Charlotte, N.C., and its surrounds have taken a beating lately. Not only has the region been hammered by heavy rains, its most prestigious course — PGA Championship host Quail Hollow — has been lambasted by more than one Tour pro for lacking character. Not great optics for the local golf scene.
Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. And no one would deny that as a golf destination, Charlotte can’t hold a candle to some other locales in the Carolinas, including Pinehurst, two hours down the road.
But as one of the country’s financial centers, Charlotte sustains a large constellation of courses. And while it might not top your list for a buddies’ getaway, it has lots of spots to play on a business trip. Here are five of our favorite public-access options in the area.
Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course
The oldest muni in Charlotte, this 9-hole layout was born in 1929 as Bonnie Brae Golf Course. Once segregated, it was integrated after legal battles in the post-war era and later renamed in honor of Sifford, the first Black man to earn a PGA Tour card. Long in history, the course has plenty of character, too, along with cool views of the city skyline.
Rock Barn Country Club & Spa, Tom Jackson Course
One of two 18-holers at Rock Barn (the other is the private Robert Trent Jones course), this serene course winds through scenic parkland terrain, with tree-lined fairways that ask for careful placement and water guarding several greens. Rock Barn is in Conover, N.C., about an hour north of Charlotte. Wrap up your meetings in the morning, and you can be on the 1st in time for a tasty twilight round.
Verdict Ridge Golf & Country Club
A semi-private course that heaves and falls around creeks and wetlands, Verdict Ridge is widely judged to be the area’s best-conditioned course with public access. Its impeccable fairways are also forgiving, but the design has ample elevation changes and enough strategic intrigue to make it a fun romp for newbies and serious sticks alike.
Rocky River Golf Club
Deer, cranes and other wildlife add to the lovely atmospherics at a course that lives up to its name, carving a bucolic path around wetlands and swaths of native grasses, with rock outcrops standing sentinel here and there.
Mooresville Golf Club
Shortly before his death in 1948, Donald Ross designed the front 9 here for the employees of a local mill. Thirty years later, the town of Mooresville took ownership of the venue, adding a clubhouse and expanding the routing to a full 18. In 2016, North Carolina native Kris Spence redid the whole shebang, sharpening Ross features that had faded over time while spit-shining the entire course into an artful layout that is meant to play firm and bouncy, like a links.
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