Fun and Reasonably Priced Courses in the Raleigh/Durham Area

[CodyStinson]

Hello All! I have just made the big move to Durham, North Carolina, and I was looking to see if there were some courses around here you would recommend playing (Be it that the only course I have played is 3 minutes from my house.) I appreciate all of the help! Thank you,

 

CS

[iacas]

Paging @NCGolfer. And others.

@Asheville may be able to help you out too.

[NCGolfer]

Hey Cody...congrats on the move!  I wish I knew more about the area but I'm a bit more knowledgable about the area around Winston/Greensboro.  I've only played a few courses that way...and all were a bit more expensive.

If you ever get over my way, give me a shout and we can play either at my place or some other tracks nearby.

[CodyStinson]

@NCGolfer, that sounds great, Thank you!

[Yossarian]

Well, the topic is very old... but if anyone is in the Raleigh Durham area, I have tried almost all the semi-private in the radius of 30-35 miles from Cary; we are really spoiled here with a lot of options.

maybe this will help:

River Ridge: my favorite, greens always in perfect shape, nice layout with a lot of strategy, free range balls...

Eagle Ridge: another nice one, very well maintained

Lochmere: unless you start early in the morning, prepare for a 6 hours round

Loonie Poole: nice, challenging, the view of Raleigh skyline on a couple of holes is great

UNC Finley: it's good, but I have never liked the butter greens (the ball lands and sink)

Wildwood Green: claustrophobic

The preserve: another of my favorites, certain holes look so good that a couple of times I took pictures with the cellphone; avoid this course if you don't have control of your driver direction

The Neuse: well maintained, good layout

Pine Hollow: in the Garner/Clayton area, this is a good example of how you can manage to put a good numbers of players on the course and still keep a good pace.

Hedingham: oh boy, it's in such poor condition, avoid at all cost

Wil Mar: another cheap one, several fairways are not in a good shape.

Riverwood: well, from my high handicap point of view, it's one of the hardest in the area; 27 holes, a lot of different layouts. In great conditions and pace of play is very smooth

Keith Hills: 27 holes,  in the middle of nowhere, it's really enjoyable, and one of the best cost/quality ratio. I still wonder why they consider their signature landmark a couple of horrendous silos placed in the middle of a hole, they even put them in the logo!

 

 

[iacas]

What do you think of Hillandale, @Yossarian?

Hillandale Golf Course – Where Great Golf Happens

---

Hillandale Golf Course offers a 71 par 18 hole golf course. Amenities include a driving range, putting green, full pro shop, club repair, club fitting, golf lessons, and grill serving cold beer.

[Yossarian]

15 hours ago, iacas said:

What do you think of Hillandale, @Yossarian?

Hillandale Golf Course – Where Great Golf Happens

---

Hillandale Golf Course offers a 71 par 18 hole golf course. Amenities include a driving range, putting green, full pro shop, club repair, club fitting, golf...

That's interesting, it never showed up in my radar

I may give it a try in a few weeks

[Yossarian]

A few more:

Reedy Creek: a few nice holes, the rest not very inspiring, but it's not too crowded

Chapel Ridge: very well maintained, although the layout of the holes is not that interesting, way overpriced

Wendel Country Club: same as Chapel Ridge, but cheaper

Quail Ridge Golf Club: some bald patches here and there, but the layout it's quite enjoyable

Knights Play: par 3 course to bring your kids or anyone who wants to learn the game. Everything is quite battered, some greens are so hard that you have to take in to account that the ball will eventually bounce far away...

Prestonwood: well, this is private, gorgeous, unfortunately never had the chance to play... Tournament of Champions plays there

 

[jamo]

I played Hillandale a half dozen times in a few days last October in a Ryder Cup-type thing with some friends. It's not an amazing course but has nice variety and they keep it in solid shape. Some very weird OB areas (there are some little roads that runs along a few holes very close to the fairway) that can make it feel a bit restrictive, but for a course that isn't super long it does a solid job of testing you through the bag without being gimmicky. 

[Yossarian]

The Crossing: has tee times as early as 640AM, which is a blessing in the NC hot summer. Well kept, grass on the fairways is taller than usual, so it's kind of forgiving for high HC players who tend to hit fat shots. There is an interesting hole where you have to cross the same creek twice

Will Mar: dead. Well, it has been for a while...

Other than that, on a side note...  inflation really hit hard on green fees in this area! I don't know the rest of the US, but here we are around a +25% vs last year.