By Frank Whatley
Sunny Spring weather may be turning your head, calling to you from outside your office or home windows. How do you answer that call? For men and women across Eastern North Carolina, they hike their golf bag onto their shoulder and hit their favorite links!
Golf courses across the area are in full swing and fairways are fully green. Weekdays and weekends you may see golfers riding in carts or walking the course.
Whether you’re going out for a few hours, or spending the day, whether you’re a hacker or a 3-handicap, Eastern NC has a course for you. Golf options in the area run from driving ranges to Par 3 courses to 18-hole courses.
Wayne Holloman of Northgreen Country Club says of their course. “Northgreen has one of the most unique layouts, and you have to see it to believe it! At over 7,000 yards, Northgreen is one of the longest courses in North Carolina.”
In most states, after October the fairways fade and the course becomes a ghost town. In Eastern NC, golf is more prominent in Spring and Summer but most courses stay open Fall and Winter too. “Golf is not only good all Summer, but all year in North Carolina,” says Bob Yeargin of Wendell Country Club, which is open year-round.
Greening the Golf Course
One course in particular has taken “green” to heart with their reclaimed water system. Wedgewood Golf Course in Wilson — spotted at a distance by their golf ball water tower — uses reclaimed water on the course.
Reclaimed water is waste water that has been cleaned, but is not potable (safe to drink). Reclaiming the waste water means the course may be watered without using the city’s drinking water, and it means that less wastewater is discharged into the Neuse River Basin. Good for golfers, and all area residents. David Lee, Wilson’s Director of Parks & Rec, stated that Wilson uses reclaimed water on the course and to grow turf grass, some of which is used at Wedgewood.
Getting Started, Getting Better
Do you hear the green stretches of fairway calling to you, but you’ve never golfed before? Many of the courses around the area offer golf lessons, with professional golf instructors on-call. Adults and children can pick up this game, and begin enjoying the sunshine and exercise right away; the ball may not fly where you want it to fly — at first — but getting out there is the first step toward getting good.
Local (Five County Area NC) Courses
- Bill Fay Par 3 Golf Course – Kinston — Bill Fay Memorial Park, Rosanne Drive, (252) 939-3356
- River Golf & Country Club – Louisburg — 170 Clearwater Road, 800.322.3832, ww.rivergolf.net
- Green Hill Country Club – Louisburg — 252 Club Road, 919.496.3236, www.greenhillclub.com
- Bull Creek Golf & Country Club – Louisburg — 499 Massengburg Baker Rd, 919.496.7888, bullcreekgolf.com
- Wil~Mar Golf Club – Raleigh — 2300 Old Milburnie Road, 919.266.1800, wil-margolf.com
- Hedingham Golf Club – Raleigh — 4801 Harbour Towne Drive, 919.250.3030, hedingham.com
- Northgreen Golf – Rocky Mount — 900 Northgreen Ln, 252.446.7224, northgreengolf.net
- Ford’s Colony Country Club at Rocky Mount — 1 Fords Colony Ct., 252.446.3014
- Benvenue Country Club – Rocky Mount — 100 Southern Boulevard, 252.443.3926
- Wendell Country Club – Wendell — 180 Jake May Drive # 108, 919.365.7337, wendellcc.com
- Wedgewood Public Golf Course – Wilson — 3210 Stantonsburg Road SE, 252.237.4761
- Happy Valley Country Club – Wilson — 2123 Martin Luther King Blvd, 252.237.6611
- Wilson Country Club – Wilson — 4509 Country Club Drive, 252.291.3815, wilsoncc.org
- Zebulon Golf Course – Zebulon — 2424 Pearces Road, 919.269.8311
