receivership so I bet you can get on if you call.
OakValley- very nice facility. Worth playing.
Depending on how you come down- try Cross Creek CC in Mt Airy- they will allow out of town play for about 50 bucks. Great track that is hard but fun. Also, Pilot Knob Park in Pilot Mountain. Short course but lots of fun and super there does a great job.
Reynolds Park is a fine operation but not the best course. The guys who lease it are old friends. Busy place midday.
Greensboro National is a fine course but sort of out of your way.
Call Forest Oaks (former home of GGO on PGA Tour) they are allowing non-member play for $45 including lunch I am told!
I am sure I am forgetting some but this will get you through.
I live in Triad so my info is up to date.

[TheF5key]

Thanks a lot for the information - I foresee several happy hours of googling in my future!

[jph4387]

AltusBeliever has it spot on. The triad is teaming with great public golf courses. Any of the tracks in his list would be a great stop.

[agadawg17171]

The courses at UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham are amazing. The Duke course has a better layout than UNC but the UNC is in better shape. Either on is a must play in the Triad Area.

[melo]

I live in winston so i just thought i would chime in, i have played everything that everyone has mentioned numerous times. I would rank them (regardless of cost) like this:

Duke
Bryan Park championship (just went through a complete renovation) and hosted the us public links this summer
UNC Finley
Rock Bark - Trent Jones Course
Tot hill farm
Tobacco Road
Tanglewood
Forest Oaks - if you can get on
Grandover - either course, though East is the better of the two
Rock Barn - Jackson Course
Jefferson landing - you need to stay in the lodge, but the course is awesome
Bermuda Run - either course
Oak Valley
Bryan Park Players
Stoney Creek
Oak Hollow

Personally I think Salem Glen and Meadowlands are dumps. Reynolds Park is a nice muni. Pinebrook is ok. The best deal in Winston is Winston lake and you can play most days for like $20 with cart

[avgjoe]

[quote name='agadawg1717' timestamp='1276146489' post='2500061']
The courses at UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham are amazing. The Duke course has a better layout than UNC but the UNC is in better shape. Either on is a must play in the Triad Area.
[/quote]



UNC and Duke are in the TRIANGLE (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), not Triad (Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point)... hard to believe Duke would be at the top of a list, let alone rank higher than a Sandhills course. Overpriced for the condition, even w/ the locals discount. the practice facility is one of the best around, however

[golfgoob]

Does anyone know what course this hole is on? It in the Greensboro area. Try this web site. http://www.golfholes.com/

[mk920]

I don't know about golf but make sure you check out the Lexington bbq.

[Tmiller72]

[quote name='golfgoob' timestamp='1285279721' post='2711143']
Does anyone know what course this hole is on? It in the Greensboro area. Try this web site. http://www.golfholes.com/
[/quote]


That's Graysburg Hills in Chuckey, TN. It's nowhere near Greensboro, 3.5-4 hours from Gboro.

[golfgoob]

Thanks tmiller. That pic is on the Greensboro section of golfholes.com

[Tmiller72]

No prob. If you are in Knoxville, Graysburg isn't too far from you. It's not a bad course.

[fore_life]

I really liked Graysburg, and that barn provided a little shelter when I played it in sideways rain haha

[shaggy24]

I live in Winston Salem, NC.

I am a .60 handicap FYI

Olde Homeplace is an easier course, but in the best shape of any course with a 70 mile radius. (greens aren't burnt and its $36.00)

Tot Hill Farm Asheboro is a great course, Strantz Design $60

Grandover East Course is good now that its about $65 to play it.

[danattherock]

Do yourself a favor and play Tot Hill Farm near Asheboro. One of my absolute favorite courses since first playing it last year. Amazing layout and half the cost it should be.

[url="http://www.tothillfarm.com/"]http://www.tothillfarm.com/[/url]


-Dan

[TheF5key]

Bump.

Going back to Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point in a couple weeks, need to find a course to play.

Went with Oak Valley last year on AltusBeliever's reccomendation -- thank you very much it was terrific. Have played (and liked) Tanglewood, Byran Park (Champions) and Oak Hollow.

I'll go back through the other recommendations in this thread, but if anyone has been out this spring and has a recommendation (pro or con) for any course I'd love to hear it. Thanks.

