Golf is more than a game of 18 holes in North Carolina. It’s a $4.2 billion economic driver in the Tar Heel state. Those dollar signs are projected to expand this year when the United States Golf Association plays host to its U.S. Open Championship June 13-16 at the Pinehurst No. 2 golf course.
It will mark the fourth time the event has been contested at the Sandhills resort, and the first time since Martin Kaymer won the event in 2014.
North Carolina will be a destination for major golf tournaments for years to come. Four more U.S. Open Championships are scheduled at the Pinehurst No. 2 course by 2047, and the 2025 PGA Championship will be held at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club. In 2029, the U.S. Women’s Open is slated for Pinehurst.
Additionally, the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte and the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro are televised internationally and showcase North Carolina.
Golf means more than just professional play to North Carolina, which has more than 520 courses. Golf generates $2.3 billion in direct spending, including nearly 53,000 jobs and total wage income of $1.3 billion, according to the state.
The North Carolina Golf Panel celebrates the sport with its 29th 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, Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham made a notable jump, moving from 17th to 10th. Formed by a group of Triangle business leaders in 1999, the private club is scheduled to host the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 2026. Newcomers to the list are High Meadows Country Club in Roaring Gap and Deep Springs Country Club in Stoneville.
REGIONAL RANKINGS FOR 2024
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, Asheville6. Champion Hills Club, Hendersonville
7. Linville Golf Club, Linville
8. Balsam Mountain Preserve, Sylva
9. Hound Ears Club, Boone
10. Country Club of Asheville, Asheville
11. Mimosa Hills Golf Club, Morganton
12. Blowing Rock Country Club, Blowing Rock
Triad
1. Old Town Club, Winston-Salem
2. Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
2. 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
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. 8, Pinehurst
7. Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, Southern Pines
8. Dormie Club, West End9. Forest Creek Golf Club (South), Pinehurst
10. Pinehurst No. 9, Pinehurst
11. Mid South Club, Southern Pines
12. Forest Creek Golf Club (North), Pinehurst
Charlotte
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. Gaston Country Club, Gastonia
7. Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte
8. Cedarwood Country Club, Charlotte
9. The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis
10. River Run Country Club, Davidson
11. Providence Country Club, Charlotte
12. Carmel Country Club (South), Charlotte
Triangle
1. Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham
2. Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
3. MacGregor Downs Country Club, Cary
4. Governors Club, Chapel Hill
5. Prestonwood Country Club (Highlands), Cary
6. Treyburn Country Club, Durham
7. Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill
8. Lonnie Poole Golf Club, Raleigh
9. The Hasentree Club, Wake Forest
10. Duke University Golf Club, Durham
11. Hope Valley Country Club, Durham
12. Carolina Country Club, Raleigh
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. Carolina Colours Golf Club, New Bern
8. Cutter Creek Golf Club, Snow Hill
9. Wilson Country Club, Wilson
10. Highland Country Club, Fayetteville
11. Walnut Creek Country Club, Goldsboro
12. Belmont Lake Golf Club, Rocky Mount
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. Leopard’s Chase, Sunset Beach
10. Tiger’s Eye, Sunset Beach
11. Thistle Golf Club, Sunset Beach
12. Crystal Coast Country Club, Pine Knoll Shores