I had a blast playing at Duke University Golf Club. I've played at a lot of golf courses over the…read moredecades, but only a handful of university courses. Duke's golf course is part of the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, the school's luxury hotel. I think it's pretty unique in that sense. It looks and feels like a private resort and country club, but it's open to the public. It's not surprising that a top private school like Duke has facilities such as this. If you're looking for some of the best public golf the Triangle has to offer, I think Duke Golf Club is worth checking out. Unsurprisingly, it's more expensive to play at Duke than it is at UNC's Finley Golf Club (recently renovated) and NC State's Lonnie Poole Golf Course. For a Saturday morning tee time, we paid $140 per person. We got the Triangle resident rate of $105 greens fee plus $35 cart fee. The standard rate was $115 greens fee plus $35 cart fee ($150 total per person). These greens fees were the Friday-Sunday rate. Was Duke worth the price? Yes. From tee to green, the course was in excellent shape, what you'd expect in this price tier. To me, one thing that sets apart courses in okay-to-good condition to courses in great condition are the tee boxes. In my experience, your everyday munis and public courses that cost around $100 and under (on weekends) will often have beat-up tee boxes. At those courses, most of the money appears to be invested in greens first then fairways and other elements, tee boxes last. Again, to me, the sign of a financially-healthy club/course or perhaps the sign of a course that's more on the "luxurious" side is nice tee boxes. They are a luxury. Duke had nice tee boxes. The overall quality of the course was equivalent to a healthy private club. Now I'm not talking ultra exclusive or high end (e.g., Pinehurst No. 2, TPC Sawgrass; those are obviously a different level), but still, very solid. My friend and I were grouped with a local PGA Member who also happened to be ranked by Golf Digest as one of America's top 100 clubfitters. He's a true golf industry veteran, leader, and professional. I mention this because during our round, he and his buddy - also very good at golf - both had nothing but good things to say about Duke's golf course. In particular, I remember the PGA guy's approval of the greens. When we played, the greens had been aerified over a month prior. They were in outstanding shape. We were all in agreement. The course is certainly challenging, but if you play from the appropriate tees, it can still be enjoyable for beginners and weekend hackers (like me). Like other courses, Duke's scorecard has suggested tees based on handicap. I played from the white tees, which is where I usually play from at most other courses. At Duke, the white tees are suggested for 16-27 handicaps. From the whites, the course measures 6,127 yards with a 70.3/129 rating/slope for men. The rating/slope is slightly more difficult than what I typically play. My playing partners played from the golds (suggested 4-9 handicap, 6,872 yards, 73.8/142) and blues (suggested 10-15 handicap, 6,562 yards, 71.8/136). The course is a par 72. The PGA guy shot a two-under 70 from the golds -- one of the best players I've played with. My buddy shot a legit 86 from the blues. I had a couple pars, couple birdies (two in a row, on 11 and 12), but an otherwise unremarkable round. I picked up on a few holes, such as on No. 13 where I lost two balls, one in the rough and one in the pond guarding the green. The rough at Duke is real rough. It's the kind of rough where oftentimes we had to be standing directly over our ball to see it. This happened to all four of us. Along with 13, I lost my ball in the rough around the 9th hole. The course is hilly and has lots of bunkers. Miraculously, I didn't land in a single bunker. There's little room for error around the greens. You have to be precise or you will be penalized. The greens themselves were tricky too, but not unfair or unreasonable. The amenities were good. For example, the carts were Club Car. They were in good condition. They had comfy, luxe seats, GPS units, towels, and tees. The GPS worked well. The yardages were accurate. We had a rangefinder and the yardages we measured were consistent with the GPS. There were double water coolers with cups on many holes. The on-course restrooms (right of 5 tee, left of 11 green, right of 15 fairway) had Elkay water fountains and water bottle filling stations. I appreciated fun details like the Duke blue golf carts, Duke "D" logo tee markers, Duke blue and white flags, Duke blue uniformed staff, etc. The practice facility is sizable. Small buckets of range balls were included with our round. The range balls were Pinnacle brand, in good condition. The practice putting green, located right next to the inn, was huge. A Duke women's golfer practiced alongside us, doing a drill. Service was great. I booked our tee time over the phone so we didn't have to prepay.

Paid $125 to play today in mid March. Course in terrible shape. The sand in the bunkers haven't…read morebeen refreshed in a long while, felt like a muni. Tee boxes were in rough shape. Fairways frequently were just mud, lacking any dormant grass. Would have been satisfied if the price was maybe half what I paid. Oh, and the cart paths need to be repaved in many places

Went here for Father's day. It is a pretty good way to spend some time with friends and family. I…read morehave learned, however, eat before you come. Not a huge fan of the food, and selection. The drinks are pretty good, and they have a lot of non-alcoholic selections that are flavored teas or whatever. Lots of mixed drinks as well. The play is fun. You can bring in your own clubs, but for the most part it is amateur, so don't worry if you cant hit the ball a mile. Most people use a lot of mulligans. Always a couple show offs that think they are pros, but whatever makes them happy. The games are cute, and great for 6 or less people. We always have fun, especially when the worst one there always wins because some of the higher scoring "drives" are the chippers that barely make it off the tee. I like hitting from the 2nd or 3rd floor, just seems cooler, but maybe I'll try bottom next time. The only negatives are the sometimes poor service (I always love when I see my server for a greet and then to shut off my lane a get the bill :(... Also, it was pretty hot, and although shaded, the oscillating fan's in our particular bay were not moving and only pointing at the bay's to the right and to the left of us. We were by the door to the bar, through, and got a gush of refrigerated air once in a while...

