Playing Golf In The Piedmont

Hidden Gems In The Piedmont

It's difficult to believe that a course that hosts a Champions Tour event would qualify as a hidden gem, but the Jones course at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, near Hickory, is definitely one. It was designed by an architect who never leaves the West Coast, Robert Trent Jones Jr. 

The course wanders through rolling terrain and deciduous trees, and is both challenging and rewarding. It's home to the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn and is part of a 36-hole complex. 

Similarly, the championship course at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, near Winston-Salem, was host to the 1974 PGA Championship won by Lee Trevino and the 1986 USGA Amateur Public Links won by PGA Tour player Billy Mayfair. Maybe this layout can bring out the champion in you. 

Mill Creek Golf Club in Mebane, located between Burlington and Durham, is always in good shape and is a treat for all players. This course is a beauty, meandering through natural areas that contain creeks and streams that used to fuel an old grist mill that remains on the property today. 

Keith Hills Country Club in Buies Creek, between Fayetteville and Raleigh, has two layouts, but you want to focus on the older Keith Hills I. With large bent grass greens and rolling, plush fairways in a picturesque setting on the Cape Fear River, this Ellis Maples design might be THE hidden gem in North Carolina.

added: December 20, 2010

updated: January 3, 2011