North Carolina courses that women enjoy are out there

By Tim McDonald,
Contributor

NC — Golf course owners aren't always the smartest businessmen in the world, especially when it comes to women.

Women make up the fastest-growing segment of the game, according to the National Golf Foundation and other research groups. Women are entering the game in double-digit percentages over the last decade, while the growth for men during that same time period is close to zero.

Of the 26 million golfers in the U.S., 6.5 million are women. Yet, quite a few golf courses aren't always the most welcoming to women, preferring to direct their attention to the men.

First, the trend toward longer and longer courses doesn't suit the fairer sex.

"The number one issue for women is length," said Jennifer Mario, a North Carolina golfer and freelance writer. "The longer the course, the harder it is for women to score well because hitting greens in regulation is all but impossible."

Perhaps just as important is the attitude than rankles many women. The biggest reason cited among women for dropping out of the game is a "lack of a welcoming environment."

Wouldn't you think owners would be smarter about catering to their fastest growing segment?

"Believe it or not, there are a lot of courses around here that have the attitude of 'oh you're a woman' and that kind of thing," said Mill Creek head pro Ron Lambert. "We definitely encourage women's play, even though the course isn't that easy."

In any case, there are also quite a few courses that do welcome women in North Carolina, both in their attitudes and their propensity to make the game more fun. Here are some of the golf courses in North Carolina that women seem to enjoy:

Mill Creek Golf and Country Club, in Mebane is close to the Raleigh-Durham triangle and the Greensboro-High Point Triad areas. It's 4,884 yards from the yellow tees, with a slope rating of 113. It's a tree-lined course with hills and 50 bunkers, with water coming into play on 11 holes, that women seem to enjoy.

The club doesn't have any events exclusively for women, but goes out of its way to make them feel welcome.

"I remember one of my first tee times I booked," Lambert said with a chuckle. "A lady makes the tee time and she says, 'well it's a foursome,' and you could hear her husband in the background saying, 'tell them you're women.' I told her to tell her husband we let women play here."

Lambert stressed the course isn't easy, even from the ladies tees, and that some senior women have complained the course has a little too much teeth.

"But that's offset, I think, because they do like the fact they're welcomed here," he said.

Lambert also said the ladies are more conscious of pace of play than the men because they're so conscious of it. The course's carts have "personal rangers" programmable for four-and-a-half hours.

It's an interesting course with interesting holes: No. 18, for example, has two fairways to choose from, one high and one low, with deep bunkers in the middle of the fairway. Golf Digest picked it sixth in "best new affordable courses" for 1996.

UNC Finley, in Chapel Hill was originally designed by George Cobb with a re-design — some say complete makeover — by Tom Fazio. The course does about 50,000 rounds annually, so it does get quite a workout, but players usually describe it as one of the best-maintained courses in the "triangle."

Though known as a difficult course, UNC Finley is also one of the more picturesque, with ponds, lakes, and rolling mounds. It has five sets of tees ranging from 4,980 yards from the forward to 7,349 yards from the tips.

Originally opened in 1948, Golfweek picked it as the 11th best collegiate course in the country in 2004. Mario said UNC Finley, as well as Mill Creek, is women-friendly.

"Both are relatively short for the ladies at only 5,017 and 4,884 yards, respectively, while offering enough challenge with lateral hazards and the like to make it interesting," Mario said. "No giant carries, and both courses are in great shape and have nice pro shops."

One complaint about the public course is its relatively high green fees: $62-$77 from June through April, with $50-$62 twilight rates. Students, of course, can play cheaper.

Tobacco Road Golf Club, in Sanford. Located in the Pinehurst area, the course was designed by Mike Strantz, an architect who did a nine-year internship with Fazio. Strantz also designed the Caledonia Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, his first solo effort, as well as True Blue.

Described on its own Web site as "Pine Valley on steroids" and "golf's rock and roll thrill ride," the course plays through an old sand quarry and still offers a distance of 5,094 yards from the ladies tees.

"Its target-golf format means accuracy counts for more than brute strength," Mario said. "It also has a tremendous amount of charm, something that ranks high on the list for women golfers."

Golf Digest named it a "top 10 upscale public course" and gave it 4 ½ stars in its "places to play" category. Rates are from $46-$115, depending on the season.

Hillandale, near Duke University, was established in 1911 and has four sets of tees ranging from 4,800 to 6,400 yards s and is known as an course easy to walk. George Cobb designed a course with fast, undulating greens and water on nine holes.

Its golf shop is consistently ranked among the top 100 in the country by the PGA of America. Hillandale is another popular course that hosts around 50,000 rounds a year.

"It has two things going for it: it's short — only 4,867 yards — and is a par-74 for the ladies, compared to par-71 for the men," Mario said. "It's not as pretty as the other courses, but ladies still have a good chance of scoring well relative to par."

Green fees are $20-$39, depending on the season.

February 10, 2005

Veteran golf writer Tim McDonald keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.