Roll Call: North Carolina

Community Center Roll Calls
5256

As stated, GSO is the only answer for great public golf, unbelievable options.

Lifestyle wise, and very biased on my side but Wilmington is the spot. Area is growing quickly and has so many options on things to do from the beaches, the river and downtown, plus other areas of town. Public golf has gone way downhill recently but Muni is unbelievable. 1-2 decent options for lower cost country clubs plus the 3-4 high class joints.

Have lived in GSO, Pinehurst, Fayetteville (again I will repeat dont go there), and Wilmingtonā€¦ all have their perks but for me Wilmywood checks all the boxes.

6 Likes
5257

Moved to Greensboro in summer 2019 and love all the public golf options in the area. Plus, city is super easy to get around, has a number of good parks, nice little minor league ballpark, and some solid restaurants. My wife and I are big fans. Plus, the golf season is six months longer than Chicagoā€™s. (I lived in Michigan for 3 years and know the difference haha.)

On the plus column for Wilmington, I was blown away by how good the Wilmington Muni is after playing there last summer.

4 Likes
5258

Friends,

In a few weeks, I will have a six-week sabbatical from work and I have smartly decided to spend one of them in the Pinehurst area (March 6-11). This will be my first time so Iā€™ve been in other threads figuring out where to play, eat, and drink. As of now, Iā€™ll be traveling solo and would like to throw out an invitation to join me at any of the following courses:

  • Mid-Pines
  • Pine Needles
  • Southern Pines
  • Tobacco Road
  • The Cradle

I havenā€™t booked anything yet but will probably do so this weekend. Unfortunately, I donā€™t have plans to play #2 or #4 since Iā€™m trying to avoid an expensive resort stay. Hit me up either here or in the DMs if youā€™re interested in playing!

3 Likes
5259

You canā€™t go wrong with that lineup. Lots of folks down this way who will try to join you Iā€™m sure. And lots more to help with your questions or to meet up even if they canā€™t make the golf.

3 Likes
5260

Thanks to all for the replies regarding NC. Great insight. I hate to stray from the golf, but NLU always provides good insight. Any golf nut is worth listening to.

Per some of the responsesā€¦ as a civil servant that is about to have his education loans forgiven, it seems to be the best time for a relocation. Chicagoland has been home for too long (Joliet for the last 11 years), and Illinois has soooo little to offer.

Iā€™m shocked North Carolina isnā€™t more sought after. Moderate climate, mountains on the west, ocean on the east, college towns everywhere you look and a seemingly endless array of solid golf. I understand that every locale will have issues, but nothing can be worse than Illinoisā€¦

I was also curious about the cost of a private club. Chicagoland is of course crazy expensive. And I assume the cost of a private club in Charlotte or any major locale in NC will cost the same huge downstroke and $10-40k annually. But the more research I do, it seems that there are clubs in less populated areas that provide solid golf for $2-5k per year? How sweet is that?

I will now go re-watch the Wilmington Muni episode of tourist sauce. It is my favorite season.

2 Likes
5261

For reference, Iā€™m just outside of Charlotte and my club is around a $3-$5K initiation depending on age, and then around $300-400 monthly depending on the same. Thereā€™s maybe 1 or 2 in the city limits that might be similar, but otherwise that initiation is going to be big, although the monthly may not be too far off. Within 30 minutes outside of city center you can find multiple around my similar price range, some even cheaper, just depends which area you live in. Iā€™m guessing this is similar around Raleigh. Never tried in the triad or Wilmington because of the public options.

2 Likes
5262

I will happily join in March 6 or 7 at any one of these places. Great lineup you have planned

5263

I live in High Point as well. Bryan Park In Greensboro is great. Oak Hollow is the local muni and pretty good. A lot of great courses within 30 minutes. The Cardinal is a course that went semi private a couple years ago. Great course. Its a Pete Dye that has a par three that Pete Dye says its the hardest par 3 heā€™s ever made.

3 Likes
5264

Canā€™t beat the course selection here. Best in the state I think. Great place to live too.

