Laurence Lambrecht/Courtesy of the club
Laurence Lambrecht/Courtesy of the club
Laurence Lambrecht/Courtesy of the club
Laurence Lambrecht/Courtesy of the club
Laurence Lambrecht/Courtesy of the club
Wayne Freedman
Wayne Freedman
Roaring Gap Club
Roaring Gap Club
2663 Roaring Gap Dr
Roaring Gap, NC 28668-9539
United States
Overview
In 1926, Leonard Tufts, the president of Pinehurst Resort, and some business leaders from nearby Winston-Salem, including Hugh Chatham, founded Roaring Gap Club as a private getaway in the mountains for the summer when the Sandhills region became too hot. They hired Donald Ross to design this mountaintop design, which sits 3,200 feet above sea level in a small, picturesque hamlet of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 6,400-yard design is loaded with old-fashioned character and charm. Standout features include the “Do-drop” volcano par-3 sixth hole, and bunkerless par 5s defended by bold, undulating terrain, merging fairways, skyline views and the Graystone Inn, the original counterpart to The Carolina in Pinehurst, which serves as the clubhouse today. Following a recent Kris Spence restoration, the par-72 layout boasts some of the most authentic Ross greens that exist today.
About
Awards
ranking history:
Best in State: Ranked Top 15 in North Carolina since 2017.
Previous ranking: 13th.
2025-'26 ranking: 14th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Well laid out course with a gorgeous setting."
Read More2025
Review
“Greens are lightning fast."
Read More2025
Review
“The greens are fast as lightning, very hard if you are above the hole."
Read More2025
Review
“I know my scores are going to be too high for this course, but I truly believe this is the type of course that needs to be celebrated...for 99% of golfers, it presents interesting shots throughout the round, challenging every club in the bag without beating the player over the head with length. The greens are exceptional and even though it's a mountain course, the routing is great, very walkable and engaging. The front 9 meanders around the top of the mountain and the back 9 that plays more in a meadow type area. It just had a ton of really fun shots and was a really engaging round. I firmly believe this should be held in similar regard as many of the world's great classic courses - the course eases you into the round with a short par 5, but the green is extremely severe; the type of opener that prepares the player for the rest of the round - felt like the course really kicks into high gear at the 5th with the downhill tee shot - the 6th is an incredible volcano green par 3 - a perfect example of a hole that doesn't need to be more than 150 yards to be really difficult - 7 is an awesome par 5 with a creek alongside and fairway undulations that makes for a difficult second and third shot - 8 is another awesome par 4 with a creek crossing the fairway that takes driver mostly out of play - 9 is a great example of a hole that's become better with technology - with it becoming driveable it's added a layer of temptation with appropriate risk - 11 is an incredible par 5, while reachable by yardage, the undulation, especially fronting the green makes each shot challenging - 12 has some of the best land movement on the course full of wild terrain - 16 has a punchbowl green which makes it an incredible par 5, it plays far shorter but the green is demanding enough that it's no pushover. Truly a hole that fits the terrain perfectly - 17 is iconic. The view is one of the best you'll ever have and it's fun hole to boot - I really think Roaring Gap has all the qualities of the best courses in the world. It doesn't need to be long to test every aspect of a players game and most importantly its extremely fun. At no point is there a thought that says ""this is too easy"" ""
Read More2025
Review
“Classic old-school Donald Ross! In fantastic shape with smaller, sloping greens. Very fun, not overly challenging"
Read More2025
Review
“An untouched classic Donald Ross mountain course. The mountain back ground made for many visually deceptive shots. The green complexes were typical Ross. Very private,but if given the opportunity ,don’t pass it up."
Read More2024
Review
“A special Donald Ross piece of history. The course is in a great mountain setting and is pretty much as it was in 1926. Conditioning was very good. If you have the opportunity to play I would not pass it up."
Read More2024
Review
“Roaring Gap gets better as the course progresses, with the back 9 being particularly special. The greens provide the best defense to the relatively short layout, and the mountain setting provides a breathtaking backdrop."
