City: Charlotte, NC

Category: Golf

Telephone: (704) 895-8038

Description: Legendary Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer designed this well-respected public course that opened in late 1996 across the street from Birkdale Village in Huntersville. The 18-hole championship course earned four stars from Golf Digest and has hosted numerous collegiate tournaments on its 7,013-yard layout. The course has generous fairways and greens, but plenty of water hazards, wetlands, and deep bunkers to prove challenging. The 18th is Birkdale’s signature hole, a par-4 that requires a second shot over water to an extremely difficult green to access. All the amenities of a private course are available—a lighted driving range; a complete short game practice area; Cape Cod–style clubhouse with golf shop, restaurant, and locker rooms; and an all-season special events pavilion with an oversize stone fireplace and an antique bar. Birkdale was purchased a few years ago by the San Diego–based IRI Golf Group, which operates a number of Charlotte-area courses under the umbrella of the “Carolina Trail.”