Ballantyne is your best bet. Waterford in Rock Hill and Springfield in Fort Mill are also pretty good courses run by good people.

Verdict Ridge (in Denver, NC, about 35 minutes north from down(up)town Charlotte).

Edgewater (in Lancaster, SC, about 45 minutes south)

A bit farther, Cleghorn Plantation (in Rutherfordton, NC, about 1 1/4 hours west)

Unfortunately, in my opinion, there aren’t any “must play” courses closer in. However, if I was going to choose some closer courses, I would put Skybrook, Olde Sycamore, Red Bridge, and Regent Park on the list.

Ballantyne is a decent layout and most consistently offers “resort” conditions in Charlotte. They punched their greens back in July so they should be in good shape. It’s all relative, but they are at the highest price point for daily fee courses in Charlotte, usually $75 or so. Especially given the greens issues that most courses have suffered, if the greens are in good shape the premium may be worth it. I would call and specifically ask about greens conditions.

Carolina Lakes on 521 is a great golf… the nicest around in my humble opinion and over the past 10 years I have played the crap out of every course within 45 miles… edgewater is also great.

verdict ridge / red bridge / cramer mountain are some of the best courses in area

Hate to say, as I was a fan the first time I played, but the conditions now at Cramer Mountain are not good – like many course, it’s the greens: bare spots, poa anna (sp?), just not good.

CJ,If you want great carolina BBQ you need to try Gary’s BBQ in China Grove ,NC on hwy 29N. or Lexington BBQ in Lexington ,NC off I-85.Both are north of Charlotte between 35 minutes to an hour.Also,Red Bridge in Locust,N.C. just east of Charlotte or the Warrior in China Grove are two good courses to try.

this time of year be sure to call any golf course you choose to see if they have punched the greens. many do at the end of sept beginning of oct. takes about 3 weeks to heal. played fox den (30 min north of charlotte) great conditions and female friendly. great layout. don’t let eagle chases pictures fool you. very fair course and the ladies tees will give you the advantage. open fairways no blind shots (no houses either). carolina lakes has huge fast greens, but if you don’t get it on the right tier watch the score rise. use clickitgolf.com (via the links here on Bman’s site) to buy rounds cheaper than at the proshop most times.

Ballantyne will give you the nicest lodging and best restaurant options – I would strongly recommend that unless budget directs otherwise. You can still get to Verdict Ridge in less than 45 minutes from Ballantyne.

My strong recommendations for courses in the best shape and most memorable would be 1) Verdict Ridge, 2) Edgewater, 3) Olde Sycamore, 4) Ballantyne. Stonebridge, Carolina Lakes, and Emerald Lake are good courses, just not up there with my top 4. Waterford’s greens are great, but after a 5 hour round there yesterday I won’t be going back.

I would stay away from Charlotte National, Skybrook, and Eagle Chase because of current conditions. For me, Warrior is not worth the drive (while Verdict Ridge is).

I wouldn’t worry too much about driving times; as long as you avoid rush hours Charlotte is pretty easy to navigate and you can get to every course mentioned from anywhere in Charlotte in less than 45 minutes.

Around Mooresville Verdict Ridge hands down, then Glen Oaks, then Fox Den. Willing to travel to Red Bridge or Rocky River, can’t go wrong with either of those.

I would definitely go with Verdict Ridge. Glen Oaks is a great course close by. Red Bridge is a beauty as well but a hike from the lake. Fox Den is not in the same class as those three.