Moving to Durham,NC!! Help me find a new home club!!

[Oilman83]

I will be moving to Durham,NC in November and need a club to belong to. I'm currently a member at a private club and I guess I would like the same atmosphere in Durham. Any information you can give me on golf clubs or country clubs would be greatly appreciated. My handicap is a +2 and my age is 29. Thanks

[bmellisen]

The only private one i am familiar with is treyburn cc. Never played it but did attend a wedding there. Looked very nice. Owned by mcconnel golf which owns a bunch of private clubs down in NC(one of which my father in law is a member) and everyone i have played has been very nice.

[portland]

in Durham, the private clubs are Old Chatham, Treyburn, Croasdaile. If you go to Chapel Hill, you have Governors Club. If you go to Cary, you have Prestonwood (54 holes and good deals for under 32 years old) and MacGegor. If you go to Raleigh, you have Brier Creek (border of RDU), Carolina Country Club, Raleigh Country Club. There are probably a few more I am forgetting but the above list is a good start.

My suggestion is to move down, figure out where you live, how far you want to travel to your club and then take some tours....

[TIEfighter77]

There is also TPC Wakefield (it is owned by the same group that owns Treyburn) but it is in Raleigh. Treyburn is a great layout. I worked there in high school back in 93-95 and played every Monday I could when it was closed. It is typical Fazio and I believe he did some redesign there months ago. I want to join as I live only 10 minutes away but it's just not in the cards right now. If you join, I will gladly be your guest :-)

[Oilman83]

[quote name='portland' timestamp='1343341950' post='5360570']
in Durham, the private clubs are Old Chatham, Treyburn, Croasdaile. If you go to Chapel Hill, you have Governors Club. If you go to Cary, you have Prestonwood (54 holes and good deals for under 32 years old) and MacGegor. If you go to Raleigh, you have Brier Creek (border of RDU), Carolina Country Club, Raleigh Country Club. There are probably a few more I am forgetting but the above list is a good start.

My suggestion is to move down, figure out where you live, how far you want to travel to your club and then take some tours....
[/quote]
Im looking in to Hope Valley C.C. right now. It looks really nice. Have you ever played there? Treyburn looks like its on the north side of Durham which will probably not be where we get a house. We are trending more towards the South Durham area.

[golfheaven69]

Check out Chapel Hill before settling on Durham.

[TexasAg]

If you're going to south Durham, take a look at Old Chatham. It may also be worth looking at some of the clubs in Cary like Prestonwood and Macgregor or Brier Creek in Raleigh depending on where you're working.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

Check out Chapel Hill before settling on Durham.
______________________________________

This!! Of course I'm not exactly partial

[portland]

[quote name='Oilman83' timestamp='1345203441' post='5487720']
[quote name='portland' timestamp='1343341950' post='5360570']
in Durham, the private clubs are Old Chatham, Treyburn, Croasdaile. If you go to Chapel Hill, you have Governors Club. If you go to Cary, you have Prestonwood (54 holes and good deals for under 32 years old) and MacGegor. If you go to Raleigh, you have Brier Creek (border of RDU), Carolina Country Club, Raleigh Country Club. There are probably a few more I am forgetting but the above list is a good start.

My suggestion is to move down, figure out where you live, how far you want to travel to your club and then take some tours....
[/quote]
Im looking in to Hope Valley C.C. right now. It looks really nice. Have you ever played there? Treyburn looks like its on the north side of Durham which will probably not be where we get a house. We are trending more towards the South Durham area.
[/quote]


Have not played HVCC, I hear its really nice. I play out at Prestonwood in Cary so I play most of my golf there.

As someone mentioned earlier, take a look at Old Chatham. Its in between Durham & Cary, lots of new neighborhoods in that area also. OC is currently putting in Champion Bermuda greens, I believe they are the first club in the Triangle to do this. Its a golf club only though, so if you are looking for more of a family Country Club feel, OC wont really be an option.

