Boone Golf Club is a solid 4-star mid-tier public golf facility. I really enjoyed our round at this…read morescenic course which is nestled in a valley among the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather was perfect, the staff was friendly, the pace of play on a very busy Saturday was reasonable, the course was in excellent condition, and the price was right. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this track to anyone looking to play a round in the Boone/Blowing Rock area.
The course opened in 1959 and was designed by Ellis Maples who designed numerous courses in North Carolina. This is a relatively easy course, making it great for beginners and casual golfers. From the tips (blue tees), the course measures 6,686 yards with a rating/slope of 71.3/128. We played from the white tees where the course measures 6,018 yards with a rating/slope of 68.1/120. Generally, the holes are quite scorable for many amateur golfers yet challenging enough to keep your interest.
The layout of the course is fairly straightforward and compact. The design is understated. There are no houses on the course. The holes are positioned closely together, but not too close. The fairways are nice, wide, and accepting. The rough is moderately thick, thicker than the rough at most public courses I've played on, but not high-end or PGA Tour course thick. The greens are huge so they're easy to hit. However, you'll want to stick it close. Otherwise, you could be left with some really long and daunting putts. The greens have quite a bit of curvature and undulation to them. Some of the pin placements can be rather tricky. Your short game skills will definitely be put to the test.
I was really impressed with the condition of the course. From tee box to fairway to green, each hole looked great. Not that all private clubs have tip-top conditioning, but the way this course has been maintained, it looked private club quality; nicely manicured. The large greens were in terrific shape. From hole to hole and from fringe to fringe, the greens were consistently smooth and fast. Our balls rolled true. We played a skins game and it made each putt pressure-packed. We had no issues with the greens.
As mentioned above, the course is nestled in a valley. While you are playing golf in the mountains, the holes on this course do not have any extreme or significant elevation changes. Most elevation changes are minor to moderate and, in fact, several holes are comparatively flat and level. That said, you get some great views of the nearby mountains all around you. Just about every hole has a beautiful vista. There aren't a whole lot of trees/woods/forest to contend with and from that standpoint, the course feels pretty wide open. You do have to thread your drives between hallways of trees on Nos. 6 (par 5) and 18 (par 4) back towards the clubhouse, but that's about it.
I'd say the number of bunkers is at or just below average. Like the rest of the course, the bunkers were in outstanding condition with soft, light tan/white sand. There are water hazards, but not many. A few creeks wind and weave their way throughout the course. The biggest water hazard is the pond which guards the par-5 6th green. It's a forced carry for your third shot and according to the scorecard, it's the hardest hole (No. 1 handicap hole for both men and women) on the course. Good luck.
The clubhouse is situated on top of a hill and offers a fantastic panorama of the course and the mountains in the distance. There are a range and practice putting green, which was in wonderful condition, but we didn't have time to use them. We did stop by the clubhouse grill at the turn to pick up hot dogs and drinks. The grill is called Fairway Cafe & Venue. A menu is provided in your golf cart. If you want to pick something up at the turn, call ahead when you're on the 9th (or 18th, if starting on the back) tee. We started on the back, called in our orders when we got to 18, and our hot dogs were sitting on the bar waiting for us when we walked inside.
I got a chili & slaw dog ($4.25) and a Windy City dog (Chicago dog, $5) and they were both delicious. Aside from hot dogs, Fairway Cafe & Venue also serves sandwiches (including a BBQ pork sandwich), snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The grill processes payments using Square. Android and Apple Pay are accepted. Unfortunately, there was no food and beverage cart service during our round. I'm not sure why and it didn't make sense because the course was absolutely packed the day we played. They really should have had a refreshment cart.
The clubhouse is two stories and spacious, particularly the golf shop which seems to stock a decent amount of equipment and apparel. The golf carts are basic electric E-Z-GO carts and they were in good condition. I don't think the clubhouse has adequate shoe cleaners. I only saw a couple scrubbers and one of them was completely worn out.
We paid $55 each for our Saturday morning round which I thought was a fair price.
