Charlotte, NC Golf News....

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Land is more valuable for development than golf in urban areas. Another story as a public  course closes....


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article198512794.html

[Matt MacIver]

I’ve driven past this course ~100x in 15 years but never stopped by,and don’t know anyone who has. It’s right off the interstate and clearly the land has a higher purpose. Doak’s first course, Carolina Golf Links, was also mentioned, it too was in a prime location and on a ground lease so it was very meant to be a permanent course. Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, so none of this is unexpected. 

[Jeff Schley]

City courses that aren't municipals are certainly easy finance questions to look at and make decisions.  I hope that muni's stand the test of time where they are as just like public parks, pools, etc., muni golf courses should be available in the community to children.  Not get on the bus, train, or drive yourself 20 miles out to the suburbs as your only outlet.  It's there now, let's try and preserve it. For the parks aren't self sustaining by charging admission, so looking at city golf courses owned by the city in a different way because they are scarce and a service to the community can be subsidized by the low greens fees for its residents.  Just like the Chicago project we are talking about, but a more simple level.  Kids and the community need recreation, preserve it.

[Jerry Kluger]

I played Mooresville Golf Club which is a municipal course that was recently renovated by Kris Spence.  The course had been closed for 2 years and completely redone and it is really good and a lot of fun.  Green fees are as low as $17. So there is some good public golf in the Charlotte area.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Quick question:


I am over in NC for some work at the end of September.


I finish up a game of golf in Winston-Salem at approx 1pm on Saturday 30th. And I have to get to Charlotte airport for about 2pm on Sunday 1st.


Therefore I have 25 hours to kill. Where is a nice place to stay, should I try and slot another round of golf in (if so, where)? Or is there something special I should see, somewhere special to eat?


Thanks,
Ally

[Edward Glidewell]

You could play at Tot Hill Farm if you want to see a Mike Strantz course; it's in Asheboro which is only about 45 minutes from Winston-Salem. It would probably take around an hour and a half (or longer depending on Charlotte traffic) to get from Tot Hill Farm to the Charlotte airport, though, so you'd either need to play a second round late Saturday afternoon or get off first thing Sunday morning.


It's closed right now for renovation but it should be open for play before you're there in late September. Otherwise you have a handful of public courses in the Greensboro/Winston area that are fine but not anything special to see -- the better options are all private clubs. There's also Pinehurst, but I think there'd be too much travel time to get a round in there. You could possibly fit one in late Saturday afternoon, but I don't think you could play there Sunday morning and still make it to the Charlotte airport on time.


The NC Zoo is in Asheboro and is one of the best zoos in the country if you have any interest in that -- it's massive, though, and with your time frame you'd probably only be able to see a fraction of what's there. Nothing else is coming to mind in the Greensboro/Winston area off the top of my head.


If you stay in Winston-Salem Saturday night, Ryan's is a fantastic restaurant. https://ryansrestaurant.com/

[Ally Mcintosh]

Thanks for that, Edward!


I didn’t know Tot Hill Farm was close by so if I am to tire myself out with 36 on Saturday, I’ll definitely check that out as the primary option.


However, I’m just as likely to be happy with the two rounds I already have sorted and just seek out a nice location to down tools for the afternoon and evening. Checking out Lake Norman neighbourhoods at the moment so any recommendations there would be great (or advice to go elsewhere)… Or may indeed stay put in Winston-Salem.


One final - albeit strange - question: What TV channels show the Ryder Cup and am I liable to be able to see it in a hotel? A Sunday morning lying in bed watching the singles also sounds quite attractive!

[Daryl David]

One final - albeit strange - question: What TV channels show the Ryder Cup and am I liable to be able to see it in a hotel? A Sunday morning lying in bed watching the singles also sounds quite attractive!

NBC will be telecasting the Sunday singles and the hotel will certainly have it. Broadcast times have yet to be announced.

[Matt MacIver]

Ally - Davidson is a small college town near Lake Norman and might be a nice place to wander and relax Saturday night, especially if you can book a reservation at Kindred. Irish Creek CG is private but a good one if you have time and access.


Unless you’re hyped to play another round that weekend most of the publics are only ok.  Top privates are solid but you’re coming in prime tournament / Fall season. You’re welcome to join me for a round at Providence CC in South CLT, a standard neighborhood family friendly place.


