Pound for pound, there are diverse states more diverse for golf than North Carolina. The Outer Banks feature coastal golf on the Atlantic Ocean, while the western side roams upward into the Blue Ridge Mountains. North Carolina courses make up many of the top must-plays north of Myrtle Beach, one of the world's most-trafficked golf destinations. Meanwhile, one of the great jewels of American golf history awaits in the Carolina Sandhills around the Southern Pines-Aberdeen-Pinehurst triangle. Cities like Charlotte and Raleigh have plenty of courses to choose from as well.
The Top 25 courses in North Carolina, compiled by using your ratings & reviews in 2016, features all of the above. North Carolina is a state that is well represented each year in our Top 50 overall Courses in the U.S., even if they are courses you may not expect. If there's an underlying theme about golf in the state it's that courses off-the-beaten-path pack a really great punch for value. A handful of these courses can be found in our 50 under $50 series as well. Donald Ross, the Scottish greenskeeper-turned-architect who spent most of his time in the U.S. at Pinehurst, would be proud.
To compile our state lists, we used a similar method to that of our our national Top 50 ranking. A course's score is based on their overall (50%) rating and subcategory average (50%). Reviews are weighted based on how prolific that reviewer is on Golf Advisor, and a course receives a bump in their rating if their score is better than that reviewer's average score.
Don't see your favorite North Carolina golf course? You can make your voice heard by writing a review here.
Top courses by subcategory in North Carolina in 2016
Course layout: Tobacco Road
Course conditions: Thistle Golf Club
Value: Scotch Hall Preserve
Off-course amenities: The Currituck Club
Pace of play: Tillery Tradition Club
Staff friendliness: The Pointe Golf Club
Top 25 courses in North Carolina in 2016
Southern Pines
24. Boone Golf Club
Boone
Asheboro
Asheville
Clemmons
Jacksonville
Raleigh
Aberdeen
Shallotte
Hayesville
Powells Point
Elizabeth City
Advance
Mt. Airy
Rutherfordton
Grandy
Corolla
No. 24 friendliest course in the U.S. in 2016
Leland
Pinehurst
Sanford
Marshville
No. 20 value in the U.S. in 2016
Snow Hill
No. 10 value in the U.S. in 2016
Merry Hill
No. 25 in the U.S. in 2016
Elkin
No. 22 in the U.S. in 2016
Sunset Beach
No. 14 in the U.S. in 2016
Just finished review of your web site and give it a rating of five (5) stars. Thoughtfully and professionally pulled together. Look forward to using it this spring/summer. Oscar Vaught, Wake Forrest, N. C.