Golf Courses
North Carolina is rich in golfing history and rife with undiscovered golf course gems. Teeing off in the NC Triad means playing world-class courses that take advantage of the environment, elevation changes, and magnificent year-round weather that make the state the ultimate golfing destination.
Play With the Greats
Just outside Winston-Salem and easily accessible via Interstate 40 are a handful of historic courses. Oak Valley Golf Club is a semi-private 18-hole route that welcomes visitors. Designed by golf icon Arnold Palmer with the contours of the surrounding countryside in mind, Oak Valley is a trip into the foothills of the NC Triad. Since it first opened in the ‘90s, the course has undergone a renovation, which means that the bentgrass greens roll true, and the course’s 44 bunkers and water on 14 holes require every ounce of the strategy Arnie intended.
If you prefer 36 holes, Tanglewood Park offers two championship-caliber courses that will entertain every golfer. Originally designed by the famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., the courses have undergone upgrades throughout the years but retain the elements they featured as the site of the 1974 PGA Championship.
If you’re wondering how you’d fare on fairways once roamed by Sam Snead, add Blair Park Golf Course in High Point to your bucket list. Originally built as a 9-hole layout, it became an 18-hole facility in the 1940s, and Snead played an exhibition round in 1948. Criss-crossed by numerous creeks, Blair Park can reward (or punish) the go-for-broke golfer. Thinking about laying up? Ask yourself what Snead would do.
Golf is Never Far Away
Proximity is one of the great advantages of the NC Triad – proximity to major metropolitan centers, to the splendor of the North Carolina wilderness, and to great golf.
Halfway between High Point and Greensboro is a course that highlights everything that makes golf in North Carolina unique. Jamestown Park Golf Course features generous fairways that invite even the amateur golfer. The fairways also include a number of doglegs that demand you precisely place your tee shots or be prepared to shape your approach shots to the greens. The design of the course, coupled with the spectacular elevation changes, ensure that every round is unique and demands repeat rounds.
The prevalence of golf courses in the NC Triad means it’s never difficult to squeeze in a round between other activities. Riverview Golf Course near Belews Lake is an excellent example. Surrounded by natural beauty and all the campgrounds, fishing, hiking, and boating you could ask for, Riverview allows visitors to sneak in nine holes before anyone even knows you’re gone. As the name implies, the routing keeps golfers close to the gorgeous Dan River—close enough, in fact, that you’ll need to watch your slice on a few holes to keep from getting wet.
