Grandfather Golf and Country Club---Linville, NC

Rankings as of 6/26/2010--
98th best course in the US, 4th best course in North Carolina (Golf Digest)

Grandfather is a wonderful Country Club located in the mountains of northwest North Carolina. The setting is
stunningly beautiful and the vibe is one of total comfort and serenity. As for the course, it certainly has that feeling
of beautiful comfort and serenity...but with a dash of exhilaration.

The course was designed by Ellis Maples, who was a protege of the legendary Donald Ross. It is said that Ross
influenced Maples in many ways, not the least of which was his style in golf course design. The greens at
Grandfather are strikingly similar to the world famous Ross greens on Pinehurst #2...domed, shell-backed, and
severely sloping on the sides all designed to repel approach shots that are mis-hit and/or slightly long or short.

However a striking difference between the two courses is focused on the openness of #2 versus the tree-lined

fairways of Grandfather.

As you approach the greens at Grandfather, you get that Ross-Pinehurst feeling.

But on the tee box, you feel more like you are standing tall at Harbour Town. Throw in the mountains engulfing the

course and you get a real mixed bag of feelings at Grandfather.

Even stranger than that jumbled bunch of memories and feelings is that fact that the clubhouse very much had a

Mid-Pines and Pine Needles type of feeling. And quite frankly, this is a bit of a shame as Grandfather is a great

course and club in its own right. But I simply couldn't shake the deja vu feelings I seemed to have at every twist and

turn.

The course is wonderfully routed through the mountains to give the golfer an enjoyable walking experience with a
variety of challenges including long par 4's, short par 4's, wide open par 3 approaches, Redan style par 3 shots,
and challenging par 5 holes.

From the Blue tees the course measures 6,685 yards and is rated 72.5/138.