This is a review I'm very happy to write, I just started playing golf a year ago on a vacation in…read morePunta Cana. This was one of the first courses I played here exactly a year ago. At that time the course was so bad I swore I would never play here again. The greens were rutted and scalped and the place in general looked like no one cared. The carts were border line dangerous with it being a crap shoot whether or not the brakes were going to work. BUT TODAY WAS A WHOLE NEW STORY! The greens were as good as anywhere else local, some of the carts are being replaced and the fairways were in good shape. They also have the nicest practice green around. Kudos to whoever whipped this place into shape. It's great to have another local affordable public course.

Easy course with large greens. It was in good shape. The only issues are the lack of tee times and…read moreno Marshall. This can make for long waits.

I really enjoyed our round at Finley Golf Club. This is the University of North Carolina Tar Heels'…read moreofficial golf course, home to UNC's men's and women's golf teams. It's open to the public and great for all skill levels. I played after the course renovation of 2022-2023. Finley had been closed for about a year. It reopened in October 2023 with a new design, new greens, new tees, fairways, and rough, new practice facilities, and more. You can read details about the history of the course and what changes were made on Carolina's athletics website here: https://goheels.com/news/2023/10/13/finley-golf-club-re-imagined The redesign and renovation was done by UNC alum Davis Love III's design team. The most interesting part of the piece to me was this: "First was the fact the previous course was 23 years old and in need of an agronomic upgrade (the greens were still the bent grass popular in 1999 that has been usurped the last decade at many Mid-Atlantic courses by ultra-dwarf Bermuda that can be maintained to quick and firm conditions 12 months a year). Second was the Carolina golf teams' need for a more sophisticated and expansive practice facility than what it used on the east end of the driving range. The greens have been redesigned and recontoured and are planted with Tif-Eagle Bermuda with a three-foot band around them of Tahoma 31 Bermuda. The tees, fairways and rough are 419 Bermuda and all areas have been sprigged with new turf. The bunkers have been lined with the state-of-the-art Bunker Solutions method that delighted course maintenance officials when 14.5 inches of rain fell in a short in late summer and left no bunker washouts. Trees and underbrush in some areas have been cleared out to improve air flow and sunlight." I never played the old iterations of Finley, so I can't tell you how much better it is than before. What I can say is the course we played was in outstanding shape from tee to green. This is a really nice public course. In terms of course conditioning, it felt like a solid private course. Terrific practice facilities as well, with multiple short game areas and large practice putting greens. My buddy and I were joking about how the bunkers had "real sand." Only cause we'd just played at The Preserve at Jordan Lake nearby. Some of the bunkers there were in rough shape. Coincidentally, The Preserve is another Davis Love III design. Finley has a lot of bunkers and I ended up in several of them. Fortunately, the sand here is the fluffy white kind that is easier to consistently hit out of. I was charged $120 even for 18 holes with cart for a Friday morning tee time. Unlimited range balls were included - they didn't tell me that when I paid. My friend got a small discount since he's UNC faculty. At the aforementioned Preserve at Jordan Lake, we paid $68.23 each. At Duke University Golf Club, we paid $140 each (Triangle resident rate). When you pay more, you expect better conditions. Both Finley and Duke delivered on that front. I thought the price for Finley was fair. We played at Duke just a few months prior to Finley and Duke was in fantastic shape too. Both Duke and UNC's courses are five stars in my book, but if I had to pick which one I prefer, it would be UNC's. Duke's course is more challenging. Finley has the better layout and course architecture, in my opinion. It's more playable and forgiving, less hilly, and more eye-appealing. Not that Duke isn't playable or beautiful (it is), I just think Finley provides a more enjoyable experience overall. With the sandy terrain in certain areas, along with certain types of trees and plants, Finley gave me Pinehurst vibes. This is a very walkable course. I recommend walking if you can, especially if it's cart path only. The course is relatively flat compared to dozens of non-coastal tracks I've played in the Carolinas and Georgia. Again, a good comparison is Pinehurst (No. 2). I've played at over 100 courses and Finley is the first I can remember seeing signs posted that identify the types of trees on the course. For example, on the 15th hole, there are Mockernut Hickory and Post Oak trees. It's just one of many cool details about this place. A couple other things Finley has that I haven't seen anywhere else are baskets with sliding doors to hold the range balls at each hitting station and the cart GPS units not only display the usual hole information, but also things like sports scores and betting lines. Customer service was great. I booked our tee time with Maddy over the phone. She was wonderful, as was another older gentleman I spoke with on the phone. Starter Harry was friendly and got us off early. Pace of play was ideal. We were neither held up nor pushed. The inside of the clubhouse is neat with all sorts of Carolina golf gear. Examples include UNC Tar Heel logoed Peter Millar shirts, Nike golf shoes, and Finley/Carolina blue golf bags. You can get some excellent gifts here. However, the merchandise is pricey.

