Grandfather Golf & Country Club, Grandfather Course

Grandfather Golf & Country Club is a Private, 36 hole golf facility located in Linville, North Carolina. The facility has two 18-hole golf courses. They are the championship Grandfather Course and the executive Mountain Springs Course.

The courses opened in 1967. The course architect was Ellis Maples.

For Ellis Maples, this stunning mountain was a natural canvas to showcase his talent. As he stated in a letter dated 1965, “The magnificent scenery afforded by the west slope of Grandfather Mountain as it towers above the Linville River Valley provides a golf setting that is unequaled in North Carolina. Tremendous trees line the fairways, and the lake, streams, and topography afford opportunities for a great variety of interesting golf holes.”

Maples' Championship Grandfather Golf Course has been ranked by the North Carolina Golf Panel as the second best course in North Carolina after Pinehurst #2. 

The Grandfather Course features fairways that are both hilly and flat, and trees come into play on every hole. There is plenty of water to make the course a challenge. No two holes are alike. Two of the most memorable holes are #8 and the signature 18th hole. #8 is a short par 4, uphill to the green with a spectacular view of Grandfather Mountain and the famous “Mile-High Swinging Bridge.” #18 is a long par 4 with a peninsula green surrounded on three sides by one of seven lakes built around the clubhouse.

Par for the course is 72. From the back tees, the course plays to 7,021 yards. From the forward tees, the course measures 4,771 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 17 a par-5 that plays to 585 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 14, a par-3 that plays to 155 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 6, a 567-yard par-5 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole at The Grandfather Golf Course is # 14, the 155 yard par-3.