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

Great course, unique design with some fast and difficult greens. Some par 4s with fairway runouts…read moreinto waste areas so be careful. Tee boxes need a little love but overall 9/10 course

5 hour round of golf. They had three groups on one hole at a time. If ur fine drinking and talking,…read morethis would be fine.

One look at Hillandale's rating and slope and you'd think this was a pretty easy track. From tee to…read moregreen it is pretty straightforward, but the greens are another matter: fast, undulating, and mounded, they can be extremely challenging. This is no dirt track. I see others complaining about the staff, but I have nothing but pleasant experiences with them every time I play (I've played there a half-dozen times in the last three months). I've also shopped for clubs at their pro shop and that, too, was a good experience. I stopped playing here years ago because the pace of play was poor, but that hasn't been an issue since I returned this year. I don't know how they've sped up play--it's not like they have an army of rangers policing slow play--but so far I haven't experienced this previously persistent problem. This is hardly the best track in the area, but it's a serviceable course and very reasonably priced. You likely won't find better at this price point; Occoneechee, perhaps, is comparable.

The areas most reasonable, challenging and friendly golf course. We were promptly greeted and…read morethanked for picking Hillandale Golf Course then thoroughly enjoyed our round. We will be making this our new home course!

As Richard Nixon would say, great. The lobster rolls were of James Charles's breath. The molasses…read moretastes like my aunt granny made it. I couldn't imagine anything better. Thanks Richard Charles for creating such a delight.

Played 18 here for the first time Sunday. Very relaxed feel and not stuffy at all. Everyone was…read morevery friendly and it felt like a community vibe. Challenging for the red tees--great if you're trying to get better, or if you're drawn to the sand traps like I am. Very friendly and helpful staff. Do wish some of the cart paths weren't being redone--very muddy and sometimes not driveable. The food at the club was very good. Highly recommend the shrimp tacos and the sweet potato fries. I have a list of other things on that list to try. Super cute outfits in the pro shop. Loved the patterns and the wide array of options. Would love to come back.

We went here for a wedding. It was a beautiful venue! The ceremony was held on the lawn at 4pm…read more Cocktail hour was outside in the patio. And dinner and dancing was in the dim all room. All the workers were friendly, helpful and hard working. The venue itself was beautiful! Decorations and ambiance was wonderful. Weather cooperated. People seemed happy with their food. I had their beef, while my friend had halibut. We both ate all our food! The women's bathroom was impressive! It had fabric hand towels along with a refreshing station: breath mints, hair spray, dry shampoo, panty liners, tampons, gentle face wipes, and slippers! It was awesome. All the girls were happy for the night! The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because there were several, not just one, issues with the sound system and the music during the ceremony. I don't know how much it cost, but because this is a private golf club, I have higher standards for making sure the audio was correct if it was my wedding. The person played the wrong song for the bride's walk down the aisle, they had to restart the bridesmaid song because it wasnt long enough, the officiant's lavalier microphone kept cutting out, and the hand held mic for the bride and groom to say their vows didn't even work so they had to use the officiant's lavalier. It might be my protective nature and wanting my friend (the bride) to have an amazing wedding. Overall it was great.

My wife and I had a blast at the UNC Ophthalmology holiday party held at the Governors Club in…read moreChapel Hill earlier this month. Simply put, it was a great event with excellent and food, drink, and service provided by the club. There was a dance floor and DJ too. I hadn't heard of the Governors Club until we were invited to this event. I looked up the club online beforehand. The first comparison that came to mind for me is TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia (outside of Atlanta), just because I'm from Atlanta and I'm familiar with TPC Sugarloaf. Both are private, gated, country club communities with lots of big houses and 27 holes of golf. In the case of Governors Club, the course was designed by Jack Nicklaus. I thought it was impressive/interesting, but not too surprising, that Chapel Hill had a private neighborhood like this. It's something you expect to find in bigger metropolitan areas, but Chapel Hill and the Triangle do have affluent populations that can support a neighborhood of this scale. According to the club's website, this is the only private golf club community in the Triangle that is gated. There are over 900 homes. It's a big site. Doing a quick view of available homes, I saw a 3-bed, 3-bath, 3,600-square-foot home with a list price of $750,000 up to a 4-bed, 6-bath, 8,325-square-foot home with a list price of $2,785,000. Not your typical Triangle home prices. We visited at night, so I wasn't able to get a good look at the houses and golf course as we made the windy drive to the clubhouse. But from what I was able to see, the Governors Club neighborhood reminded me of what Lee Trevino once said about the Country Club of the South in Johns Creek, Georgia -- words to the effect of, "Every house is a clubhouse." I don't think it was that pronounced here, but the thought did come to mind. There are other clubs with the name "Governors Club" or similar around the country. For example, in Acworth, Georgia, there's Governors Towne Club. The course there was designed by Wake Forest grad Curtis Strange, but I digress. *This* Governors Club was founded in 1988. Despite its age, the parts of the clubhouse that I saw looked up-to-date and in great condition. It's a sign of a healthy membership and perhaps a thriving club, in my opinion. I've been in my fair share of country club clubhouses over the past three decades. Some clubs have fared better than others since the Great Recession. Governors Club looks good. I guesstimate the party I attended had roughly 80+ guests. There were two parties going on the Saturday night of our visit, one on the first floor of the clubhouse and ours on the second floor. The room was beautiful, floor to ceiling. Just really nice and elegant - what you'd expect of a top-tier club. There was a bar, dinner buffet, carving station, and a dessert table. As mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, I thought the food, drink, and service was excellent. The buffet had Caesar salad, a variety of pastas (meat, seafood, vegetarian), and enchiladas. The carving station featured beef tenderloin. The desserts were a colorful assortment of mini, finger-food desserts, from small cheesecake bites to cones filled with delectable vanilla and chocolate frosting. I thought the chef(s) and staff did a wonderful job. The Christmas tree inside the front part of the clubhouse was gorgeous, as was the clubhouse in general. They did a terrific job with the look and decor here. It was classy, modern, and stylish. I'd love to return and play 18 sometime.

have played this course approximately 20 times over the years. it has been one of my favorites…read more at this time they are renovating their clubhouse and are operating out of a trailer with a food truck to provide meal service. obviously the renovation is needed and will result in a better experience when completed. the cart paths have been repaired which was much needed and a positive. the carts, however do not have GPS. no discounts offered for seniors on weekday greens fees of $125. considering the current lack of amenities I feel like Legacy is overpriced.

It was on our play list for several years and we played it alot when in the area , but with what…read morethey are presenting after the renovations and price increase while they sounded promising we won't go back until we here much better reviews in all aspects.

Went here for Father's day. It is a pretty good way to spend some time with friends and family. I…read morehave learned, however, eat before you come. Not a huge fan of the food, and selection. The drinks are pretty good, and they have a lot of non-alcoholic selections that are flavored teas or whatever. Lots of mixed drinks as well. The play is fun. You can bring in your own clubs, but for the most part it is amateur, so don't worry if you cant hit the ball a mile. Most people use a lot of mulligans. Always a couple show offs that think they are pros, but whatever makes them happy. The games are cute, and great for 6 or less people. We always have fun, especially when the worst one there always wins because some of the higher scoring "drives" are the chippers that barely make it off the tee. I like hitting from the 2nd or 3rd floor, just seems cooler, but maybe I'll try bottom next time. The only negatives are the sometimes poor service (I always love when I see my server for a greet and then to shut off my lane a get the bill :(... Also, it was pretty hot, and although shaded, the oscillating fan's in our particular bay were not moving and only pointing at the bay's to the right and to the left of us. We were by the door to the bar, through, and got a gush of refrigerated air once in a while...

Disappointing food, service, technology, and overall experience. I really hate that you have to pay…read morea fee to set up an account. I know that's all topgolf location but it's kind of a weird business practice. Also it was hard to find the staff to help out or set up so I felt like we had to call them over to get any service. The technology kind of sucks. It wouldn't recognize a lot of hits we did and it was kind of disappointing. Also the waving technology to get the ball to come out took many attempts and was really slow. It also stopped prematurely so felt scammed out on the full time. Also the staff at the front doesn't really know any information on some of the deals. I asked about the monthly membership and the stuff just said look online as they didn't know anything about it but it was advertised in front of them. I also wish there was a mode where you can just hit the ball and it tracks it stat wise with no game mode.

Very friendly staff. Very COVID prepared. Restrooms were very clean and I observed cleaning in…read moreprogress. They allowed single use of cart too. Grade A+ Oh yea, the golf course. Putting and chipping greens were very nice. Grade A I wondered why the practice tee was still limited to the mats (they have turf too). I'm guessing with the well above average amount of play, they were very busy the day I was there, the practice area would get chewed up rather quickly. Grade B- Interesting layout. Very walkable. Grade A Greens were in excellent condition but more than a few had a lot of muddy spots along the edges. The 7th hole was bad at the front of green, as was 17. The reads were a bit tricky at times. There were a few holes where the pool noodles used in the holes were too high. Grade B Fairways were good, rough wasn't deep at all. A fair number divots that had been filled in with sand. No sand on the cards. If that is to be due to COVID, maintenace staff needs to more attentive. Grade B Several of the tee boxes need to be redone. Rock-hard and bare. And for Pete's sake, replace the tee markers, or at least paint them. Grade F I would not play from the senior tees if possible. The tips aren't that far back, except for a few holes. I like the place well enough to come back next time in town, but I urge the management to take a ride around the course and make notes for improvements. Some are easy fixed. Given the revenue golf course have generated in the past 3 months, no excuses this year. Overall Grade C+

Can't believe I paid to play this course today. The greens were a 4 out of 10 and that was the…read morehighlight.in the 9 holes played, I may had 5 shots on grass whether it be in the fairway or rough. On many tees you couldn't get a tee in the ground...and overprice. I would avoid

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

Chapel Ridge has a great lay-out for players of all levels. The condition of the course has…read moreimproved dramatically in the past 2-3 years. New greens, sand in bunkers, fairways in great condition. Good staff, excellent grill. It's a beautiful course and fun to play.

This is one of the top golf courses in the triangle ! The course is well manicured and the greens…read morefirst class! Staff is pleasant and bar and grill are great! Great food ! Especially hot dogs (wow)