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Description

This course is located just 5 minutes off I-85 near the University area. It features elevated tees and greens with many hills and rolling fairways. The Tradition was designed by John Cassell, II and opened for play in 1996. This par 72 course has retained it noticeable privacy over the years and remains nestled in its natural surroundings. In the summer of 2021, the course changed over to Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens.

Notes

Several different monthly memberships available, including reciprocity at Pinnacle Golf Properties sister courses like The Divide, Highland Creek, Skybrook, Tega Cay and Waterford.

B-Man's Take

This course doesn't offer many surprises. It's pretty much straightforward. The holes get tough mostly because of some large, severely sloped, elevated greens and too much brush in the woods causing balls to get lost. It does have 3 sets of Men's tees, ranging from 6100 yards to almost 7000. The forward White tees at 6121 yds offer plenty of challenge even with several par 4's under 340 and all four par 5's under 500. From any tee, the 528 yard par 5 3rd hole will be tough, with a ditch to carry for your second shot that turns uphill and to the right. The green was the toughest on the course -- a large, severely sloped dome. I like the 547 yard par 5 14th hole, which gives you a chance to reach in 2. All-in-all, a fun course to play.

Most Recent Reviews

• 7/8/26 - Review by RidgeMan

  "Never going back"

  We played during the 9:00 a.m. hour. The woman handling check-ins was very pleasant, welcoming, and informative. She was giving $8 discounts because the “greens were just cut”—which, as it turned out, was appreciated but didn’t come close to making up for the course conditions. The warm-up area is disappointing. Separate from the TopTracer facility, it’s extremely small and realistically accommodates only about 4–6 golfers at a time. The fairways were average at best, with several bare dirt areas throughout the course. The greens, however, were by far the biggest disappointment. They had deep grooves from recent mowing or maintenance, and sand was spread so heavily that several greens looked like concrete from the fairways. Putting conditions were terrible. The grounds crew also seemed in no hurry to clear the way for golfers, forcing us to wait on multiple occasions. Overall, this was the poorest-conditioned golf course I’ve played in the Charlotte area. I’m glad I gave it a try because I won’t be going back.

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• 6/17/26 - Review by Twitch

  "Worth playing"

  Kind of a mixed bag on this review. I rarely play on the north side of town and this was my first time playing here. Did not realize at time of booking that this is part of the Charlotte Mecklenburg parks system (more on that later). This facility and course certainly has its quirks. There is a driving range at the front of the facility which is inaccessible by carts if you're playing a round. The back of the range is accessible by carts and is grass but limited in space. Personally I am not a fan of the course design. Played the green tees and felt like there were a number of holes where the hole design forced you to hit less than driver into some awkward second shots. Had several holes where the fairway slopes off into an abyss of a creek. As it is a county parks course I should not have been surprised that it was loud at times. I heard a number of f-bombs from adjacent holes (and a few holes which were not so close....). Finishing on a high note here. Although I didn't care for the course itself it was in really good shape. Greens and tees were in great shape. There are some areas of wash out adjacent to cart paths but this did not affect play. Hats off to the grounds crew there who are doing a great job on what I assume is limited resources. Staff was nice and friendly.

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• 11/18/25 - Review by GinMillDJ

  "Worth playing"

  Fairways and tough are starting to go dormant. Greens were super fast and in good condition except for several lazy golfers

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• 7/7/24 - Review by Dean

  "Great course"

  Enjoyed playing the Tradition. Fairly tight course and challenging off the tee - it could be a long day if you're spraying the driver. Fairways were in very good shape and greens were smooth and decent speed. We teed off at 11:00 am on a Sunday and got around in just over 4 hours - we only waited on one hole. A few of the par 3 tee boxes were a little rough, but overall very good course conditions. Very challenging layout and a course I'll definitely play again. I would recommend playing this course.

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• 6/1/24 - Review by Opow

  "Average"

  Nice course that was in decent shape. Pace of play was slow and Marshall did nothing to move the group in front of us. When we got to 13 hole we could see they were two holes behind group in front of them. Other than pace of play would recommend course.

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Updates From the Forum

• 04/15/21 - B-Man posted "3 Courses To Be Renovated This Year"

  Just got some very interesting and exciting news... three Charlotte-area courses will be getting new Bermuda greens this year:
  
  Harry L. Jones Sr. Course (formerly Renaissance Park)
  Tradition Golf Club
  Birkdale Golf Club
  
  Exact timing is not set yet but I should be able to confirm dates within a week or two. These will likely be summer to early Fall projects, similar to the renovation of The Divide last year.
  
  The Harry Jones renovation is one step in a long-range master plan that sounds amazing. I can't share details just yet but what I've heard so far sounds really cool!
  
  Stay tuned!
  View this thread

• 05/18/14 - scott replied to "Tradition"

  Played the tradition Today, we were pleasantly surprised by the conditions, some teeboxes were rough. The genes were in great shape, esp. Considering the disaster they were in.
  Hope the new owner group keeps up the good work!
  View this thread

• 04/26/14 - B-Man posted "Statement from the new owners of the CT courses"

  In case you are not on Clickit's mailing list, they sent out this statement from the new management company of the Carolina Trail courses. I'm not sure why it doesn't mention Waterford. We already know Charlotte Golf Links is closed for good and Skybrook has got a new owner.
  
  "As you have probably heard, a foreclosure process was recently completed with respect to Birkdale Golf Club, The Divide Golf Club, Highland Creek Golf Club and Tradition Golf Club. As a result of that process, effective April 8, 2014, Romspen Birkdale LLC / Romspen Divide LLC / Romspen Highland Creek LLC / Romspen, The Tradition LLC is now the owner of the respective courses.
  
  The new owners are committed to returning the golf courses to their r! ightful place as some of the best daily fee facilities in the Charlotte area and have retained the services of Traditional Golf Management to operate the day to day business. We understand that this has been a very volatile environment and we are confident that the new ownership and management will provide the much needed stability that these clubs need. We are currently working on both operating and capital plans that will allow us to show continuous improvement in the facilities and service levels at the clubs.
  
  New membership programs are in place and special considerations are being given to those that held memberships under the previous ownership. Please contact the respective golf club for more information on the membership details (including the revised pricing for weekday sports members).
  
  We are excited to begin the process of restoring these courses to the quality that was enjoyed years ago. We look forward to earn! ing back your business and seeing you on the golf course."%3! Cbr />
  -Traditional Golf Management
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• 04/08/14 - Wulfpack posted "Carolina Trail Has New Owner"

  A Canadian lender has taken ownership of four Charlotte-area golf courses that were part of the troubled Carolina Trail group, according to letters from the company.
  
  After the foreclosure process, Toronto-based Romspen is the new owner of the Birkdale, Highland Creek, The Divide and The Tradition golf clubs, the letters say. The new ownership is effective as of Tuesday.
  
  Carolina Trail golf courses have new owner
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• 05/18/11 - DrSchteeve posted "More aeration!"

  At least these 3 Carolina Trail courses are doing "light aeration" - 1/2" holes instead of 1", still top dressing with sand - apparently to try to avoid the fungus issues they had last summer and fall
  Highland Creek 5/18
  Tradition 5/23
  Skybrook 5/31
  
  View this thread