The greens were getting much needed repairs. Was a little disappointed in the course conditions but…read moregive them a little grace because issues was being repaired. The pro shop was small with limited offerings but the staff was knowledgeable and helpful. The food was average. The views of the course were beautiful

With mats and Bermuda hitting areas this is an excellent place to get in some practice, no matter…read moreyour preference. Reasonable prices for golf balls. Well lit and accurate yardage markings to help you to improve quickly.

I had a blast playing at Duke University Golf Club. I've played at a lot of golf courses over the…read moredecades, but only a handful of university courses. Duke's golf course is part of the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, the school's luxury hotel. I think it's pretty unique in that sense. It looks and feels like a private resort and country club, but it's open to the public. It's not surprising that a top private school like Duke has facilities such as this. If you're looking for some of the best public golf the Triangle has to offer, I think Duke Golf Club is worth checking out. Unsurprisingly, it's more expensive to play at Duke than it is at UNC's Finley Golf Club (recently renovated) and NC State's Lonnie Poole Golf Course. For a Saturday morning tee time, we paid $140 per person. We got the Triangle resident rate of $105 greens fee plus $35 cart fee. The standard rate was $115 greens fee plus $35 cart fee ($150 total per person). These greens fees were the Friday-Sunday rate. Was Duke worth the price? Yes. From tee to green, the course was in excellent shape, what you'd expect in this price tier. To me, one thing that sets apart courses in okay-to-good condition to courses in great condition are the tee boxes. In my experience, your everyday munis and public courses that cost around $100 and under (on weekends) will often have beat-up tee boxes. At those courses, most of the money appears to be invested in greens first then fairways and other elements, tee boxes last. Again, to me, the sign of a financially-healthy club/course or perhaps the sign of a course that's more on the "luxurious" side is nice tee boxes. They are a luxury. Duke had nice tee boxes. The overall quality of the course was equivalent to a healthy private club. Now I'm not talking ultra exclusive or high end (e.g., Pinehurst No. 2, TPC Sawgrass; those are obviously a different level), but still, very solid. My friend and I were grouped with a local PGA Member who also happened to be ranked by Golf Digest as one of America's top 100 clubfitters. He's a true golf industry veteran, leader, and professional. I mention this because during our round, he and his buddy - also very good at golf - both had nothing but good things to say about Duke's golf course. In particular, I remember the PGA guy's approval of the greens. When we played, the greens had been aerified over a month prior. They were in outstanding shape. We were all in agreement. The course is certainly challenging, but if you play from the appropriate tees, it can still be enjoyable for beginners and weekend hackers (like me). Like other courses, Duke's scorecard has suggested tees based on handicap. I played from the white tees, which is where I usually play from at most other courses. At Duke, the white tees are suggested for 16-27 handicaps. From the whites, the course measures 6,127 yards with a 70.3/129 rating/slope for men. The rating/slope is slightly more difficult than what I typically play. My playing partners played from the golds (suggested 4-9 handicap, 6,872 yards, 73.8/142) and blues (suggested 10-15 handicap, 6,562 yards, 71.8/136). The course is a par 72. The PGA guy shot a two-under 70 from the golds -- one of the best players I've played with. My buddy shot a legit 86 from the blues. I had a couple pars, couple birdies (two in a row, on 11 and 12), but an otherwise unremarkable round. I picked up on a few holes, such as on No. 13 where I lost two balls, one in the rough and one in the pond guarding the green. The rough at Duke is real rough. It's the kind of rough where oftentimes we had to be standing directly over our ball to see it. This happened to all four of us. Along with 13, I lost my ball in the rough around the 9th hole. The course is hilly and has lots of bunkers. Miraculously, I didn't land in a single bunker. There's little room for error around the greens. You have to be precise or you will be penalized. The greens themselves were tricky too, but not unfair or unreasonable. The amenities were good. For example, the carts were Club Car. They were in good condition. They had comfy, luxe seats, GPS units, towels, and tees. The GPS worked well. The yardages were accurate. We had a rangefinder and the yardages we measured were consistent with the GPS. There were double water coolers with cups on many holes. The on-course restrooms (right of 5 tee, left of 11 green, right of 15 fairway) had Elkay water fountains and water bottle filling stations. I appreciated fun details like the Duke blue golf carts, Duke "D" logo tee markers, Duke blue and white flags, Duke blue uniformed staff, etc. The practice facility is sizable. Small buckets of range balls were included with our round. The range balls were Pinnacle brand, in good condition. The practice putting green, located right next to the inn, was huge. A Duke women's golfer practiced alongside us, doing a drill. Service was great. I booked our tee time over the phone so we didn't have to prepay.

