Best Golf in NC | The Esseola Lodge

LINVILLE GOLF CLUB

Tom Dale

Director of Golf

Tom Dale began his career at Linville barely out of his toddler years—picking the range at age five and learning all he could from his father, Burl, who served as head golf professional from 1968 to 1992—the year Linville celebrated its centennial. After moving up from cart boy to bag room attendant to his father’s first assistant, Tom became Linville’s golf pro in 1993 after Burl retired. Tom also worked as an assistant at Oriole Golf and Tennis Club in Florida, but becoming director of golf at Linville was a dream come true for him. “Everyone enjoys playing our Ross classic because of its simplicity, its rich history, and its many challenges,” says Tom. “This is golf at its best.” Teaching is what gives him the greatest reward, however. “There is a thrill and a lot of self-satisfaction knowing that you’ve helped someone learn.”

Challenge yourself to a Donald Ross original.

As a guest of The Eseeola Lodge, you gain privileged access to the championship course at Linville Golf Club—an experience you don’t want to miss. Challenging golfers since 1924, this legendary 18-hole course is an American golf treasure nestled in the North Carolina High Country. There’s a difference between courses today and classics like this one, which was handcrafted around the land’s original contour with mule-and-pan grading. It’s a difference you can feel—like the small, severe greens that defend the hole, an important aspect of Ross’s painstaking design. Play it just once, and you’ll see why people can’t stop singing its praises—and coming back for more.

Honors:

Over the past decade, our golf course has received numerous accolades. The latest:

Golfweek’s Best Resort (No. 31 in the U.S.)
Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play (No. 5 in N.C.).

Previous awards and recognitions:

Best Courses You Can Play (No. 4 in N.C.) — Golfweek, 2013
Best Resort Courses (No. 32) — Golfweek, 2013
Best Summer Golf Destinations: The South — Golf.com
Top 100 Courses You Can Play (No. 63) — GOLF Magazine, 2010
Courses  (Course: 28, Facilities: 24, Service: 25, Value: 28) — ZAGAT Survey 2006/2007
Recognized for Excellence — America’s Top Rated Golf
Golf Course of the Day — ESPN & Golf Digest, May 7, 2004
Greatest 100 Holes of Golf (Par 4 third hole) — Golfweek

Golf Packages:

Just beyond the Lodge, the challenge of the Linville Golf Course awaits—and this Donald Ross original is not to be missed. For a tip or two, a PGA teaching pro is always on staff at the pro shop to help guests improve their game. Packages are for Sunday through Wednesday evenings, May 27 – June 27 and August 19 – October 17. All golf packages include lodging, breakfast and dinner, a resort service charge, and one round of golf with a cart.

ROOMS:	SPRING:	FALL:
DELUXE ROOMS	$325 per person double occupancy $475 per person single occupancy	$365 per person double occupancy $500 per person single occupancy
SUITES	$375 per person double occupancy $550 per person single occupancy	$415 per person double occupancy $575 per person single occupancy