Charlotte
Not your father's Queen City
By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer
 With
destinations like Hilton
Head, Myrtle
Beach, and Pinehurst,
the Carolinas
seldom look at their metropolitan centers for as golf meccas. Once upon
a time, this was justifiable. Even as recently as the late 1980s, the
Charlotte
and Raleigh/Durham
metro areas were severely lacking in daily fee golf facilities.
But my how the times have changed. In Charlotte
- the Carolinas’
largest city – a recent influx of high end, pay-for-play tracks
have put the Queen City on the golfing map to stay.
Few cities have developed like Charlotte
over the past decade. Once a sleepy southern city with a few small skyscrapers,
the Charlotte metro area is now home to more than one million residents
and is the second largest financial center in the U.S.
Twenty-story buildings have given way to 40, and even 60-story towers. The
downtown pulses with an energy that is the envy of many a mid-size city
and an arts and music scene that would make many a larger city blush.
So what does all this mean for the game of golf in this bustling Piedmont
burg? Charlotte Golf scene has transformed from a private course oriented
community to a city with enough quality public access golf to be considered
a top golf business destination. The real draw of Charlotte golf, however,
may be monetary - to play a top notch course in and around Mecklenburg
County you'll pay about $35 on the weekdays and around $50 on weekends.
Where to Play
A slew of great courses have opened in Charlotte over the past ten years,
so a complete treatment of each course is beyond the scope of the piece!
But here is a sampling of where to find some topshelf, affordable golf
in the land of the hornet.
 Ballantyne
Resort Golf Club (704-341-4653) opened on Charlotte's prestigious southeast
side in 1998, and since it opened it's doors, it has been one of the busiest
courses in the city. Not to be confused with the Ballantyne
Country Club, Ballantyne resort is open for daily play from the public,
and is well worth the time and effort.
Why is Ballantyne Resort, a course that was designed by a developer
and not a golf course architect, so popular with locals? Many players
enjoy the layout of the course, which happens to be on some of the more
interesting land in the city. As is the case with most Piedmont
cities, the land in and around Charlotte is fairly flat. But Ballantyne
sports some great elevation changes and undulating greens, but remains
player friendly with it's wide fairways.
Arnold
Palmer is no stranger to the Charlotte area, and it seemed only a question
of time before he put his stamp on daily fee golf in the Queen City. In
1996, Palmer and his right-hand man Ed
Seay did just that with the opening of Birkdale
(704-895-8038).
Birkdale is a clever course, and they do not hesitate to charge for
it - for a few years, the course was about the most expensive public track
around. The idea behind Birkdale (and the price) was that the course could
be your country club for a day; a place where you could be pampered and
maybe even called by your first name if you played enough. Tired old marketing
plan aside, the course is immaculately maintained, and the routing through
Carolina woodlands (and unfortunately some homes and condos) is solid
enough to garner much repeat play.
One of the great things about Charlotte is that you can drive twenty
minutes from downtown (er, technically "Uptown" as it has been
tagged) and be in unspoiled countryside. If you were to point yourself
south-southeast from Uptown and drive for about thirty minutes out Providence
Road towards the town of Monroe,
you're sixth golfing sense will ultimately land you at Stonebridge
Golf Club (704-283-8998).
Stonebridge is all golf course and no frills. The clubhouse is somewhat
small and bleak, the practice range is on the other side of the highway,
and the cart garage has been known to flood after a summer shower. But
the course is fantastic and pleasantly devoid of housing (although, that
may change in the future.)
Stonebridge was designed by Richard Osborne, a former associate of the
prolific Ron
Garl. If you enjoy courses that offer two completely different sets
of nines, then Stonebridge is for you. The front nine is routed through
some stately Carolina hardwoods, and is old school parkland course at
heart. The back nine is wide open, and while not quick a links-style course,
it certainly comes close.
Just as Stonebridge is located in the countryside of southeast Charlotte,
Verdict
Ridge (704-489-1206) is located in the rural town of Denver,
just thirty minutes northwest of the city. It seems that everyone is trying
their hand at course design these days, and it is only fitting that the
ex-mayor of Charlotte get involved.
Eddie Knox (said ex-mayor) designed Verdict Ridge, which opened it's
doors in 1998, and there may be no better golf course in the Charlotte
area. Verdict Ridge runs up and down hills, through forests, and can play
havoc on the average player's game. If you are a golfer/naturalist, there
is no better place to be in Charlotte in the fall, when the droves of
trees that line the fairways at Verdict Ridge change colors.
Where to Stay
You could find a ubiquitous hotel on the outskirts of Charlotte, pay
a little less, and have great access to one or two golf courses. But why
not blow a few more bucks and hunker down in one of the most up and coming
downtowns in the United
States, within a half an hour's drive of dozens of great tracks?
The Dunhill Hotel (704-332-4141) is located right in the heart of "Uptown"
on Tryon Street, and appeals to those who spurn the monotony of motels
in favor of the ambiance of bed and breakfasts. The Hotel offers a number
of business traveler-like services that rival the larger chains, and is
in a five minute walk of a seemingly endless menu of great restaurants.
Course Reviews
- Ballantyne
Resort: Where Business and Pleasure Come Together
- Charlotte
National: No Frills Breeden Course in Southeast Still a Bargain
- Skybrook
Golf Club, Huntersville, NC
- Skybrook
Golf Club (review #2), Huntersville, NC
- Springfield
Golf Club, Fort Mill, SC
- Springfield
Golf Club (review #2), Fort Mill, SC
- Stonebridge
Golf Club, Monroe, NC
- Stonebridge
Golf Club (review #2), Monroe, NC
- Stonebridge
Golf Club (review #3), Monroe, NC
- Warrior
Golf Club, China Grove, NC
- Waterford
Golf Club, Rock Hill, SC
- Olde
Sycamore Golf Plantation, Charlotte, NC
- Olde
Sycamore Golf Plantation (review #2), Charlotte, NC
- Ballantyne
Resort (reader review), Charlotte, NC
- Ballantyne
Resort, Charlotte, NC
- Charlotte
National, Charlotte, NC
- Cramer
Mountain Country Club, Cramerton, NC
- Crescent
Golf Club, Salisbury, NC
- Tega
Cay Golf Course, Teaga Cay, SC
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