[roll - gybe]

HVCC has a wonderful course. Chapel Hill CC has some of the better players and is the most family friendly. Governors Club has 27 great holes but seems to be out of the way (like 10 min out of the way). Old Chatham is the most prestigious, but not the most family friendly.

Your proximity will vary even within south dur-ham

[roll - gybe]

HVCC has a wonderful course. Chapel Hill CC has some of the better players and is the most family friendly. Governors Club has 27 great holes but seems to be out of the way (like 10 min out of the way). Old Chatham is the most prestigious, but not the most family friendly.

Your proximity will vary even within south dur-ham

[roll - gybe]

The Cary and Raleigh options are farther away from south Durham than most people would prefer. HV also has championship Bermuda greens. At some point soon all the courses might.

These clubs are all nice, but they have slightly different demographics. You will figure it all out on your tours. I am close to your age and I went through this process recently. If you ever need more info pm me.

"oilman" you are entering the Prius capital of the east coast! Beware! Haha

[tobaccoroad]

Governors Club is the best course in the area. Treyburn is very nice and Hope Valley is good. It is a Donald Ross but not typical of his designs. Good luck getting into Old Chatham. You MUST be referred by a current member and they like to keep their membership small. It is all golf and dining- no tennis, swimming or family activities at all. Probably the best course in the area with Governors Club.

If you are on a budget, OC is out. Croasdaile would be worth looking at. Chapel Hill Country Club is solid but fairly easy. I just shot even par 72 there last Sunday in the rain....

I have lived in Chapel Hill all of my life (including 5 years in Durham). Definitely hit me up for any local knowledge. I have worked at a lot of these clubs and would recommend Governors Club over any of them.

[tobaccoroad]

[quote name='portland' timestamp='1345422433' post='5500274']
[quote name='Oilman83' timestamp='1345203441' post='5487720']
[quote name='portland' timestamp='1343341950' post='5360570']
in Durham, the private clubs are Old Chatham, Treyburn, Croasdaile. If you go to Chapel Hill, you have Governors Club. If you go to Cary, you have Prestonwood (54 holes and good deals for under 32 years old) and MacGegor. If you go to Raleigh, you have Brier Creek (border of RDU), Carolina Country Club, Raleigh Country Club. There are probably a few more I am forgetting but the above list is a good start.

My suggestion is to move down, figure out where you live, how far you want to travel to your club and then take some tours....
[/quote]
Im looking in to Hope Valley C.C. right now. It looks really nice. Have you ever played there? Treyburn looks like its on the north side of Durham which will probably not be where we get a house. We are trending more towards the South Durham area.
[/quote]


Have not played HVCC, I hear its really nice. I play out at Prestonwood in Cary so I play most of my golf there.

As someone mentioned earlier, take a look at Old Chatham. Its in between Durham & Cary, lots of new neighborhoods in that area also. OC is currently putting in Champion Bermuda greens, I believe they are the first club in the Triangle to do this. Its a golf club only though, so if you are looking for more of a family Country Club feel, OC wont really be an option.
[/quote]

Hope Valley was the first. OC opens on September 3rd...

[tobaccoroad]

[quote name='golfheaven69' timestamp='1345254204' post='5492332']
Check out Chapel Hill before settling on Durham.
[/quote]

+1000

My neighborhood is in North Chatham County but is a Chapel Hill address. Durham has some pretty shaky schools so the resale can be hard to come by. Chapel Hill homes generally do not stay on the market for long.

[jshel]

Hope Valley is a wonderful golf course. It's a nice Ross, but a little different in that some of it is routed through homes.

I lived in the Triangle for a while and have played most of the places listed. But as you probably know, where you live and work is certainly a factor in what works. There are plenty of good options.

[roll - gybe]

I would still say you have to go visit the handful of clubs. I dispute there is a "best" the clubs are all somewhat different. I am happy to play them all (except for the semi-private Preserve.)