Read More2024
Review
“This is an exclusive private club in the North Carolina mountains just south of Virginia. Members make pilgrimages here from across the country. If you have an opportunity to play Roaring Gap, just go. It is a truthfully restored Donald Ross design from 1926. If Ross could return to life and visit, I think he would say, "It turned out well." That would be an understatement. Roaring Gap is a refreshing anti-country club. Its clubhouse is small, antiquated, and functionally unassuming. The course is all that purist golfers will ever need. It's pretty much all they get. Roaring Gap's lack of pretense reminds makes the place all the more special. Visually, it was a most beautiful round of golf. We found bright autumn colors in peak mode, two days before the course closed for the season. Aside from leaves on the ground, the course played in stunninglyI excellent condition. Perfect bunkers. Perfect grass. True bounces. The teeing grounds rolled truer and more smoothly than greens on other courses. The strength of this layout lies in its simplicity. Hit the shot, see what happens, hit another, and then when finished, step off the green to your next tee. Ross gave Roaring Gap some quirks for memorability. The Volcano Hole on the par-3, 6th, is one of Ross’s most iconic volcano landforms. The 'punchbowl' green on the Par-5, 16th is the only known example where Ross specified such a hole. The course is interesting, readable, challenging, and eminently fair. The par-4, 17th, is an infinity-style green placed on the edge of a mountain. Behind it, one can see 50 miles from the 3-thousand foot elevation. Everywhere, Roaring Gap provides options for good shots and opportunities to recover from bad ones, though I will not elaborate. It is not long from tees to greens. The par-5, 1st and 16th are reachable in two for a decent player, even from the tips. Roaring Gap's greens provide its course's main defense. I estimate they rolled at 14 when we played. Their speeds, while trying at times, felt appropriate for the lengths, playing conditions, and modern equipment. But they were that fast 90 years ago? Roaring Gap sends a clear message that classic designs should never go out of style. Truthful restorations as preservations are good. We have plenty to learn from them."
Read More2023
Review
“This is an exclusive private club in the North Carolina mountains approaching Virginia. Members make pilgrimages here from across the country. If you have an opportunity to play Roaring Gap, just go. It is a truthfully restored Donald Ross design from 1926. If Ross could return to life and visit, I think he would say, "It turned out well." That would be an understatement. Roaring Gap is a refreshing anti-country club. Its clubhouse is small, antiquated, and functionally unassuming. Keep it that way. The course is all that purist golfers will ever need. It's pretty much all they get. Roaring Gap's absence of pretense reminds me of Cypress Point. Thank goodness such places still exist. Visually, it was a most beautiful round of golf, hence my high score for aesthetics. We found blazing autumn colors in peak mode just two days before the course closed for the season. Aside from leaves on the ground, the course played in stunninglyI excellent condition. Perfect bunkers. Perfect grass. Good bounces. The teeing grounds rolled truer and more smoothly than greens on other courses. The strength of this layout lies in its simplicity. Hit the shot, see what happens, hit another, and then when finished, step off the green to your next tee. Ross gave Roaring Gap some quirks for memorability. The Volcano Hole on the par-3, 6th, is one of Ross’s most iconic volcano landforms. The 'punchbowl' green on the Par-5, 16th is the only known example where Ross specified such a hole. The course is interesting, readable, challenging, and eminently fair. The par-4, 17th, is an infinity-style green placed on the edge of a mountain. Behind it, one can see 50 miles from the 3-thousand foot elevation. Everywhere, Roaring Gap provides options for good shots and opportunities to recover from bad ones, though I will not elaborate. It is not long from tees to greens. The par-5, 1st and 16th are reachable in two for a dedcent player, even from the tips. Everywhere, the greens at Roaring Gap provide the course's main defense. I estimate they rolled at 14 when we played. Their speeds, while trying at times, felt appropriate for the lengths, playing conditions, and modern equipment. But they were not as fast 90 years ago, right? Roaring Gap sends a clear message that classic designs should never go out of style. Truthful restorations as preservations are good. We have plenty to learn from them. Distance and difficulty should not be-all-end-alls for determining quality. This course make the point that for a good player, subtlety, interest and technicality still reign supreme."
Read More2023
