NC Golf 2025: The state’s 100 best courses and more

For the second consecutive year, the best golfers in the world will meet in North Carolina. Last year, it was the famed Pinehurst No. 2 golf course playing host to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2014. In May, it will be the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, where that tournament was last held in 2017.

North Carolina’s diverse geography, from the coast to the mountains, as well as moderate temperatures, make it well suited for major golf tournaments, along with everyday players. The Tar Heel state ranks eighth in the nation in the number of golf courses with 549. The game generates $2.3 billion in direct spending and a total economic impact of $4.2 billion in the state, including about 53,000 jobs, according to the state.

Last year’s U.S. Open generated $242.5 million in economic impact for the state, according to a study by the United States Golf Association. The PGA Championship is expected to provide more than a $100 million boost to Charlotte’s economy, with as many as 50,000 golf fans expected to attend the tournament each day.

Those are just dollars though, says Johnny Harris, the Charlotte real estate executive who is the president of Quail Hollow Club. Global media exposure also will enhance Charlotte’s reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events and business opportunity,
he says.

“When people all over the world tune into a major golf championship and they do, it’s not Charlotte, North Carolina, it’s just Charlotte now,” he says.

North Carolina will be a destination for major golf tournaments for years to come, including four more U.S. Open Championships at Pinehurst through 2047, the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2029, the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro and Truist Championship (formerly Wells Fargo) in Charlotte. Each event is televised internationally, showcasing
the state.

The North Carolina Golf Panel celebrates the sport with its 30th annual ranking of the state’s best courses, which debuts in this magazine. About 175 business executives, golf industry members and media members rate the courses spanning the state.

While there are limited changes from year to year, four courses in the Top 10, moved up in the rankings: Quail Hollow, Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro and Pinehurst No. 4. Eight courses are new to this year’s list, including Pinehurst No. 10, which opened last April.

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REGIONAL RANKINGS FOR 2025
WESTERN

1. Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville
2. Elk River Club, Banner Elk
3. Mountaintop Golf and Lake Club, Cashiers
4. Rock Barn Country Club (Jones), Conover
5. Biltmore Forest Country Club, Asheville
6. Champion Hills Club, Hendersonville
7. Linville Golf Club, Linville
8. Hound Ears Club, Boone
9. Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, Waynesville
10. Country Club of Asheville, Asheville
11. Mimosa Hills Golf Club, Morganton
12. Blowing Rock Country Club, Blowing Rock

CHARLOTTE METRO

1. Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte
2. Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte
3. The Club at Longview, Waxhaw
4. Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte
5. Trump National Golf Club, Mooresville
6. Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte
7. Gaston Country Club, Gastonia
8. Cedarwood Country Club, Charlotte
9. Carmel Country Club (South), Charlotte
10. Providence Country Club, Charlotte
11. The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis
12. Mooresville Golf Club, Mooresville

PIEDMONT TRIAD

1. Old Town Club, Winston-Salem
2. Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
3. Old North State Club, New London
4. Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem
5. Starmount Forest Country Club, Greensboro
6. Bryan Park (Champions), Browns Summit
7. High Point Country Club (Willow Creek), High Point
8. Greensboro Country Club (Farm), Greensboro
9. Grandover Resort (East), Greensboro
10. Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro
11. The Cardinal by Pete Dye, Greensboro
12. Pinewood Country Club, Asheboro

TRIANGLE

1. Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham
2. Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
3. MacGregor Downs Country Club, Cary
4. Governors Club, Chapel Hill
5. Treyburn Country Club, Durham
6. Prestonwood Country Club (Highlands), Cary
7. Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill
8. Lonnie Poole Golf Club, Raleigh
9. Duke University Golf Club, Durham
10. The Hasentree Club, Wake Forest
11. The Club at 12 Oaks, Holly Springs
12. Carolina Country Club, Raleigh

SANDHILLS

1. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst
2. The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood), Pinehurst
3. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Southern Pines
4. Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst
5. The Country Club of North Carolina (Cardinal), Pinehurst
6. Pinehurst No. 10, Aberdeen
7. Pinehurst No. 8, Pinehurst
8. Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, Southern Pines
9. Dormie Club, West End
10. Pinehurst No. 9, Pinehurst
11. Forest Creek Golf Club (South), Pinehurst
12. Mid South Club, Southern Pines

EASTERN

1. River Landing (River), Wallace
2. River Landing (Landing), Wallace
3. Occano, Merry Hill
4. Brook Valley Country Club, Greenville
5. Benvenue Country Club, Rocky Mount
6. Greenville Country Club, Greenville
7. Cypress Landing Golf Course, Chocowinity
8. Cutter Creek Golf Club, Snow Hill
9. Carolina Colours Golf Club, New Bern
10. Wilson Country Club, Wilson
11. Highland Country Club, Fayetteville
12. Walnut Creek Country Club, Goldsboro

COASTAL

1. Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington
2. Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington
3. Country Club of Landfall (Dye), Wilmington
4. Country Club of Landfall (Nicklaus), Wilmington
5. Bald Head Golf Club, Bald Head Island
6. Porters Neck Country Club, Wilmington
7. The Currituck Club, Corolla
8. Crow Creek Golf Club, Calabash
9. Kilmarlic Golf Club, Powells Point
10. Thistle Golf Club, Sunset Beach
11. Leopard’s Chase, Sunset Beach
12. Crystal Coast Country Club, Pine Knoll Shores ■