College football teams are often known by their stadiums, basketball teams by their arenas.
In golf, the course is the playing field and facility. Having a great course with modern practice facilities is a major asset in recruiting as well as a great way to provide another opportunity for alumni and boosters to stay connected and take pride in the university.
There’s an arms race among the best college golf programs. In North Carolina, the four ACC teams have facilities that rank with the best in the nation. The latest improvements came at UNC’s Finley Golf Club, reopened last fall after $13.5 million in improvements for a new training area for the UNC men’s and women’s golf teams as well as renovation of the clubhouse and extensive changes to the golf course, supervised by alum Davis Love III.
UNC’s conference rivals at Duke and N.C. State also have premier facilities. Duke has a classic Robert Trent Jones design with a pro shop in the luxury Washington Duke Inn and separate practice facilities for the golf teams. State has a modern Arnold Palmer design on its Centennial Campus with separate practice areas for the golf teams.
How good are each school’s course and facilities?
Many sources contacted by Triad Golf consider them the Triangle’s top three courses accessible to the public. That’s high praise, considering the market now has a population of almost 2.4 million in one of the nation’s most enthusiastic golf states.
For this issue of Triad Golf, we visited the Triangle’s three college courses. Each had a distinct atmosphere and style.
Each design was created by a name-brand architect and maintained in pristine condition. Each course has food and drink options and nearby accommodations.
Duke’s traditional layout, recently ranked No. 17 in a Golf Digest list of college courses, winds through trees in a secluded spot on the edge of the Durham campus. Draped by the Washington Duke Inn, Duke Golf Club has a traditional country club feel, with fast, elevated greens and dense, penalizing rough.
N.C. State is a modern course with broad shoulders, made to accommodate today’s big hitters. Located only a few minutes from downtown Raleigh, Lonnie Poole Golf Course is one of the toughest tee times to get in the region.
Finley fits somewhere between the others. Originally designed by George Cobb, the course was redesigned by Tom Fazio, arguably the gold standard for modern architecture in the late 1990s with a focus on serving students and the university community. But a new practice facility for the teams and a layout tough enough to challenge the top college golf teams necessitated the latest changes.
So, enjoy a look at the three ACC golf courses. Rates at the three courses are steep by Triad standards, and tee times can be difficult to book. But each is worth a visit when traveling to the Triangle.
— John Brasier