5265

5BBi

11 Likes
5266

I would second or third or fourth the recommendation of the Triad. Iā€™m from WS and have lived in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Burlington and now Iā€™m in Greensboro.

For me, the traffic and lack of public golf knocks Raleigh off the list. Durham is funky, which I kinda like, but public golf outside of a few meh courses is lacking. The Neech notwithstanding @Double_Bogey_Dave of course.

Chapel Hill stinks, unless youā€™re a tarheel.

Drive as fast as you can past Burlington. I would shout out Alamance CC though, donā€™t turn down an invitation to play that Donald Ross design.

Greensboro has about a dozen public golf courses, only a few of which are subpar. Bryan Park, Forest Oaks, Jamestown muni, Oak Hollow, and Holly Ridge are my personal favorites, all within 20 minutes of downtown. I would include Grandover but @Fluff might self-destruct. I do practice over there quite a bit and find the pro shop folks to be incredibly hospitable and welcoming.

Of the private options in Greensboro, Sedgefield is my favorite course in the area, but the membership numbers are making tee times on the weekend pretty tough to come by (I live nearby and have a bunch of buddies who gripe about it). The McConnell connection is very tough to ignore though. There are a couple of members on the refuge, DM me if you want their info. Starmount is more affordable and has a younger vibe. Decent golf course with a few quirks. Greensboro CC can be a bit stuffy and could be hard to break in for a new, out of town gui. Fun but tighter course close to downtown, lined with large trees and older stately homes.

Winston-Salem has a handful of public courses (Tanglewood, Reynolds Park, Oak Valley, Meadowlands), but the affordable clubs are what drives the golf around there IMO. Maple Chase and Bermuda Run are two legit clubs with very affordable packages. On the pricier side, Forsyth CC is similar to my Greensboro CC description above. Old Town Club is probably the best golf course in the state outside the Sandhills, but you better come with deep pockets.

Iā€™m sure I left some places out, but these are my takes early on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Good luck with the pending move!

7 Likes
5267

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Can confirm. Such a great hole. I had a wild par save there that would have been great on any other Par 3. But given that it was on that one, my friends have deemed it the best par of my life

1 Like
5268

I have lived in Greensboro for 25 years now, I will agree the public/semi-private golf courses are great here. Bryan Park (36 holes), Greensboro National, Forest Oaks (former host of GGO), The Cardinal, Jamestown, Grandover (36 Holes), Stoney Creek, Meadowlands and Oak Hollow are all great courses. There are also some fun ā€œcountryā€ courses (a little off the beaten path) that are fun to play. I am sure I forgetting a few but Country Hills, Crooked Tree, Pine Knolls, Old Home Place are in that group. Bryan Park has a fantastic practice facility. All of these are in the Greensboro/High Point area, a few minutes further down the road (toward the mountains) you have all of Winston Salem area courses. Pinehurst/Sandhills courses are only and hour or so away, so it is very doable to slip down to those courses for a day or more without any travel issues. This biggest plus to the area is the traffic (or lack of it), there is always going to be the accidents etc. that can cause problems but day to day you can get anywhere you need to go in a pretty consistent time. With the upcoming completion of the loop around Greensboro (final segment due to be completed in 23) it has made everything a little closer and easier. I would also second Wilmington as a nice place (wife has family living near there), it is a bit warmer in the summer but also gives you few more workable winter days. If you come this way my wife is a realtor, she will be happy to show you around/find a place to live.

3 Likes
5269

Yeahā€”but how are the greens rolling out there, @Fluff?

1 Like
5270

You can find decent clubs in the Raleigh area in the $6-$12k initiation range and $400-$600 monthly. It will be good golf and you can play year round, unlike Chicago. Welcome to NC. I moved from PA 8 years ago and never going back north.

5271

Last call for our one open spot at Tobacco Road tomorrow morning

5272

Time?

5274

Couldnā€™t agree more

5275

First time I played it I thought I hit a great shot. Pin was just off the back right edge of the green. Ball landed just off the green in the first cut and promptly kicked right and into the creek the other side of the cart path. Tough hole.

5276

9:30 & 9:40

1 Like