Experience the finest among North Carolina Vacation Rentals in Highlands NC at The Lakehouse on Lake Glenville in Cashiers

In addition to 1,425-acre Lake Glenville, location of our mountain home, Jackson County offers a superb selection of classic mountain golf courses that are both challenging and scenic.

From Cashiers’ world-renowned resorts and courses in the south to the picturesque Sequoyah National Golf Club in the county’s north end, the area is replete with one-of-a-kind mountain golf in a variety of awe-inspiring settings. In addition to Jackson County’s premier golf courses, other offerings, such as Mill Creek Resort & Country Club and Maggie Valley Club, are within a 55-minute drive.

Below is a description of two area courses that allow public play:

High Hampton Inn and Club (828) 743-2450

If you can imagine playing golf in a velvet green park shadowed by two of the prettiest peaks in North Carolina – Rock Mountain and Chimney Top Mountain – that’s the essence of High Hampton. The late George Cobb, a legendary golf architect who crafted more than 350 courses, designed the layout at High Hampton. It is part of the 1,400-acre grounds of the High Hampton Inn and amongst the most scenic golf courses in America.

The signature hole is the par-3 eighth. The green rests on a finger in a lake, overshadowed by the sheer rock cliff of Rock Mountain. It’s easy to understand why Golf Digest named it one of “America’s Great Golf Holes.”

Cobb once said of the course, “I have yet to see a course – designed by me or by others – with greater natural beauty or one more enjoyable to play.”

One of the oldest courses in the mountains, High Hampton plays at 6,012 yards from the back tees to bent grass greens. Amenities include a covered driving range and two putting greens. The club also hosts golf schools and tournaments. It is located in Cashiers.

Sequoyah National Golf Club (828) 497-3000

A spectacular golf course, Sequoyah National Golf Club, debuted in the fall of 2009 just outside Cherokee. It is a high-end, public course created by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians to complement the tribe’s nearby casino, hotel and entertainment complex.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, one of the country’s pre-eminent golf architects, the par-72 layout offers great mountain vistas and a nice mix of holes. Instead of the standard four par-5s and four par-3s, there are five of each.

And despite its mountainous location in northern Jackson County on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the course does not play like a roller coaster. Fourteen of the holes are level or downhill, with most of the climbing taking place between holes.

“Robert Trent Jones II did a fantastic job with the layout,” says director of golf Ryan Ott. “The topography that we have here is second to none.”

Sequoyah National’s elevations range from 2,000 to 2,300 feet, and the layout is open 12 months a year, weather permitting. The course features excellent greens comprised of T1 bent grass, while fairways and tees are low-mow bluegrass. 

The winter months are an ideal time to plan a golfing trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the spring. Calendars fill up, after all, and the best intentions to spend a weekend golfing with old friends can go sideways if not well planned. Start calling your golfing friends today, and make the Golfing Reunion of 2010 the best yet.

There are over a dozen excellent golf courses close to our Cashiers lodging. Perhaps you’ll want to extend your trip and stay for a week rather than a weekend, sampling as many courses as you can.

Wildcat Cliffs Golf Club and Course is golf at the highest elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is also stunningly beautiful, framed as it is by mountains and sheer cliffs. Trillium Links offers the challenge of elevation gains and drops as it meanders through hardwood forests. There are many more options, and no matter which courses you choose, you will be delighted by the scenery and pleased by the high quality of the links.

Staying in Cashiers rentals is a great way to go, for you can make yourself at home during your vacation. Our Highlands NC rental house sits on two acres, with over two hundred feet of Lake Glenville shoreline. If you need an afternoon or day off from golfing, you’ll be pleased by the number of activities available out your door: swimming, boating, and lawn games are just a few. You won’t find a more comfortable place to gather together with old friends.