[rjsimper]

Anyone played here?  I've heard from a couple of sources that this is one of the better public-access courses in the Raleigh/Durham area.  True? Not?

What else is worth looking at besides Duke and UNC Finley?

I heard the Preserve at Jordan Lake is....not good, and the Neuse is about the same.

[Cory Lewis]

Chapel Ridge is one of the better publics in the Raleigh area, I played it and Jordan Lake on the same day.  Chapel Ridge has more interesting holes and moves better with the elevation changes.  The Neuse is a little better than Jordan Lake which is better than Lochmere.  Duke is the best choice in the area and Chapel Ridge/UNC Finley are close behind. 

[hhuffines]

Cory is giving you good advice and there are a few others near Raleigh depending on the side of town:

Mill Creek in Mebane
Keith Hills is south of town 30 minutes or so
The Challenge is west of RTP
RGA-Raleigh Golf Assoc.
River Ridge
Pine Hollow
The Crossings

[A.G._Crockett]

I haven't played Chapel Ridge yet; that's on my agenda for a trip up there in April. 

But I would disagree about The Preserve at Jordan Lake.  That is NOT a bad course.  It isn't a great piece of ground, but it is an interesting challenging golf course.  The routing is excellent, given the terrain, and the course is very walkable.  I thought that, if anything, the greens were a little less receptive to a good shot than was desirable, but I played it last spring when the drought was already in full swing.

I would give Finley a slight nod over Duke, but not by a significant amount.  Holes 14-17 at Finley is an excellent stretch, better than anything at Duke and worth seeing.  Finley, however, also has more mediocre holes than Duke.

[rjsimper]

I heard from a couple sources that the Preserve, due to environmental restrictions, has a lot of interrupted fairways, forced layups etc.

As an aside, anyone have a recommendation for the best grass range/practice facility in the triangle area?  Have to scour the rust off the game.

[David_Madison]

The Preserve does have a number of holes where there's no need for a lay-up for a stronger player but average to weaker players get stuck with 120 - 140 yard or more shots. The par-5's share the same undesirable trait of leaving downhill lies on second shots after good drives. There are some picturesque and interesting holes and the routing isn't half bad. The conditioning when I've played it over the past couple of years has been all that great either.

Chapel Ridge is okay, especially for an inexpensive public course. Big greens and complexes, with a few that are very challenging and almost over the top, especially when the greens get fast and firm.

I'll take Duke over Finley any time. Far more interesting greens and green complexes, better use of hazards, more risk/reward opportunities. Finley does have a solid closing stretch, but Duke is far stronger through the entire round and it's a lot prettier course. And I'm a UNC-Chapel Hill grad, so this comparison pains me greatly.

[Sean_A]

Duke doesn't do it for me.  So many of the holes are forced /awkward and greens surrounds often don't make sense with the surrounding land.  I wouldn't mind seeing the place again for $25, but it costs a lot more than that.  I realize I am a bit out of touch with what makes the charts, but how anybody could see this better than a couse like Southern Pines is well beyond my powers of reasoning, but obviously most people do think Duke is one of the better courses in NC - very strange. 

Ciao

[A.G._Crockett]

Duke doesn't do it for me.  So many of the holes are forced /awkward and greens surrounds often don't make sense with the surrounding land.  I wouldn't mind seeing the place again for $25, but it costs a lot more than that.  I realize I am a bit out of touch with what makes the charts, but how anybody could see this better than a couse like Southern Pines is well beyond my powers of reasoning, but obviously most people do think Duke is one of the better courses in NC - very strange. 

Ciao

Sean,
If you aren't fond of Duke now, you should have seen it before Rees Jones redid it.  Just wretched.  And years ago, before the university decided to maintain it, NOBODY would play it.  I grew up in Durham, and it still grinds me to see what they charge. 
I agree with you that in no way is Duke one of the top courses in the state.  UNC isn't either, for that matter, but as a university course, it is nice enough.

David Madison,
I, too, am a UNC grad ('74), and it took me a long, long time to warm to the new Finley.  But over the years, I have.  I still don't love the place like I did the old version, and I never will,  but it is a solid course with one stretch of outstanding holes.  I think it should be much, much better for $8m that Fazio charged, but that's another story.

[Sean_A]

Duke doesn't do it for me.  So many of the holes are forced /awkward and greens surrounds often don't make sense with the surrounding land.  I wouldn't mind seeing the place again for $25, but it costs a lot more than that.  I realize I am a bit out of touch with what makes the charts, but how anybody could see this better than a couse like Southern Pines is well beyond my powers of reasoning, but obviously most people do think Duke is one of the better courses in NC - very strange. 

Ciao

Sean,
If you aren't fond of Duke now, you should have seen it before Rees Jones redid it.  Just wretched.  And years ago, before the university decided to maintain it, NOBODY would play it.  I grew up in Durham, and it still grinds me to see what they charge. 
I agree with you that in no way is Duke one of the top courses in the state.  UNC isn't either, for that matter, but as a university course, it is nice enough.

David Madison,
I, too, am a UNC grad ('74), and it took me a long, long time to warm to the new Finley.  But over the years, I have.  I still don't love the place like I did the old version, and I never will,  but it is a solid course with one stretch of outstanding holes.  I think it should be much, much better for $8m that Fazio charged, but that's another story.

AG

When I was there change was afoot.  Some of the work had been completed and some was still ongoing.  Also, I must admit to seeing the course when it was a bit sloppy in terms of drainage - perhaps this was an issue being dealt with.  The one hole that I thought was very good was the 9th.

Ciao

[David_Madison]

Sean and A.G.:

I was comparing Duke and Finley, not Southern Pines. Neither really does it for me. I agree that some of Duke's greens complexes aren't the world's most natural and don't fit into their surrounds, but at least they provide some interesting challenges. Finley puts me to sleep, a big waste of $8 million or whatever it took to redo it. It's a course now designed for the college game - - long and wide, with big flat greens designed to roll very fast. I much preferred the quirkiness of the original. If you are looking for the best course in the Triangle, it might be Hope Valley. I'm at Governors Club, and it's been coming along very nicely as well. But both HV and GC are private, so they don't count in context with this thread.

[rjsimper]

Thanks for sticking to the topic, David  

I've played Duke and heard that Finley was in the same class and depends who you ask as far as which is better - I know there is better golf to be found if one wants to drive 75 minutes to the Pinehurst area....but this "one" doesn't want to always do that!

I, too, have heard great things about Hope Valley and it looks great when I've driven by, but realistically, Duke and UNC, despite their respective shortcomings (of which there are likely plenty) are still two of the best public options around according to most.

Issue with them is for non-affiliated Joe Schmoe's it's actually quite pricey given the local market (80 bucks at Finley on a weekend)

Chapel Ridge seems like the best option given that it's just a little drive and much more affordable than those two.

David - on a Pinehurst trip several years ago, I was able to play Governors Club and we played the original 18.  At the time they had, I think, just opened the third nine.  Is it still 27 holes or was that third nine a precursor to a second 18?

[David_Madison]

Ryan:

The lower 18 at Governors Club is still the primary course, but we incorporate the Mountain Nine into the rotation to spread the wear and tear around. There's no intent (or land) for adding another nine. Hope you enjoyed yourself when you played here, and if you want to tee it up again we can certainly do that.

[hhuffines]

I forgot to mention a couple other courses around here.  Devils Ridge
in southern Wake Co. and the Heritage up near Wake Forest.  DR may
have gone mostly private but I would think its open for limited outside
play.  Its similar to the Neuse but has some really good, fun holes.

A little off topic, but has anyone player MacGregor Downs since the redo?

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