Hope you’re playing Old Town in W-S, it’s 10+ in my modest book. 

[David Cronan]

Ally - Davidson is a small college town near Lake Norman and might be a nice place to wander and relax Saturday night, especially if you can book a reservation at Kindred. Irish Creek CG is private but a good one if you have time and access.


Unless you’re hyped to play another round that weekend most of the publics are only ok.  Top privates are solid but you’re coming in prime tournament / Fall season. You’re welcome to join me for a round at Providence CC in South CLT, a standard neighborhood family friendly place.


Hope you’re playing Old Town in W-S, it’s 10+ in my modest book.

Ally,


I’ll second Matt’s recommendation for hanging out in Davidson. It’s the quintessential small, college town with some terrific dining choices, with the aforementioned Kindred at the top.


Other good dining choices are Flatiron Grill, Restaurant X, Brick House and Carrburritos, all walking distance from downtown.


Davidson Inn is located on the main drag and provided it’s not a football weekend at DC, you should have a good shot at getting a room.


I lived in downtown Davidson for 3-4 years and it is an idyllic village.


Have fun in NC and safe travels.

[Carl Johnson]

I played Mooresville Golf Club which is a municipal course that was recently renovated by Kris Spence.  The course had been closed for 2 years and completely redone and it is really good and a lot of fun.  Green fees are as low as $17. So there is some good public golf in the Charlotte area.

Coincidentally I played with a Mooresville resident (who belongs to a private club) yesterday and I asked if he'd played the public Mooresville Golf Club course.  He said he did once, right after it reopened, and liked it, and that it is now "packed all the time -- get a tee time a week in advance."  How true that is, literally, I do not know, but it speaks well of public golf.  For my money the Fort Mill Golf Club, also public, is the best public in the Charlotte area, which has generally mediocre public courses, in my opinion.  I'll leave exploration and food recommendations to others.

[A.G._Crockett]

Fort Mill and Mooresville have in common that they were each originally 9 hole Donald Ross designs that open in 1948, the year Ross died.  George Cobb did the other 9 holes at Fort Mill, which I’ve played, and it’s a good golf course all the way around.  I haven’t played Mooresville, but will next month when they host the NC Super Senior Championship.




Another course in the general area that’s pretty good and very much under the radar is Deer Brook in Shelby.  It’s about 40 miles from the Charlotte airport.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Thanks for all your advice, folks. I do think I will not play any further golf in those 25 hours. Davidson Inn and other accommodation in the village seems to be gone. Worth staying in Cornelius and then driving in to Davidson for dinner and a walk around?

[David Cronan]

Thanks for all your advice, folks. I do think I will not play any further golf in those 25 hours. Davidson Inn and other accommodation in the village seems to be gone. Worth staying in Cornelius and then driving in to Davidson for dinner and a walk around?

Ally,


Cornelius is only a 5-15 minute drive and there should be plenty of parking in downtown Davidson. If there’s a football game at Davidson College that evening, it’s a step back in time attending. Small, intimate stadium and the fans are the antithesis of fanatics.


And you never know who you’ll run into. One winter night a friend and I decided at the last minute to attend a basketball game at the college. As we were walking up to buy tickets, my friend had to leave as she was on call. So I went by myself. Got there a little after tip-off, took my seat and at the first timeout I introduced myself to the woman sitting next to me.


As a middle-aged guy coming off a divorce, “Julianne” immediately had my attention: smart, charming and, you know, kind of attractive. Her son was part of the Davidson College basketball team.


It wasn’t until halftime when a couple of people approached her for an autograph that I realized who she was. I continue to tell myself that we probably had a bright future ahead of us if she wasn’t always on location filming. Or if she wasn’t happily married. Or if I wasn’t quite so delusional. LOL

[Greg Hohman]

During a June 2016 visit, I played Fort Mill and would post pics if it were easier here. They would do the talking because, though enjoying FM (walking), the humidity became too much by about the fifth hole. I finished in a cart, but the experience is a blur.


My brother there, a recreational player who isn’t a GCA enthusiast, currently likes The Divide, a public in Matthews.