Disappointing food, service, technology, and overall experience. I really hate that you have to pay…read morea fee to set up an account. I know that's all topgolf location but it's kind of a weird business practice. Also it was hard to find the staff to help out or set up so I felt like we had to call them over to get any service. The technology kind of sucks. It wouldn't recognize a lot of hits we did and it was kind of disappointing. Also the waving technology to get the ball to come out took many attempts and was really slow. It also stopped prematurely so felt scammed out on the full time. Also the staff at the front doesn't really know any information on some of the deals. I asked about the monthly membership and the stuff just said look online as they didn't know anything about it but it was advertised in front of them. I also wish there was a mode where you can just hit the ball and it tracks it stat wise with no game mode.

The greens were getting much needed repairs. Was a little disappointed in the course conditions but…read moregive them a little grace because issues was being repaired. The pro shop was small with limited offerings but the staff was knowledgeable and helpful. The food was average. The views of the course were beautiful

Neat place. We didn't play golf today but may return for an outing. Nice young men working in the…read morepro shop. Very friendly lady working in the grill.

HVCC is a fantastic country club, particularly if you are a golfer. The course is a tough par-70,…read morebut not penal. The course was designed by Donald Ross and was built in 1926. It is a beautiful walking course and when I'm playing by myself, I can typically play 9 holes in about 1:40. The golf course is really the difference-maker for Hope Valley, as it stands up very well to any course in NC. There was a PGA tour event here in the 1940s, so you know that the layout is strong. Hope Valley is a private club with an initiation fee. There are three levels of membership - SOCIAL (which allows you to use the pool, the restaurants and play golf 6 times a year - for a fee); TENNIS (which is social plus free access to the 7 clay and 2 hard tennis courts; GOLF (all the golf, tennis, pool, etc that you want) - and if you walk, there is no incremental charge for golf. I would say that the average monthly charge for family golf is $500, so you really have to like to play golf. If you play tennis, there are a lot of leagues and weekly events - like men's night, where the pro splits everybody up into even matches. After 2 hours of play, folks hang out and drink beer in the moonlight. It makes for a fun evening.

Every few months, we hold company meetings at this beautiful venue. The service is always top…read morenotch. The staff is extremely attentive and work very hard to keep the day flowing seamlessly. Kirby, one of the staff members, is simply superb. He remembers me from previous events and even had my drink order memorized. He is personable and truly works to keep the clientele happy. He served us all with a smile despite the fact that he had his college calculus final the next day. You honestly would not know if he was under any stress or pressure. Kirby is an absolute gem giving a great customer service experience.

Got a reservation very easily online. Their web site did not mention that construction is on going…read moreconnected to the course as well as cart path. Poor signage and dangerous construction cart crossing. Fairways have allot of poorly laid SOD. The SOD isn't laid correctly, rather just dropped on top of soil. Two greens look like a cart did burnouts. Drainage on site couldn't be any worse. Club house in dis repair. You'd expect the teens fees be reduced due to conditions.

Better course conditions this time around. Fairways and greens were in pretty solid shape. The old…read moreguy starter needs to be given another role however. Not friendly, making you feel stressed before your tee time rather than ready to enjoy it. Almost tried to make three of us go off early with a fourth (random person) while we were waiting for our fourth who wasn't there yet, but not late to our actual tee time. Uncomfortable for everyone involved

We ended up here due to the weather. The staff truly understands exceptional customer. They made…read moreadjustments of the fly to make sure we were satisfied throughout out visit. The staff engaged in friendly, authentic, and genuine conversation that made you feel like you were hanging out at a friend's house. It was well lite and clean. There's no food, however, the staff assisted with recommendations of local establishments. The equipment was intuitive and easy to use. The variety of options kept the group engaged for hours. Can't rave about the staff enough, they turned a rainy day into a ray of sunshine. Already planning out next visit!

Service was great. We ordered a couple of sodas. They do not serve food. The golf simulation was…read morefun. We got hour and half session. I think I would have been fine with an hour session. There are other simulations you can play such as soccer, football, baseball so there is a good variety. There is plenty of seating so if you have a large group everyone will not have to stand and wait for their turn. We paid around $109 for the game and two drinks.

Can't believe I paid to play this course today. The greens were a 4 out of 10 and that was the…read morehighlight.in the 9 holes played, I may had 5 shots on grass whether it be in the fairway or rough. On many tees you couldn't get a tee in the ground...and overprice. I would avoid

I do my best to avoid this course on the weekends. We call it slow-cconeechee. A 5+ hour round…read moreis not uncommon. A big problem we've seen is people walking on the weekends, really slowing things down for everyone. I generally like the course layout and the conditions are often quite decent. It may be one to avoid if there was recent rain, as it can get quite muddy (and probably cart path only if that 's the case). And so, it's a fine course, good booking system for tee times, but it can really be slow and frustrating. Price is decent, staff is friendly, carts are good, and course conditions are typically pretty nice.

Great course for the money and nice people working there. Greens are in good shape and carts are…read moregreat with the GPS

Love this golf course. It has a challenging layout and the fairways are generous and the greens are…read morelarge and fast. The staff is wonderful too. Kevin in the Pro Shop is always friendly and the ladies in the grill are so nice even if I'm just walking through. The facilities are well maintained and spotless.