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Description

Daily fee public course designed by Arnold Palmer and located off the popular Birkdale exit 25 of I-77, north of uptown Charlotte. Located on 200 acres of rolling terrain, carved between tall pines and natural streams, Birkdale is a challenging 6,725 yard, par 71 course made up of Bermuda fairways and new MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens (2021), offering a true test for your short game and your flat stick. Palmer used four sets of tees at Birkdale to mix length with game strategy. Several holes feature watery approach shots into well guarded greens and a couple of short par-4’s are almost driveable. The 569 yard 5th hole brings this all together where your third shot must carry water over a rock-faced wall to a long, narrow green.

Notes

As the only public, daily-fee Arnold Palmer design in the Charlotte area, Birkdale Golf Club has always been a popular course and a treat to play. It has endured an interesting decade of ownership and management changes as well as a green renovation in 2021. Pinnacle Golf Properties now manages the course along with the other former Carolina Trail clubs, including nearby Skybrook and Highland Creek. The course was closed for most of 2023, necessitated by a large, $45 million commercial and residential development. The 2023 renovation included a redesign of the 9th hole into a par 3. Unfortunately, the development eliminated the popular, lighted driving range.

B-Man's Take

Years ago, I played here once or twice a season, then hardly at all as the course recovered from mismanagement. PGP has done a great job these past ten years getting the course back to playable conditions. and better value for your money -- including a complete renovation of the greens to convert them to Ultradwarf Bermudagrass in 2021. Then, less than 2 years later, the course had to close again while construction began on a commercial and residential development on the site of the driving range and 9th hole. It re-opened in November 2023 with a redesigned 9th hole (now a par 3) and no driving range. The course has many challenging holes with some tough carries over trouble. Many holes have doglegs and a couple of short par 4's are almost drive-able. The par 3 holes are all pretty tough, including the new No. 9 (197yards from the tips). Watch out for the 569yd par 5 5th hole where your 3rd shot must carry water to reach sucker pins in the front right corner. And good luck on the 436yd par 4 18th hole, which also has a tough carry over water and bunkers to a sloped green. This course has a great layout and would be a favorite of mine if the conditions were consistently good to match the price. It is getting back there finally. So check it out and post a review!

Links

Most Recent Reviews

• 11/26/24 - Review by gmnorris74

  "Bad, stay away"

  For the price you pay, the issues that we experienced this morning should not exist. Multiple tee boxes are in poor shape, multiple greens are in poor health with dead patches throughout, and overall maintenance seems lacking. While the layout itself is pretty decent other than some odd holes (9 and 18 stick out) it’s just a very mediocre course. When you take into account the price, the lack of warm up facilities, the constant construction noise, and the shape and health of the course, I don’t think I’ll be back for a while.

  Read The Review

• 7/20/24 - Review by The Don

  "Worth playing"

  Thought the layout was challenging, a fun Arnold Palmer design! Staff was very friendly, and course was not too busy even with a weekend tee time. it had rained a little the night before and course did not drain well. The lack of driving range is a minus, however the staff does well to mitigate problems with the parking lot. Overall a good experience, issues with the driving range prevent this from being one of my go to courses.

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• 6/2/24 - Review by JBradshaw49

  "Great course"

  Birkdale is still getting better! The golf shop is very well stocked with supplies, from premium to value. They just added Puma gear which makes sense since they carry Arnold Palmer stuff and it’s an Arnold Palmer course. Food menu is still lackluster: just Glizzies, Turkey, or Ham sandwiches. Great beer and liquor assortment and friendly bartenders. They now have a beverage cart heading through the course though I played 18 and never saw it. The course itself is in great shape. Greens were fast but rolling true. The rough is cut for a challenge if you miss a shot. The bunkers are hard packed which is surprising since they recently had the sand replaced. Tee boxes are sandy at this point and most holes need to be rotated. It’s still one of the very best public courses.

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• 5/5/24 - Review by JBradshaw49

  "Worth playing"

  I cannot wait for the parking lot to be done. It is slightly inconvenient to wait for the golf cart shuttle. Once you're there its a non issue. The clubhouse is cool but in need of serious updating. There was no food available just booze. They do fill coolers with ice for you and I dig that a lot. The pro shop is well stocked with product you actually want to buy. The course is in good shape. The bunkers around the greens are soft, the greens are receptive (except 9, which to be fair is a new green). I really enjoy this course and look forward to its return to glory.

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• 4/19/24 - Review by NCNole

  "Worth playing"

  I am happy to have the course back in operation. I miss the driving range and practice area. The course was in pretty good condition. There are some challenging holes. There is little to no water on 18 so it is a bit of an eyesore compared to the original design. GPS apps are not updated for the new 9th hole yet so you need a range finder or play like we used to 20 years ago without all the technology.

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Updates From the Forum

• 05/03/23 - B-Man posted "The 10 Best Golf Courses in the Lake Norman Area"

  I wrote this article for The Best of Lake Norman Podcast and will be on the show later this month to talk about it. I rank the 10 best golf courses in the Lake Norman, public and private. This article serves as a preview to my Top 10 list for Axios Charlotte of the Top 10 Public Golf Courses in the Charlotte area, which is coming out later this month. Spoiler Alert: 3 of the courses on the Lake Norman list also make the Charlotte Top 10 list. Here's the article: 10 Best Lake Norman Golf Courses (Public and Private)
  View this thread

• 12/26/22 - B-Man posted "Birkdale Closing for 8 Months"

  In case you missed the news, Birkdale Golf Club is closing for 8+ months while the redevelopment project begins construction. It should re-open late summer 2023 with a new par 3 9th hole and no driving range (!). I'll keep you posted on updates as I get them. Birkdale Golf Club will be closed beginning December 8, 2022
  View this thread

• 06/15/21 - KirklandSpecial posted "Birkdale CLOSED until August"

  Appears the new greens are going in at Birkdale. Walked up to practice and they said everything is dead and closed until some time in August.
  View this thread

• 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

• 06/17/20 - B-Man posted "Birkdale Re-Development Update"

  Saw this a few days ago giving a slight update on Re-Development at Birkdale, confirming that the current driving range and practice area (which is a nice one) will go away. The article notes that development work could begin by year's end.
  
  "The driving range is right where the expansion project is, so the range, along with its high protective fence, will disappear” said Principal Town Planner David Peete. Peete noted, however, that the owner could build a new driving range in the future, though that’s not currently in the plans."
  
  Birkdale Moves a Step Closer to a Mulligan
  View this thread