THE MOUNTAIN TIMES AUTUMN GUIDE
PAGE 22
Time to Tee It Up
2009
Your Guide to the Area’s Courses Autumn in the High Country is a sight to behold. The wondrous sight of the changing leaves can be enjoyed from a variety of locations, but if you are a golfer, there is no better place to take in nature’s beauty than from a fairway or a green. With that thought in mind, a tour of the area’s golfing options would seem to be order. We begin our trek with a look at Boone Golf Club, located at 433 Fairway Drive, near the Watauga Medical Center. Boone Golf Club offers 18 holes over 6,680 yards with a par of 71. This public course has a course rating of 70.1, opened in 1959, and was designed by Ellis Maples. The course at Boone Golf Club surprises many first-time players, who expect one mammoth hill after another. While a few rises and drops do exist, players also find many level holes and a plethora of scenic views. Our next stop lands us at Mountain Aire Golf Club, located in West Jefferson at 1104 Golf Course Road. Mountain Aire Golf Club, also a public course, offers a 18-hole course which totals 6,404 yards in its par 72 design. The course registers a 69.8 rating with a slope of 122. In an effort to learn more about the course, however, Mountain Aire Golf Club head pro Mark Hagel offers these insights. “This course opened in 1950, and through the years, has expanded from nine holes to 18,” said Hagel. “It’s quite hilly, and I would call it a true mountain course. It is a challenging course, and one in very good condition.”
Hagel said the featured hole at Mountain Aire is the sixth hole, a hole that includes a 200-foot drop in elevation from tee to green. “The views on the sixth hole are extraordinary,” said Hagel, the head pro since 1974. “It’s one of many holes that we have that feature very nice views.”
Next up is Sugar Mountain Golf Course, located at 914 Sugar Mountain Drive in Banner Elk. The 18hole course offers up 4,560 yards of golf with a course rating of 61.1 and a slope rating of 94. Designed by Francis Duane/Arnold Palmer, the Sugar Mountain course opened in 1973. The executive-length course is known for its immaculate conditions and beautiful, scenic opportunities. A short excursion to Newland off of Highway 194 finds you at Mountain Glen Golf Club. This public course features 6,723 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. Designed by George W. Cobb, the course opened its doors and fairways in 1963. Mountain Glen has a course rating of 70 and has a slope rating of 129. Mountain Glen offers up large, quick greens, which are also well protected by sand traps. A trek across the North Carolina/Tennessee state line lands you at the doorsteps of Red Tail Mountain Golf Club, located off of Highway 421 in Mountain City, Tenn. Designed by Dan F. Maples and Ellis Maples, the course opened in 1982. Red Tail Mountain provides 6,884 yards of golf, with a par of 72. The course rating is 71.8 and the slope rating is 120. The public course is a 18hole regulation-length course. Comments concerning the Red Tail Mountain experience consistently mention the course’s excellent conditioning and beautiful views. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE