- "Great course"
Played Olde Beau twice last weekend in my first visit to this mountain resort course in Roaring Gap, NC. What a treat! The views and the challenges of this layout were both breathtaking. This is a true mountain course with dramatic elevation challenges from tee to green.
Several holes have blind tee shots and approaches. So it helps to drive up and preview the hole before hitting. The course also provides a guidebook with tips and of course if you use a GPS app like TheGrint you can get layup yardages and distances to hazards. I will caution you to take the elevation changes into account when you are calculating your distances even for layups. The downhill slopes can run your ball into trouble.
The Bentgrass greens were in good shape but not overly fast, which made the slopes manageable. Tees, fairways and bunkers were all well-maintained - with the except of the No. 13 tee. These tees are so heavily shaded it is difficult to keep grass on them - similar to the problems that Warrior Golf Club had with No. 7 before cutting down trees.
All of the par 5’s are reachable in two and the course is very scoreable once you know how to navigate the blind shots and severe slopes. No. 2 is probably my favorite of the par 5’s with a good tee shot giving you a tempting risk-reward decision for your 2nd shot, which will be either a 150-175 yard shot over a pond or a skinny layup up the fairway to get past a cluster of trees.
No. 17 is the trickiest of the par 5’s with a blind landing area off the tee that is severely sloped down and to the left. It’s easy to hit it too far and get into trouble. The second shot is the most dramatic drop on the course to a green protected by a small pond.
The par 4 15th green features one of the most beautiful views in the Carolinas. Take your time and enjoy the scenery. You’ll also want to pay your respects to the club’s namesake. The owner’s dog Beau is buried behind the green and memorialized with a plaque.
The 9th and 18th holes are two of the toughest in this layout with both requiring accurate tee shots and steeply uphill, blind approach shots.
The club is located in Roaring Gap, about 2 hours from Charlotte but fairly convenient to I-77. There are dozens of cozy villas right on the course that make for a nice stay-and-play trip.
I highly recommend making the drive and playing this gem. It’s a thrilling round of golf with some majestic mountain views. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
This course was in wonderful shape. Greens were great, fairways were good and a few tee box’s could use work but nothing crazy. You need to learn when to leave the driver alone and play smart. The views while playing were awesome, especially the signature par 4 hole 15. First time playing here and I plan on making many trips back to play it. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Course was super nice!! Greens rolled amazing!!! It cost me $143 for myself and my 14 yr old junior player with two range tokens. The views were stunning on the back 9. Lot of shots I was guessing on club selection. For that price carts should have GPS. Greens were fairly flat to be a mountain course, but man they were nice. 1 hour 40 minute drive is a little to far for a round of golf, but I love the mountain courses. Read The Review
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- "Worth playing"
1st time playing, there’s some wild holes, blind shots, huge elevation changes, and some punishing misses. Greens were quick and rolled true. Fairways were very hairy everywhere and wet in spots. Apparently they got 16 inches of rain last week so that’s probably why they haven’t been able to cut the fairways but it was the equivalent of the second cut anywhere else. A second look is probably needed to give a fair final verdict. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Olde Beau is in great shape...They had just aerated and sanded the greens but I can't fault them for that. I didn't see the "aeration alert" on Golfnow when I set up the tee time. Fairways, rough and teeboxes all were all lush and full. Funky, funky course that makes you think through every shot. Well worth the drive. Read The Review
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- "Great course"
Great course, and played it the week it opened so still relatively quiet. The course is incredibly challenging, with some great views. THe course has a ton of elevation so expect to walk alot. Some of the holes have experienced some issues, but that's to be expected at the beginning of the season. Course would have gotten 5 stars had they offered a course layout or map on the scorecard, since alot of the holes are blind. Read The Review
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- "Best of the best"
My favorite North Carolina course. It's about 1 1/2 hours up I-77 from Charlotte near the Blue Ridge Pkwy and spittin' distance from the Eastern Continental Divide. Played there last year. Loved it. Took a day off this year to make the trip and play two rounds (18 hole replay is $25). Spectacular views especially on the back.
Up & down or left & right slopes are a near constant. Old Beau is well-thought out and challenging without being gimmicky. At least two holes are right-angle doglegs. One par three demands a shot crowded by trees while another is to a green waaaay way down there surrounded by dense greenery but also includes ball saving embankments.
I'm a walker. This course is unwalkable. At two points the incline was so severe the cart wouldn't go up. Twice I found myself sliding backwards!
If you can't see what your shot might be headed into drive the cart ahead and look. Several holes have huge areas that lure your shot into a lost ball abyss. On the good side of that I got on a couple of par-5s in three because the fairway slope gave my club another 30-40 yards!
Greens are spectacular. Not pretty. Kind of splotchy. But they're fast, soft (on a Monday a maintenance guy was out soaking them down) and run beautifully true. Most of my high score was from reading breaks that weren't there. (Guy in the clubhouse said I was overthinking it.)
Heat might take a bit more of a tole through August, it was unusually hot for that elevation. But If I have a complaint it was having to wait for sprinklers to turn out of the way.
Guarantee you have never seen any hole on a public course in the Charlotte area similar to #17 at Old Beau. If you're a skier, think double-black diamond steep from about 150 yards out to about 50 yards from the green, which is steeply elevated. To the right, a babbling brook. If you keep it in the middle you will be on in three. What a hoot. Read The Review
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