Paid $125 to play today in mid March. Course in terrible shape. The sand in the bunkers haven't…read morebeen refreshed in a long while, felt like a muni. Tee boxes were in rough shape. Fairways frequently were just mud, lacking any dormant grass. Would have been satisfied if the price was maybe half what I paid. Oh, and the cart paths need to be repaved in many places

Semi-private course that is so well maintained you would swear it is private…read more Can be crowded. However, when you have one of the best courses in Wake Forest and Raleigh, it is bound to be crowded. Afternoons on the weekends are the best bet if you want to beat the crowds. Links style type course with big pot bunkers that will steal a stroke if you happen to go in. #6 is a par 5 that is the #1 handicap hole on the course but most golfers will not find this hole that difficult if they can steer clear of the water. #13, 14 & 15 are the three most difficult holes on the course (in my opinion). If you get past those unscathed, you will have a good round! Very fun course to play with great service all around!

Heritage Golf Club is a really good course with a fun layout and solid condition, but the…read moreexperience can be frustrating. Memberships feel oversold, members aren't treated well, and morning tee times are nearly impossible without waiting weeks. Still, when you get out, it's a great track to play.

THis place is SOOO Spacious. Lots of room to play tennis here. I've never arrived and had to sit in…read morethe car waiting on a court to open. Its always clean and the location is great and close to everything Raleigh!

Huge PUBLIC tennis complex in Raleigh. I can't believe how great this is. There must be at least 13…read moretennis courts for your free use. If you want to reserve a tennis court there is a fee of $5. The tennis center offers a variety of tournaments and tennis classes. They also have two ball machines. To rent them you can call in and reserve up to a week in advance. One hour is $12. There are also yearly memberships where you can use the tennis machine once a week for $125 a year or every day for $225 a year. The tennis center has bathrooms with showers and in the tennis center office were the staff is working you can also find an ice machine for your coolers/drinks and a water fountain. There used to be another water fountain right beside the restrooms but that one is not operating anymore. The only thing I wished they would implement is a way to reserve the tennis machine/courts online or through an app as it would facilitate to have an overview for when they are free and you could also book outside of their business hours.

Excellent first swing analysis and tweaked to fix issues with casting due to injuries. One of the…read morebest lessons I've ever had. Worked with my limitations and just like that, my swing is back on plane and taking it inside-out. Highly recommended.

Great place, getting better. Our group has a great time there. New owners are putting in a lot of…read moreeffort!

only golf course I have ever been told that I didn't have to play there by the desk person because…read moreI questioned a statement made concerning value of a certificate. I learned a long time ago that we are all born ignorant but have to work like hell to become stupid. Of course, he was right I do not have to play there and will never darken their door again. WOW?!