By EDDIE HUFFMAN After summer heat that did a number on a lot of North Carolina golf courses, a couple of Alamance County courses, Indian Valley and Mill Creek, are looking to the future with brand new greens. “Like everybody else we were totally burnt,” said Derek Cobb, director of golf at Indian…
By David Droschak Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway wouldn’t be complete without paying homage to one of the truly great public golf courses in the state of North Carolina. Mount Mitchell Golf Club in Yancey County is just a five-minute drive from the National Scenic Byway, sitting in a “valley” at…
By STEVE HANF There was no debating the fact Stoney Creek Golf Club needed a facelift. The only arguments began after the $2.3-million course renovation – once membership returned following an eight-month hiatus. Kim Worrel, Stoney Creek’s general manager, recalled with a smile the heated debate one particular foursome had in the clubhouse after…
By David Droschak There’s something special about a son following in his father’s footsteps, or in the case of the Maples family its love affair with a special Virginia mountain retreat that now runs three generations deep. Dan Maples remembers vividly his first job after graduating from the University of Georgia in landscape architecture,…
Photo Credit UGSA/Fred Vuich By HOWARD WARD The Country Club of North Carolina’s Dogwood Course in Pinehurst is one of the most beautiful in the state. Designed by the late Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame architect Ellis Maples and opened in 1963, CCNC is annually ranked among the top half-dozen courses in North Carolina.…
It’s hard to imagine that there was anything missing at Primland. The 12,000-acre property atop Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains first found acclaim as a hunting preserve, then became a must-visit for golfers when the Donald Steel-designed Highlands Course opened to rave reviews. Golf Digest rated it the “Best New Public Course in America” ($75…
By CRAIG DISTL Most golfers like to occasionally venture away from their home course and tee it up on a different layout. If you’re among that group and due for a break from the routine, one course worthy of consideration is Cedarbrook Country Club near Elkin. Cedarbrook is a nice respite for…
By STEVE HANF WHITSETT – The creek beds are dry now, showing off the familiar stones that help give the golf course its name. More than anything over the past few years, though, Stoney Creek Golf Club has been best known for stonewalling its members and guests at almost every turn. “You either hated Stoney…
Even a course as revered and respected as Pinehurst No. 2 failed to escape the golfing excesses of the 1990s, when the universal theme was large expansive layouts with plenty of green grass. Well, that’s all about to change at the famed Donald Ross layout over the next 12 months as the architectural team…
It’s close by, but far away. It’s next to a mountain, yet still in the Piedmont. It’s named a park, although really a golf course. And the sign out front says it’s private, except for Monday through Friday, when the public is welcome. Pilot Knob Park, a mere 25 miles northwest of…