The Old North State is littered with golf courses from the Coastal Plain through the Piedmont Plateau to the Appalachian Mountains. An inordinate number (40 remaining) were built by legendary Scottish architect Donald Ross. Pinehurst, and its hallowed No. 2 course in the sandhills, lays claim to being the “home of American golf” in much the same way that St. Andrews is the game’s ancestral cradle, but it isn’t the first place where golf was played in North Carolina.
That distinction, against all rational odds, belongs to a little hamlet in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina at a club called Linville. And folks lucky enough to experience the game in this little corner of the highlands during its short season from late spring to fall understand the appeal that has spread like mountain rhododendron across Avery County with heralded gems such as Grandfather Golf & Country Club, Elk River Club, Diamond Creek and Linville Ridge.
It all started at Linville with what was arguably the first “golf resort” in the world. In 1892, mining entrepreneur Hugh MacRae decided that these mountains could be more than a place to extract minerals. The MacRaes opened the Eseeola Inn (now Lodge) to draw tourists to the crisp mountain air, and being of Scottish descent its centerpiece needed a golf course. Hugh built the first nine holes himself in 1895 and with his brother, Donald, added five more before the turn of the century. Four holes got played twice to make up 18.
The original Linville course quickly grew obsolete, so in 1924 the MacRaes brought in Donald Ross to create what remains one of the most charming little gems in the country and arguably Ross’ greatest mountain design. Open to members and guests of the Eseeola Lodge, the Ross classic was hand-crafted with mule-and-pan grading along the natural contours around the crystal-clear, trout-filled streams including Grandmother Creek, which meanders its way through 14 holes. The most famous is the 472-yard par-4 third, a gorgeous brute of a hole that requires carrying the creek (at least) twice – earning the distinction of being ranked among Golfweek’s top-100 holes in the country.
CLICK HERE TO READ THIS UNLOCKED STORY AT GGP+... AND USE COUPON CODE GGP48 TO SAVE 20% ON AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION