Charlotte Area Country Clubs
Country Clubs don’t get much better than Quail Hollow, site of the 2022 Presidents Cup , the 2017 PGA Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour. Membership is by invitation, and includes many PGA tour players including Phil Mickelson and Webb Simpson. If moving down from the Northeast you will appreciate the overseeding on this entire property- no dormant brown bermuda grass as is a common complaint of golfers not accustomed to Southern golf. Membership is kept below 400 people so that no tee times are needed! Quail was built by Charlotte CC members that were tired of the fight for a Saturday morning tee time.
The Club at Longview is the only other club in the area that has no tee times. It is a beautiful gated community just outside the beltway in southern Charlotte with a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. Concert Golf Partners purchased the club in December. They have an impressive portfolio, bringing great reciprocals. So if you play a lot of client golf, this is a great choice. The level of service is unlike any you have experienced, and they will be blown away by the incredible conditioning of this course! The club is just 20 years young, but is built with old world charm. The European/ Old England Architecture extends to all the $Million+ homes that require an architectural review to keep the theme. There are a few choice golf lots left here that are not comparably expensive. But if you live elsewhere in Charlotte, they have a new Non-Resident category with a smaller initiation. Monthly dues are just north of $1k. If you are living outside the gates and below 40 years young, your initiation is $45k with dues of $680 per month. The F&B minimums are low at just $1200 per year. Concert has an impressive reciprocal network with their owned clubs (the beautiful McGregor Downs CC in Cary being the closest). Members are also members in the Links2Golf network of 713 clubs throughout the world (includes the TPC clubs)!
Charlotte Country Club and Carmel CC have played host to USGA National Championships. Charlotte CC has an Donald Ross course that is many peoples favorite in town. No need to talk much about membership there. It requires a thorough vetting of your finances and family. Which you can only subject yourself to if you know a member that is willing to invite you. Carmel has recently renovated the clubhouse at a cost of $20,000,000 with no assessments! They are keeping up with the times, adding more patio seating and live music on some weekends. Carmel costs $90k initiation, and $500-$700 per month in Dues. It is the club of choice for Greg Olsen and many other former Panthers. It has 2 courses that meander thru hilly terrain, with homes only on the edges of the property.
Another club in this echelon is Myers Park CC. It is in the best location in Charlotte for the Bored in the boardroom, just a 4 mile drive from Uptown. The golf course was renovated based on Donald Ross’s original drawings, bringing back many of the square greens and making them larger. The facilities have been expanded and renovated ($25 million got rid of the musty mode to more patio dining). There are many very good golfers among the membership here, but impromptu rounds can be tough to get.
A little farther out from the city center are and Firethorne CC and TPC Piper Glen, which was the site of the Home Depot Invitational on the Champions PGA Tour. They are owned by Invited (formerly ClubCorp), so if you travel often you can also access the 176 city, stadium, and Country Clubs in their network. so you get reciprocals up to four rounds per month with a maximum of two rounds per club (play rates and cart fees apply) per month Sunday Noon – Friday Noon. And Piper Glen has the TPC reciprocals, as well.
Just north of Charlotte, Davidson, is the quaint as can be town at Davidson College. It sits alongside the beautiful Lake Norman. Just east of town is a top 3 layout in the Charlotte area -River Run CC, once the host of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. It is a beautiful hilly course that is very tough from the tips but very playable from the forward tees. There are great home values here, as well.
Cedarwood CC and Raintree CC are adjacent to Piper Glen in southeast Charlotte, near Matthews. If you purchase real estate in some neighborhoods in Raintree Village the $30,000 initiation fee is waived!!! call Todd Farlow at (704) 293-5670 or text for details and to set up an automated email when a home with your criteria hits the market. Raintree has two courses that are very hilly with many scenic water hazards. Walking here will get you in great shape! The layouts are interesting – The South course lets you play all of your clubs, while the shorter North requires you to carve your drives (unless you are a bomber cutting the corners). Both have some beautiful short iron approaches to well bunkered Donald Ross style elevated greens.
If your work has you traveling mainly in the Carolinas, consider the renovated Providence CC. Members get playing privilege at sister properties- many of the finest clubs in the Carolinas, including Old North State Club (the 7th ranked course in NC, which is just an hour away), and Sedgefield Country Club, the Donald Ross designed gem in Greensboro that hosts The Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour each August.
Jack Nicklaus designed The Palisades near Lake Wylie. The course was carved out of thick forest that will eat golf balls if you are not on your game! A players course, no doubt. Membership costs $6000 initiation and $469/mo. with $200 quarterly food minimums. If you are under 31, the Associate Level saves you 75% on Initiation. It and the Junior Membership (up to age 40), have reduced monthly dues of $285. The Guest fees range from $75 to $125. House Guests (up to 7 day stay) pay $80 for access to the pool, tennis, fitness, and golf (paying cart fees only).
Raintree Country Club:
Initial Membership Fees: Golf: $30,000 (waived if you buy property* -call or text Todd for details 704.293.5670)
Monthly Fee: Golf: $547 Social: $241
Quarterly Dining Minimum: $125
Ballantyne Country Club
Members here get to enjoy the many restaurants of the area with complimentary child watching on weekends (as well as during the day on weekdays). There is plenty of space for the kids to play hide and seek in the 45,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with 5 pools.
Firethorne Country Club:
Initial Membership Fees: Golf: $15,000
Monthly Fee: Golf: $460; Social: $240
Quarterly Dining Fee: $120
Northstone Country Club:
Initial Membership Fees: None
Monthly Fee: Annual memberships range from $1,015 (social) to $4,750 (family).
Quarterly Dining Fee: No dining fee; no minimum spending requirements
Trump National Golf Club, Charlotte
Beautiful Cape Cod architecture with a course around Lake Norman designed by Greg Norman.
Initial Membership Fees: Call (704) 293-5670
Providence Country Club:
Initial Membership Fees: $22,500
Monthly Fee: $562
Dining Fee: $50/month food minimum
River Run Country Club:
Great layout. A really fun course. Hosted the Korn Ferry tour Championships a few years ago. Initial Membership Fees: Non-refundable: $5,000 – $20,000
Monthly Fee: $465
Quarterly Dining Fee: $200 minimum plus $30 service charge
TPC Piper Glen:
Champions Tour venue from 1990-2001: The Home Depot Invitational
Initial Membership Fees: Golf: $7,500 – $15,000; Social: $1,500 – $5,000
Monthly Fee: Golf: $309 – included in membership; Social: $35 – $180
Quarterly Dining Fee: $150
Carolina Golf Club:
Initial Membership Fees: Golf: $25,000
Monthly Fee: $500
Quarterly Dining Fee: $150
A Donald Ross design that has many young members. It’s all about the golf here. The course was recently renovated into a links style. Clubhouse and pool have a great view of the Charlotte skyline. A fun crowd.
Other area clubs that are near Charlotte include Pine Island CC, Rolling Hills CC, River Hills CC, The Peninsula Club, and Gaston CC (a great golf course with homes just on the edges).
- The membership fees and categories are subject to change. Call to discuss your priorities in your Charlotte club and assistance on finding the perfect area of Charlotte for your family. And when it is time to find your home, I would love to be your buyers agent.
- 704.293.5670 Todd Farlow, Realtor www.toddfarlow.com
Country Club Choices 
Does Palisades have a young executive membership rate? If so can you please advice initiation and monthly dues. Thank you sir.
Yes, Taylor, the monthly dues are $285 if you are under 40 years old. The dues increase to the regular rate of $469 when you turn 40. Stay young!