On the road with Shane Sharp: Charlotte to Asheville and the North Carolina foothills

By Shane Sharp,
Contributor

HICKORY, N.C. - The only question more common than "Duke or Carolina" around this state is "where are you going this weekend?" North Carolinians love their two- and three-day getaways, and you can bet your last bite of barbeque that golf is involved more times than not.

If staying in state, the answer typically varies by around 600 miles. To the east, there's the beach; to the west, the mountains. In between is the vast, gently rolling Piedmont, home to the overwhelming majority of the state's population base. What gets lost in translation are the "tweener" regions - smaller swaths of transitional geography that aren't as easy to compartmentalize in tourism brochures.

In golf terms, think of them as gap wedges.

The foothills of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains fit the analogy to a tee. The Carolinas largest city sits just an hour away. Yet club wielding Charlotte residents usually fly through this collection of small towns and steeply rolling terrain with hands clinched on the steering wheel and thoughts of mountain golf dancing through their heads.

Is this simply urban arrogance? Or does the region simply not offer the product to attract have-clubs-will-travel types? To be fair, it's a little of both. Charlotte residents are a spoiled lot, what with about 40 quality pay for play tracks within a half hour's drive of downtown. And until recently, the foothills didn't have a lot to offer these discerning duffers other than a fistful of tee shirt and cutoff courses.

But the daily fee revolution that hit the Queen City in the mid and late ‘90s percolated up highways 16 and 321 toward Hickory and Denver and eventually poured down the I-40 corridor toward Asheville. Fast-forward to 2004 and the foothills golf inventory consists of a quirky collection of value first venues and high-end daily fee tracks with national reputations.

An emerging golf destination? Not by any stretch of the definition. The courses of the foothills are scattered hither and yon. Some are located off the major highways and interstates, but others require two to three stops for directions. Sure, there's quality to be had. But the gap between the top tier and the bottom rung is sizable. But for hardened hacks who can't resist a departure day or return trip round, the foothills are perfect pit stop on the road to greener golf pastures.

Must plays

Verdict Ridge Golf Club, Denver: Headline reads: Former Charlotte mayor gone mad! Ex-mayor Eddie Knox abandons politics to open a golf course. Crazy like a fox, is more like it, based on Verdict Ridge's immediate returns. The high-end daily fee course 45 minutes northwest of Charlotte raised the bar for foothills golf in the late '90s with its expertly coifed fairways and well-groomed bentgrass greens. The topsy turvy terrain also gives Piedmont folk a taste of the mountains minus the two hour drive. As for the design - the verdict is mixed. A couple of holes (the par 4 seventh to name names) could use some dynamite. But the majority of the layout is well-conceived, especially the final four holes. Oh, and by the way, BYOB - Verdict Ridge is located in a dry county.

Rock Barn Golf Club, Conover: Rock Barn is a 36-hole property situated just a foot wedge off of I-40 east of Hickory. The storyline here is the new Robert Trent Jones II 18 that opened in late 2002. The ballyhooed layout made its way onto Golf Digest's Top Ten Upscale list in 2003 and is the site of a popular Champions Tour event, the Greater Hickory Classic. Fan or not of RTJ II designs, his work at Rock Barn deserves a tip of the cap. The routing doubles back on itself a few times, but the switchbacks don't detract from the experience. The land moves enough that Jones didn't bother with his trademark mounding. That's not to say Rock Barn is without Jones's trappings; Jones-ites will dig the course's elaborate bunkering, two-tiered greens and go-for-broke par 5s.

Silver Creek Plantation, Morganton: If there's any foothills course that can play the proximity card, it's Silver Creek Plantation. The Tom Jackson designed track is located just west of Morganton, about midway between Asheville and Hickory. It's also just a putter's toss away from I-40, making it easy prey for passers through. Silver Creek's calling card is elevation change, and plenty of it. The first and 10th holes require tee shots over deep ravines to upward climbing fairways, thus producing the mind-bending visual of a drive with zero launch angle. Like so many North Carolina courses, Silver Creek was laid out on an old dairy farm. In honor of the property's past life, we recommend playing from the sporty "Silo" tees, 144 slope and all.

Solid Seconds

Lincoln Country Club, Lincolnton: Yes, that's Lincoln Country Club you can see from the car window driving along Highway 321, and yes, it is as sneaky good as it looks. The LCC is a closely guarded local secret, so divulging its wares subjects one to a lifetime ban. That said, you didn't read it here that the course's original nine opened in 1946 and remains much as it did circa World War II. Nor did you read that it was augmented by a new nine in 1993 designed by Peter Tufts of the Boston/Pinehurst Tufts family. The fact that the punchy, 6,400 yard compilation is capped by a new, cozy brick clubhouse was certainly not reported on in these cyber pages. LCC's asking price for a round of golf with cart, around $35 depending on the season, makes it one of the foothills' best values.

Glen Oaks Golf Club, Maiden: Contrary to a handful of Internet reports (golfcourseportal.com, for one), Glen Oaks Golf Club is open to the golfing public. "Semiprivate" is the label management prefers, but nothing about the circa 1963 Bill McRee design smacks of exclusivity. The weekday rate of $28 including cart makes the venerable venue a hit with senior circuit. Glen Oaks is a bit of a reprieve from the roller coaster contours of the other foothills courses and is down right flat by comparison. Whether by design, or by budget, McRee also went easy on the bunkering. The course is often hit with the hackneyed "playable" moniker, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Stay and play

If we all agree the foothills region is more golfing thoroughfare than destination, then the "staying" side of the equation is best left for the mountains. Stop off for a quick round at Rock Barn, Verdict Ridge or any of the foothills fodder listed above. But by all means, get to Asheville for a cozy night's stay at the Grove Park Inn. Not only is the GPI one of North Carolina's quintessential destination hotels, it is also home to a Donald Ross resort course that was recently restored to its original glory by superintendent turned designer Kris Spence.

Dining out

Both Hickory and Morganton sport revitalized downtowns with a respectable rota of casual dining. Should the insatiable desire to knock back a good steak strike, head to Charolais Steakhouse off of 4th St. SW in Hickory. There's no shortage of BBQ around the foothills, so keep your eyes peeled for Eastern (pork with a vinegar-based sauce) and Western (pork with a ketchup-based sauce) style establishments.

July 6, 2004

Shane Sharp is the National PR Director for Buffalo Communications, a golf and lifestyle media agency. He was a writer, senior writer and managing editor of TravelGolf.com from 1997 to 2003.