If nothing looks good we might mosey down to the triangle and play Lonnie Poole or UNC Finley or Duke. Maybe something like Chapel Ridge or the Preserve at Jordan Lake would work also. I know there are a lot of choices - which is part of why it's hard to choose.

[TheF5key]

Hmmm, thinking maybe Meadowlands (although Melo's negative review is making me question that) or Grandover. Grandover website is highly annoying.

Given worse than usual "spring" weather here this will almost certainly be the first round of the season. Yikes.

[Tmiller72]

You may want to call ahead, it's green punching time. The course I play at is in Elkin, NC and they punched last week.

[fore_life]

I'll be out in Johnson City in May for a week, looking forward to playing all the courses I missed last time, and The Ridges!

[Tmiller72]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1301584602' post='3105649']
I'll be out in Johnson City in May for a week, looking forward to playing all the courses I missed last time, and The Ridges!
[/quote]

The Ridges has been renamed The Blackthorn Club. Didn't know if you knew that. I play it every now and then, good course.

[fore_life]

Thanks T. Last year I played Graysburg Hills, Crockets Ridge, Redtail, and one other I forgot the name of, but all but Redtail were after/during heavy rainfall.

So this year I think I'll definately do crockets and graysburg again, and throw in warriors path, Blackthorn, river trace(?), and cattails.

[Tmiller72]

Those are pretty good courses. I live about 30 minutes from Redtail. Don't play Cattails in the rain, it's a swamp. I rode the ski lift with 2 pros from there a few weeks ago, they were laughing about how bad it can be in the rain.

[fore_life]

Have you played redtail lately? Any other courses you could suggest that are withing a an hour drive from Johnson City?

Also, I'll be in Ashville for a day looking at the Western Carolina Campus, anything good in that area you know of?

[Tmiller72]

I played Redtail last Oct, it was in pretty good shape. Still has some of those crazy holes though. They close for the winter and I'm not sure if they have opened back up. I don't know a lot of golf in the Asheville area other than there are some good courses. Asheville Muni is an affordable Donald Ross course. Use the search, there are several threads about golf in the Asheville area. When are you planning on playing?

[fore_life]

It won't be untill early May, I've got a 2 week window from when this semester end and summer school starts up, so that's when I'll be in town visiting my brother.

[avgjoe]

Courses around Boone typically open in April but RedTail was in pretty good shape last summer/fall. I guess they are still in bankruptcy or whatever but I assume they will open. Supposedly there is a course called Linville Preserve off ?221, I think someone bought an existing course and is fixing it up

[Tmiller72]

[quote name='avgjoe' timestamp='1301931825' post='3117122']
Courses around Boone typically open in April but RedTail was in pretty good shape last summer/fall. I guess they are still in bankruptcy or whatever but I assume they will open. Supposedly there is a course called Linville Preserve off ?221, I think someone bought an existing course and is fixing it up
[/quote]


Boone Golf Club is open today, but tomorrow it's gonna snow. That's April here. Linville Mountain Club and Preserve is the name. It used to be Blue Ridge Country Club. A good portion of the course and bridges were desroyed in a flood. Haven't played it since it reopened, but it looks pretty good when I drive by on my way to Asheville.

[chrislindy]

I have not been back in nearly 10 years, but played a lot of courses in that area as a college kid on spring break. From my memory, these were the better courses:

Tot Hill Farm - just a totally different golf experience
Olde Homeplace - Priced well and an interesting, rolling design from what I can remember
Oak Hollow - early Pete Dye design. I remember it being TIGHT with some pretty lakeside holes (then again, the tight may have been a reflection of my wild golf game back then)
Olde Beau - I can't remember how far this one is from Winston-Salem/High Point, but that was a FUN place to play. In the mountains with HUGE drops on some holes.

Played Oak Valley (fast fairways) and Tanglewood and liked those, too.

I liked Salem Glen and Meadowlands (1st eagle was there), but if conditions have deteriorated then maybe they shouldn't be in the discussion.

And from my list, I can tell you all were well-priced. As a 19/20-year-old with little money to spend, I don't remember feeling even remotely pinched for greens fees. These all had to be well under $50 back then, so they can't be worse than $65 now. Tot Hill would be the only one possibly above $50, really.