A beautifull sunset view of hole #3 at Sapphire National Golf Club
GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
3.3
215 Reviews (215)
5 Stars
44
4 Stars
74
3 Stars
42
2 Stars
35
1 Stars
20
Conditions
2.8
Value
3.0
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
4.3
Amenities
2.7
63.4%
Recommend this course
144 out of 215 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.4
10 Reviews (10)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Conditions
2.9
Value
3.5
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.5
Amenities
2.4
StaffFriendliness
4.7
90.0%
Recommend this course
9 out of 10 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
50 Reviews (50)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
20
3 Stars
10
2 Stars
7
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.0
Layout
4.4
Pace
4.4
Amenities
2.4
StaffFriendliness
4.5
72.0%
Recommend this course
36 out of 50 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Resort/Public
Par 70
Length 6331 yards
Slope 137
Rating 71.0
Book a Tee Time at
Sapphire National Golf Club
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1982
Golf Season Open: 3/01 Closed: 12/31
Architect Ron Garl (1982)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Appropriate golf attire.

Reviews

3.3
215 Reviews (215)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 18
19th Hole Scenic Views 16
Patio Dining 14
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 27
Undulating Greens 20
Water Hazards 18
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 22
Advanced Golfers 19
Locals 18
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 18
At a Resort 13
Near Local Attractions 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Fairways and sand traps are in dier need of attention

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
3.0
Previously Played

Greens need to be cut baddd and cups need to be set lower ball will pop out every time

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Advanced
Plays Twice a year
2.0
Previously Played

Course Conditions

This course has the ability to be a top notch course but the conditions are really poor. The greens are rough, uncut, in rolled and in terrible conditions. Tee boxes the same. Many of them has no grass in them and not even seeded and it’s the growing season. The bunkers are pitiful! To charge what they charge is a disgrace. Not sure who runs this place but you may want to get out there and do something as to me it is like it is in receivership! Don’t wate you money!

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 27
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Picturesque and challenging course

Tee boxes and sand traps were in poor condition, but rest of course was very nice. Staff was friendly and helpful and bar/grill was great!

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 15
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Not a course I would play again

Interesting layout. Not a walking course. Severe elevation changes and over 1/4 mile between many holes. Tough to start on a course that has NO driving range or practice green. Many tees are bumpy and little to no grass, especially par 3s. Bunkers are rock hard, lots of rocks, and deep crevices and gullies with NO raking. Greens extremely slow, hard to believe how hard you have to hit uphill putts. Fairways very spotty conditions. Have played many better muni courses.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Incredible layout

Layout is phenomenal with mountain views and picturesque holes throughout the course. Island hole very similar to Sawgrass except surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unfortunately no driving range and due to staff shortages no bar/grill and course maintenance was lacking. Greens in decent shape but bunkers unkempt and fairways unevenly cut. Could be destination course but need proper staffing and grounds crew.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Rough shape

The course was in very rough shape. Fairways and tee boxes had very thin grass. Weeds in the fairways and sand traps had not been maintained all season.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Not worth the price

Great carts & friendly staff. The course was not maintained, grass was extremely long , even in the fairways, sand traps were in very poor shape. Won't be back.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

First Time - Last Time

At $58 it wasn’t worth the price. Normally $90 which is crazy. Greens were ok, fairways were thick with clipping debris all over the place. We played it but wouldn’t play it again.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful Mountain Course

A really interesting layout with lots of hills, trees, uneven lies and water to make it interesting. A good variety of tee boxes to suit your game. Quite long grass on the fairway but that is probably helpful to allow carts on the hilly slopes as it dries after the rains. My only disappointment was the bunkers as they don’t hold up to the wet climate.
Otherwise, a great fun course which I will return to very soon.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Dogtrack

This course has a great layout. Too bad the owners leave the tees, fairways and traps in horrible condition. To be fair, the greens are in good condition. This is not based on today's play only. We found the course in the worst condition ever. Over the years, this course continues to be bad. It's a $25 muni course! Not a $90 resort course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Wasted Potential

