When people think of Asheville, they think of craft beer, mountain views, and the Biltmore Estate. Golfers in the know think of all that — plus a concentration of historic and scenic courses that puts this small mountain city in rare company. The Asheville area has three separate courses designed by Donald Ross, the legendary Scottish architect behind Pinehurst No. 2 and more than 400 courses across North America. Add a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course hosting its first PGA Tour event in 2026, and you have a golf destination that quietly punches well above its weight.
Dan and Diane, your innkeepers at Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast, are happy to help you plan your round. We’re located in Asheville’s walkable Montford Historic District — a short drive from most of these courses — and we’ve put together this guide to help you make the most of your time on and off the fairway.
The Donald Ross Story in Western North Carolina
Donald Ross was born in Dornoch, Scotland in 1872. He apprenticed under Old Tom Morris at St. Andrews, became the professional at Royal Dornoch, and emigrated to the United States in 1899. His base became Pinehurst, North Carolina, where he would spend the rest of his life designing courses that are still considered among the finest in the world.
What made Ross extraordinary wasn’t just volume — though he designed roughly 400 courses — it was philosophy. His layouts followed the natural contours of the land rather than imposing on them. His greens were crowned and complex, demanding imagination and precision in equal measure. A Ross course doesn’t look manufactured. It looks like it grew there.
Western North Carolina attracted Ross because the mountain topography suited his style perfectly. The rolling terrain, the natural drainage, the elevation changes — he used all of it. The result is a cluster of Ross designs within easy reach of Asheville that serious golfers travel from across the country to play.
The Omni Grove Park Inn Golf Course
This is the marquee Ross course in Asheville, and one of the most storied golf experiences in the South. Designed in 1926, the course winds through the rolling hillside below the historic granite inn, with views of downtown Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains from multiple holes. It has hosted PGA Tour events from 1933 through 1951, and the list of players who have walked these fairways includes Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and President Obama.
The course is open to the public — you don’t need to be a resort guest to book a tee time — and at 6,055 yards from the back tees (par 70), it plays shorter than modern courses but demands the kind of precise iron play and green-reading that Ross always intended. The elevated tee boxes provide excellent sight lines, and the bent-grass greens are as demanding as you’d expect from the architect who invented the turtleback.
Book directly through the Omni Grove Park Inn website. The course plays year-round.
Asheville Municipal Golf Course (The Muni)
Few courses in the South carry as much history as the Muni. Designed by Donald Ross in 1927, it holds two distinctions that have nothing to do with scorecard: it was the first public golf course in North Carolina, and it was the first municipally operated course in the the state to be racially integrated. The course is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Muni suffered significant flood damage in 2024, and the front nine is currently closed while a major restoration project is underway. The good news: the back nine has been open since October 2024, the restoration is being led by Forse Golf Design — a firm nationally recognized for Donald Ross course restoration work — and the course is aiming to fully reopen for its centennial year in 2027. It’s a course that the community rallied around, and it’s coming back stronger for it.
The back nine is available for play now. Check ashevillegc.com for current status, tee times, and rates. It remains one of the most affordable rounds in the region.
Black Mountain Golf Course
Seventeen miles east of Asheville in the town of Black Mountain, this 1929 course has a front nine originally designed by Donald Ross and a back nine that contains one of the most unusual holes in American golf: the 17th, a par 6 that once measured 747 yards — at one time the longest hole in the world. The yardage has been adjusted over the years, but the hole remains a curiosity and a challenge worth making the drive for.
Black Mountain is a friendly, unpretentious course with mountain views on nearly every hole. It’s the kind of place where you feel like a local the moment you arrive. The course also experienced storm damage in 2024 and has been working through its own restoration; check blackmountaingolf.org for current conditions before you go.
Black Mountain the town is worth the trip in its own right — the main street has good coffee, independent shops, and a pace that reminds you why people move to this part of the world.
Reems Creek Golf Club
Ten miles north of Asheville in Weaverville, Reems Creek is the course that consistently surprises visitors who aren’t expecting much from a daily-fee mountain layout. Designed by Hawtree & Sons and rated four stars on Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” list, the par-71 course plays through the foothills of the Blue Ridge with the kind of scenic variety that makes 18 holes feel like a tour of the region. Elevated tee boxes, fast greens, and dramatic mountain backdrops on the back nine.
Reems Creek is public, well-maintained, and genuinely fun to play. The clubhouse veranda is an excellent place to have lunch after your round, with views of the surrounding ridgeline. Book tee times at reemscreekgolf.com.
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove — Home of the Biltmore Championship
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is a private residential community in Arden, about 20 minutes south of downtown Asheville. Its golf course — a Jack Nicklaus Signature design — sits above 2,000 feet of elevation, bordered by the Pisgah National Forest, with bentgrass fairways, significant elevation changes, and the kind of mountain scenery that stops you mid-backswing. As a private club, the course isn’t open for public tee times.
You’ll get a chance to see the course from the gallery when The Cliffs at Walnut Cove hosts the inaugural Biltmore Championship in September 2026 — the first PGA Tour event in Asheville in more than 80 years and the opening event of the Tour’s new FedExCup Fall. It isn’t a one-off: the Tour has committed to Asheville through 2029, bringing the tournament back every September for four years.
If you’re planning to attend the Biltmore Championship, we’ve put together a complete guide to the week — including what to expect on the course, where to eat and explore between rounds, and how to make the most of your time in Asheville. Read our Biltmore Championship guide here.
Stay at Pinecrest — Close to the Courses, Close to Everything
Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast is an adults-only inn in Asheville’s Montford Historic District, about two miles from downtown. All of the courses in this guide are within a 30-minute drive, and we’re well-positioned for easy access to I-26 if you’re heading south toward Broadmoor, Fletcher, or Hendersonville.
We’re happy to help you plan your itinerary — whether that means recommending tee times, pointing you toward a great post-round dinner, or simply making sure your stay gives you plenty of time to enjoy both the golf and the city. Book direct for the best rate, and reach out with any questions before your arrival.
A small confession: Dan and Diane used to play real golf before they bought an inn. These days, between welcoming guests and keeping Pinecrest running, the level of golf they can manage is mini golf at Salt Face Mule — a local brewery in Woodfin with its own course. Honestly? It might be all you have time for too. And there’s beer.
Frequently Asked Questions: Golf Near Asheville
What are the best public golf courses near Asheville, NC?
The Omni Grove Park Inn Golf Course and Reems Creek Golf Club are the top public options. Both are well-maintained, scenic, and open to visitors without a membership. Asheville Municipal’s back nine is also available while front nine restoration continues.
Did Donald Ross design golf courses in Asheville?
Yes — Ross designed three courses in the Asheville area: the Omni Grove Park Inn Golf Course (1926), Asheville Municipal Golf Course (1927), and the front nine of Black Mountain Golf Course (1929). Western North Carolina has one of the densest concentrations of Ross designs in the South.
Can the public play The Cliffs at Walnut Cove?
The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is a private residential community and its Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is not open for public tee times. The best opportunity for visitors to experience the course is as a spectator during the Biltmore Championship in September.
What is the best time of year to golf near Asheville?
Asheville’s elevation keeps summer temperatures cooler than the rest of the Southeast — typically in the low 80s even in July and August — making it a comfortable year-round golf destination. Spring and fall offer ideal conditions. Most courses in the area operate year-round, weather permitting.
How far are Asheville golf courses from downtown?
The Omni Grove Park Inn is about 2 miles from downtown. Asheville Municipal is a few miles east. Reems Creek is 10 miles north in Weaverville. Black Mountain is 17 miles east. The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is approximately 20 miles south in Arden.