City: Charlotte, NC

Category: Golf

Telephone: (704) 248-4383

Address: 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway

Description: The Golf Club at Ballantyne is an 18-hole resort course located 25 minutes from Uptown off I-485 in upscale south Charlotte. This rolling, tree-lined daily-fee course does not have a “name” architect. It was a collaboration design between owner Smoky Bissell and the course construction firm. It opened in 1998 to much fanfare and was named the Best New Course in North Carolina by the North Carolina Golf Panel. The course is not overly long, 6,710 yards from the back tees and a par of 71. The original design had several wonderful holes and a couple of clunkers. A renovation project in 2008 addressed those issues and converted the greens from bent grass to the latest hybrid Bermuda grass. The closing hole is particularly memorable as golfers hit their tee shots on this dogleg left straight for the grand hotel, being careful not to reach the pond just below the edifice.Ballantyne Golf Club is also home to the Dana Rader Golf School. Both Dana and her school are nationally ranked for instruction. After the round relax in a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse filled with antiques, locker rooms, golf shop, lounge, and grill. Non-golfers can enjoy the resort’s luxurious spa and nearby shopping. Tee times may be made seven days in advance.