This course is as has a ton of potential if a somebody would invest time and effort into it. It has a great layout, but it is in TERRIBLE condition. In my opinion this should be a $25 round NOT $90 in its current condition. Below are the issues with this course.
1. No driving range
2. No putting green
3. Fairways EXTREMELY shaggy (equivalent to links style course rough)
4. Bunkers.... completely unplayable (gem mines)
5. The grass that is cut has clumps all over it. (Not hard to bag grass...)
6. Pin locations on green breaks (not legal pins)

The group in front of us and behind us quit in the middle of their round because of the course conditions. Unfortunately if you are not a member of a private course in the area, don’t waste your money playing at this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Rough

The hey day for this course was a many years ago. Charging $90 for a round is understandable when it is the only public course around, but not really right.

Not sure when it rained the last time, but not one bunker was cleaned up. The fairways were shaggy, if not just hairy. Green were slow.

It looks like a lot of maintenance have been put on hold as there were numerous blocked off areas, huge chunks of grass everywhere, and so on. Like an unmaintained muni.

Now, the layout is way cool, ups and downs, right fairways and a shot makers course. The staff was nice and friendly.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

An unkept gem

I can see how the course could have been included on a Golf Digest Top Public course list at one point in the past, but the course has gotten away from the maintenance crew and the rough folds into the fairway almost seamlessly. Bunkers are now washed out mine fields of rocks and tee boxes are a bit furry. But, this does promote a target golf style of game which is just fine, and the surrounding mountains are beautiful. If was a magnificent goat track but we enjoyed it. I just would have loved to see it better maintained. The greens were pretty decent which was nice.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played

No maintenace

As you drive up to this course you are fooled by the lush green appearance of the course. Look closer and you will see ALL bouncers are washed out of sand and some have standing water. This is not a condition which was recently caused by that week’s heavy rain. It is clearly a long standing issue. The grass in the fairways is unmoved and thick enough to make it difficult to get a club on the ball even in the middle of a fairway. The edges of the cups are overgrown and obviously have not been moved in weeks. If you need a practice tee you have to go back down the hill to the highway and go to a practice tee by the nine hole course. The greens are in reasonably good condition with a few bald sports.

Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Nearby Courses
Sapphire, North Carolina
Private
5.0
1
Sapphire, North Carolina
Public/Resort
0.0
0
Sapphire, North Carolina
Private
5.0
2
Cashiers, North Carolina
Private
5.0
5
Cashiers, North Carolina
Resort
2.8
5
Cashiers, North Carolina
Private
5.0
1
Glenville, North Carolina
Private
0.0
0
Lake Toxaway, North Carolina
Private
5.0
1
Lake Toxaway, North Carolina
Private
0.0
0
Cashiers, North Carolina
Private
5.0
4
Cashiers, North Carolina
Private
4.9166666667
3
Highlands, North Carolina
Private
5.0
1
Golf Packages

Experience Maggie Valley Package

FROM $227 (USD)
ASHEVILLE, NC | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations and 1 round of golf at Maggie Valley Club & Resort.

Hilton Grand Vacations Bent Creek Golf Village Gatlinburg Stay & Play Package

FROM $157 (USD)
GATLINBURG, TN | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations at Hilton Grand Vacations Bent Creek Golf Village Gatlinburg and 2 rounds of golf at Bent Creek Golf Course.

Château Élan Stay & Play Golf Package

FROM $267 (USD)
BRASELTON, GA | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at Château Élan Winery & Resort (Inn at Château or Villas at Château) and 3 rounds of golf at Château Élan Golf Club - Château, Woodlands, & Executive Courses.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Gadsden Golf Around Package

FROM $197 (USD)
GADSDEN, AL | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the Hampton Inn - Gadsden and 3 rounds of golf at Silver Lakes Golf Club - Championship & Short Courses.

Talamore Golf Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $137 (USD)
SOUTHERN PINES, NC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Talamore Golf Resort and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Mid Pines Golf Course, Mid South Course, Tobacco Road Golf Course, and The New Course.
Now Reading