The hardest golf courses in Raleigh, North Carolina
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 27 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Durham, Clayton, Chapel Hill, Cary, Wake Forest and 2 more nearby towns.
The Club at 12 Oaks
Holly Springs, NC, USASlope rating 148, 75.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,093 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus
- 4.0Conditions
- 2.5Layout
- 2.5Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
Was in good nick when I played it and overall enjoyed it. Putted off the green into a hazard on the 4th (I think it was the 4th, stupidly severe green).
Written by
@Bugsy5746
- Driving range
- Fast greens
- Restaurant
Duke University Golf Club
Durham, NC, USASlope rating 142, 74.8 course rating, Championship tees, 7,154 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Rees Jones
- 4.1Conditions
- 3.8Layout
- 3.3Value
- 3.4Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
This course is an absolute masterclass. It forces you to shape the ball both ways and hit all the clubs in your bag. If you aren’t striking your irons well you might be in for a long day. The greens at Duke are diabolical. They are both super quick and have tons of break.
Written by
@Young Tom Morris
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Lonnie Poole Golf Course
Raleigh, NC, USASlope rating 142, 74.4 course rating, NC State Competition tees, 7,358 yds
PublicArnold Palmer
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 3.5Value
- 3.6Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
The transfusions, practice facility, course layout, and greens were all tremendous. The quality of course you get for the price is pretty incredible. Also, some awesome views of the city skyline from some of the tee boxes.
Written by
@Young Tom Morris
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
Devils Ridge Golf Club
Holly Springs, NC, USASlope rating 142, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,032 yds
PrivateJohn LaFoy
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 2.3Scenery
- 4.9Facilities
This is a really good layout. Lots of changes in elevation. Being in a neighbourhood there is out of bounds left and right on most holes so you need to drive it straight. The greens really struggle in the Summer heat, bent grass can’t handle it.
Written by
@Bugsy5746
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Restaurant
Hasentree Golf Club
Wake Forest, NC, USASlope rating 142, 74.2 course rating, Gold tees, 7,074 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.0Scenery
- 2.8Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Mat range
The Preserve at Jordan Lake Golf Club
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.0 course rating, Love tees, 7,107 yds
Lochmere Golf Club
Cary, NC, USA
Slope rating 139, 71.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,627 yds
The UNC Finley Golf Club
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,223 yds
River Ridge Golf Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,769 yds
TPC at Wakefield Plantation
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 137, 75.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,257 yds
Falls Village Golf Club
Durham, NC, USA
Slope rating 137, 73.8 course rating, Gold tees, 6,905 yds
Brier Creek Country Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,029 yds
Hope Valley Country Club
Durham, NC, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,453 yds
Eagle Ridge Golf Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,904 yds
Old Chatham Golf Club
Durham, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 75.5 course rating, Championship tees, 7,247 yds
Raleigh Country Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.5 course rating, Burgundy tees, 6,869 yds
MacGregor Downs Country Club
Cary, NC, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.4 course rating, Gold tees, 7,003 yds
The Neuse Golf Club
Clayton, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 74.1 course rating, Black tees, 7,010 yds
Heritage Golf Club
Wake Forest, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 7,016 yds
Carolina Country Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 70.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,304 yds
Reedy Creek Golf Course
Four Oaks, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 70.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,426 yds
The Crossings Golf Club
Durham, NC, USA
Slope rating 131, 71.1 course rating, Black Duck tees, 6,575 yds
Wildwood Green Golf Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 131, 70.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,473 yds
Hedingham Golf Club
Raleigh, NC, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,529 yds
Pine Hollow Golf Course
Clayton, NC, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,508 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Raleigh, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Club at 12 Oaks is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Raleigh, North Carolina at Slope 148 (75.1 course rating · Gold tees · 7,093 yds). 27 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Raleigh, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Raleigh, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:00 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