CHCC is only easy if you can play 6800 yards and keep it in play all the time. Finely can be set up longer, but there is almost no OB there. HVCC requires length and has challenging greens. GC is very Nicklaus, but not especially hard - I shoot the lowest scores there.

I will repeat that membership demographics are very different at each club. In my view, that trumps the course.

[willywads]

I know Raleigh is a little bit of a drive but Carolina and Raleigh CC are amazing. Carolina is a little difficult to get into when I was up there (my uncle had a friend get turned away, money was no object) and I dont know about Raleigh and their membership process. Old Chatham has always been talked about as a great track and I Govenors club was overrated. Go play Lonnie Poole when you have a chance. One of the toughest tracks IMO, as far as memberships they didnt have "members" when I was there, that may change when they get the clubhouse built.

[Jbird33]

If you can handle going out to the east side of Durham - towards Wake Forest - Hasentree is there. Without name dropping it is the home of two touring pros. Nice track.

[tarheelrx]

Hi. +1000 on chapel hill.
For courses, what is your price range? Governors is great but honestly at your age, would not choose it. Most of the members there are retired and good luck trying to play through on the weekend mornings

Agree with all comments on Old Chatham and Hooe Valley. Prefer OC to hope valley as no houses at OC but both are great courses.

Unc Finley is an awesome public course, and can join as member for under 3k per tear...

[TIEfighter77]

Hasentree and Brier creek are owned by the same golf group (Toll Golf?) so there may be some reciprocal privileges. Hasentree is crazy expensive (we have a family member that lives there and is a member). I am hoping to go play there this fall.

[TIEfighter77]

Also, Duke Golf Club is getting ready to put Champion in. My PGA teacher works there and they have already done two practice greens at the bottom of the practice facilities. They are nice and will be much better than the bent greens there now.

[TrevorD13]

I am a member of Hasentree and I can say that it is a great course. Great staff and very family friendly. On sept 17th there is a charity golf tournament that anyone can play. Its called the Fight Like Paxton Charity Golf Tournament. Google it. Its only $150 to play which IMO is a steal to play this course for a non member. If you have any questions about the club feel free to let me know. I'd be glad to help.

[Oilman83]

Ok. I've got an update for everyone. It looks like we will be getting a place in the Hope Valley area. The clubs that I believe I'm must interested in is: HVCC, Croasdaile, and CHCC. The largest determining factor being proximity to my home. I was interested to hear that CHCC is easy! I do want a challenging course though where I'm not hitting driver/wedge every hole. Another thing I'm big on is service. Thanks for all the tips so far!!!

By the way my home course in LA has champion bermuda and the folks of NC will absolutely love them!!

[jshel]

Hope Valley would be a great choice, but Croaisdaile would be a fine choice as well. I never played Chapel Hill CC when I lived in RDU, but I don't think you can make a bad choice with the other two.

[RedDevil99]

We are looking to move from London ( where I am a member of Royal Blackheath GC) to the Triangle area ( my wife has family in the area ). I have been doing some research on country clubs in the Raleigh-Durham vicinity and came across this thread. We are looking at private schools ( Durham Academy or Cary Academy ) but leaving that aside, if one was to chose where to live, based on what country club is available and the syle of living in an area, where would people choose, Durham, Raleigh, Cary? My wife visited Prestonwood and liked it. We need the family friendly, so what I am getting from this thread is Prestonwood, Chapel Hill and Hope Valley but is Durham or Chapel Hill preferable to Cary or vice versa. I have no idea, but might visit this week to tour area. In that regard, would a country club let a prospective member play the course as part of a " tour " of the area?

