United States
North Carolina
About
The disc golfing traveller will find North Carolina offers plenty to see, do and play. From the peaks of the spectacular Appalachian & Smoky Mountains in the west through the Piedmont and bigger cities like Charlotte and Raleigh to the humid subtropical Atlantic Coast.
Gallery
Why Visit?
Explore the mountain region of North Carolina with the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway that winds its way from Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Through the Piedmont, the central belt of NC, you’ll find most of the top disc golf courses as well as the major cities and it’s where most of the state’s population live, work and study. It’s also where the fast growing tech and research hub is located in the Research Triangle around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. The North Carolina coastal plain is dominated by wetlands but go out further to the Outer Banks, or OBX, and you find beautiful beaches along the string of barrier islands that stretch almost along the entire coast. Earmark North Carolina for a must-do disc golf road trip and experience the best of the Tar Heel State at the same time.
Things to Do
The three distinct regions of North Carolina offer very different holiday vibes but there’s 450 disc golf courses spread across the state so wherever you travel, you’ll find a place to play. For an OBX or Outer Banks holiday, you have lots of accommodation, food options and beaches to explore. Nags Head is a popular coastal town with the Bodie Island Lighthouse and Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Drive up the coast past Kitty Hawk, the famous location where the Wright Brothers made their first flight and on to Corolla which is the best place to see the wild Spanish Mustang horses that are descendents of the shipwrecks and Spanish explorers. You’ll also find the Crystal Coast, on the southern part of the Atlantic Coast which is an 85 mile stretch of pristine family-friendly beaches.
Through the Piedmont, there’s Charlotte - the biggest US banking centre outside New York- and Raleigh, the state capital. There’s plenty of museums to explore both historic and new including the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Fort Bragg or for something a bit different try the Museum of the Bizarre in Wilmington. For golfers that might play disc golf too, there’s the famous Pinehurst Resort. Lexington calls itself the Barbeque Capital of the World and holds an annual festival every year in October.
If you’re heading to the mountains, there’s plenty of hiking opportunities in the state parks, the famous Appalachian Trail makes its way through the state. Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains is home to the famous chateau Biltmore Estate and for something a bit different the Asheville Pinball Museum. Lake Lure, between Asheville and Charlotte is a man-made lake popular for hiking and boating and famous for appearing in the movie Dirty Dancing. Asheville is also the place to find what’s considered to be the best brewing house in the state with Burial Beer Co. If you have kids with you, try the Tweetsie Railroad, a wild-west theme park between Boone and Blowing Rock.
Where to Play
Every city in North Carolina more or less has a disc golf course and some of them rank in the world’s standings. It’s a popular destination to play but let’s start with Charlotte, which has a large concentration of courses around it and is one our top bachelor party destinations. Some of the highlights that are approximately 20 minutes from downtown Charlotte include the wooded Hornet’s Nest Park, Renaissance Park, Eastway Park, Reedy Creek and Nevin. There are plenty of courses also centred around the Research Triangle including the number one ranked track in the state, Diavolo Disc Golf Course that also rates in the top 15 in the world and number six in the United States. Jones Park in Holly Springs is popular and Cedar Hills Park also gets the thumbs up from reviewers.
Among the 10 best courses in North Carolina are The Regulator at Cedarock Park in Burlington and Rolling Pines in Wilkesboro and they also both feature in the top world and US lists. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is North Cove Disc Golf which comes highly recommended in Western North Carolina. It has three courses on site and has lots of rock features with views over the Catawba River and Grandfather Mountain. There's also a bar and restaurant on site. Sugaree Disc Golf, another course to feature in world and US top rankings, is in Newland and only 25 minutes from North Cove. If you are out on the coast and the Outer Banks area, the major course to play is at Kill Devil Hills, called Casey R Logan disc golf not far from the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
