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North Carolina
No other state in the east offers more in the way of golf community choices than does North Carolina, whose 500-mile length spans ocean to mountains with a fertile Piedmont region in between. Choose from among dozens of coastal golf communities, like Landfall, just a few miles from the exciting town of Wilmington and even closer to Wrightsville Beach; or Mountain Air (photo left), whose 4,000+ foot elevation will add a few yards to your golf shots; or any of the great choices near sophisticated cities, like Asheville, Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham. And there are plenty of out-of-the-way choices where bargain real estate abounds and the golf is excellent, such as the area between Hertford (Albemarle Plantation, Scotch Hall Preserve) and Greenville (Cypress Landing, Brook Valley); and the many top notch golf communities sprinkled throughout the western North Carolina mountains.
Review: Connestee Falls, Brevard, NC
The 11th hole at Connestee Falls is a deceptive little par 5. Hit no more than a 3 wood off the tee to remain on the upper fairway. Then a medium iron second shot sets up a wedge to the elevated...
New mountain community using sharp pricing to try to scale competition
The Coves clubhouse will sit on top of the Round Mountain with views to as far as 50 miles. (Image supplied by The Coves) Blue Ridge Mountain golfing communities are trying to hold their own in this...
Great Scot: Thistle Club channels the old sod
The soon-to-be-completed Scottish style clubhouse at The Thistle Golf Club caused one of our readers to be blown away during a visit. The clubhouse, which will include a display of golfing...
Golfer retirees live large at sprawling St. James
The split fairway par 5 7th hole at The Reserve at St. James Plantation forces you to make a decision on your lay-up second shot; right or left of the grove of trees about 100 yards from the green. ...
Growth spurt: Brunswick Forest requirement to build guarantees homes, amenities in short term
The Cape Fear Golf Club's 27 holes should be ready for play in 2009. Tim Cate is designing the course. (Graphic supplied by Brunswick Forest) New developments promise a lot in their marketing...
You can get there from here: Ocean Ridge close enough to Myrtle Beach, but not too close
Note: In yesterday's article, we described the wide variety of golf at Ocean Ridge, with more on the way in 2009. We finish our review of the community today with a discussion of its location and...
Giving paws: Ocean Ridge courses purr, but membership plans might leave you scratching
I made a rookie mistake a week ago, a blunder unbecoming a veteran of golf playing on the Carolinas coast. I assumed that, as a single, I would have no problem booking a tee time the day before I...
Living the dream four or five days a week
Ed Bernard, above left, and Bill Reidway are members of all four courses at St. James Plantation near Southport, NC. Ed, from Rochester, NY, and Bill, from Long Island, play golf four or five times a...
Close to home: Backyard OB stakes don't ruin effects of North Shore golf course
The 11th green at North Shore looks out across the marsh toward North Topsail Island. There are plenty of out of bounds stakes around the periphery of the North Shore Country Club golf course (see...
Your editor stumbles upon bargain golf community within short drive of ocean
An attractive home behind the 16th green at North Shore Country Club's course is on the market for $585,000, reasonable given its location on the course and within a mile of the ocean. Annual...
On windy day, Paradise Point Gold tough as a Marine
The water does not really come into play on the 163-yard 2nd hole at Paradise Point, but the wind certainly does when it is blowing in from the ocean, a few miles away. If you think U.S. Marines are...
The Coves makes it official: Irwin to design course
The Coves at Round Mountain, a half hour from Blowing Rock, NC, has announced officially what we reported here a few weeks ago, that former U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin will design the community's 18...