[Oilman83]

[quote name='RedDevil99' timestamp='1349019370' post='5722889']
We are looking to move from London ( where I am a member of Royal Blackheath GC) to the Triangle area ( my wife has family in the area ). I have been doing some research on country clubs in the Raleigh-Durham vicinity and came across this thread. We are looking at private schools ( Durham Academy or Cary Academy ) but leaving that aside, if one was to chose where to live, based on what country club is available and the syle of living in an area, where would people choose, Durham, Raleigh, Cary? My wife visited Prestonwood and liked it. We need the family friendly, so what I am getting from this thread is Prestonwood, Chapel Hill and Hope Valley but is Durham or Chapel Hill preferable to Cary or vice versa. I have no idea, but might visit this week to tour area. In that regard, would a country club let a prospective member play the course as part of a " tour " of the area?
[/quote]
Ok well I will be coming up there next month to look for a home. I have spoken to to several membership directors in the area and they all said they can let you play the course. I'm aiming for the Hope Valley or Chapel Hill area so far but that could change once we visit.

[roll - gybe]

[quote name='RedDevil99' timestamp='1349019370' post='5722889']
We are looking to move from London ( where I am a member of Royal Blackheath GC) to the Triangle area ( my wife has family in the area ). I have been doing some research on country clubs in the Raleigh-Durham vicinity and came across this thread. We are looking at private schools ( Durham Academy or Cary Academy ) but leaving that aside, if one was to chose where to live, based on what country club is available and the syle of living in an area, where would people choose, Durham, Raleigh, Cary? My wife visited Prestonwood and liked it. We need the family friendly, so what I am getting from this thread is Prestonwood, Chapel Hill and Hope Valley but is Durham or Chapel Hill preferable to Cary or vice versa. I have no idea, but might visit this week to tour area. In that regard, would a country club let a prospective member play the course as part of a " tour " of the area?
[/quote]

Any club in the area would grant you a tour.

In all reality you have a lot of group to cover. Lots of good choices. CH also has some of the best public (private to you) schools in the nation

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='RedDevil99' timestamp='1349019370' post='5722889']
We are looking to move from London ( where I am a member of Royal Blackheath GC) to the Triangle area ( my wife has family in the area ). I have been doing some research on country clubs in the Raleigh-Durham vicinity and came across this thread. We are looking at private schools ( Durham Academy or Cary Academy ) but leaving that aside, if one was to chose where to live, based on what country club is available and the syle of living in an area, where would people choose, Durham, Raleigh, Cary? My wife visited Prestonwood and liked it. We need the family friendly, so what I am getting from this thread is Prestonwood, Chapel Hill and Hope Valley but is Durham or Chapel Hill preferable to Cary or vice versa. I have no idea, but might visit this week to tour area. In that regard, would a country club let a prospective member play the course as part of a " tour " of the area?
[/quote]
Living in Cary will give you better access to all the triangle has to offer. You are near Raleigh, which is the State Capital and has more "big city" activities than Chapel Hill or Durham. Yet living in Cary (depending on exactly where in Cary) will leave you 20 minutes from Chapel Hill or Durham should you join a club out that way.

But if you were to live in Chapel Hill (and I'm a Tar Heel) while it is very nice an quaint (college town), you will be over 30 minutes away from Raleigh and the "big city" things again.

Durham...well that shouldn't even be an option...and that's not just because I'm a Tar Heel.

[RedDevil99]

Thanks for the various replies. As I read them and continue research I come to realise that there are things in a golf club that I value which I had not thought about until the absence or existence of which at a particular club is drawn to my attention. So for example, I prefer to play a course which is not going up and down between houses or is a corporate style membership as they can tend to be overcrowded. When I was living in CT and again in London I was not used to to having to book tee times except perhaps only on a Saturday morning and never on week days. Does anything in the area come close in these respects? Old Chatham looks very nice but appears like it might be difficult to become a member if you do not know anyone and are new to the area. Also my near 10 year old has a real penchant for golf so being able to access good teaching and a stroll on a Sunday afternoon together in the years ahead would be preferable. I think we may end up working out that pure golf club combined with social membership at a country club would be best result but not sure how realistic that might be and how that works with a junior in tow.