The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa: Ross/Weed
The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa: Ross/Weed
176 Country Club Dr
Waynesville, NC 28786-4722
United States
Overview
Donald Ross designed the original “Carolina” nine at this western North Carolina resort near Asheville in 1926. Three years later the club built another nine on an acquired 50 acres. In 1986, regional architect Tom Jackson added a third nine, giving the resort 27 holes spread across the lovely, core mountain property, though they had little cohesion. In 2021, under new ownership, Bobby Weed began the major work of fusing the 27 holes into a single 18-hole design. Called the Weed/Ross course, Weed began by reviving the architecture of Ross’s original holes, then utilizing the most attractive attributes of the remaining 18 for a strong second nine while discarding the remaining parts for future development. Several holes on Weed’s nine play along Farmer Branch creek, and his bunkering on the new holes matches that of the Ross nine, smaller in scale and sprinkled in clusters. The combination of 18 holes into nine also created a much wider, more generous course with spacious putting surfaces that give resort guests an abundance of options.
About
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
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Reviews
Review
“Stay at the Hilton to get on this course. Worth the time and effort."
Read More2025
Review
“Two very distinctive 9s now with the renovation but it really works well. Wide open and fast and firm on the front and winding and hilly on the back with some target golf. The old Ross 9 (front) has been restored by Bobby Weed. The tree cutting and openness really fits. Course plays fast and firm throughout with improvements in drainage. I enjoyed the front and found the back 9 which winds through a canyon to be really awesome and fun. Favorite holes included 275 yard drivable #2 with tiny target of a green and severe punishment long. Also enjoyed stretch of holes 12-14 at the furthest reaches of the course the par 5 - 4 - 3 were very memorable. Mountain golf but without severe lies and blind shots. Will look forward to getting back in the future - especially in Fall when it would be amazing with tree covered mountains in full color."
Read More2025
Review
“The restoration of Waynesville Inn & Golf Club by Bobby Weed brings yet another fantastic course to the Blue Ridge Mountains. This Donald Ross design utilized his difficult green complexes as its main line of defense with stunning vistas keeping a smile on your face throughout the round. The course did an excellent job regarding course layout design mixing up the distances, allowing for risk reward par-5s and requiring the majority of your clubs to be used throughout your round. While I enjoyed a lot of aspects, one thing that did not get corrected as well as it could have been was the drainage. The course was absolutely soaked with casual water an issue throughout the round. In the courses defense they had a good bit of rain for several weeks, but based on a fellow Panelists comments a month after I played he too had the same issue which is why I docked them a good bit on conditioning. The back nine gets deep into the Blue Ridge Mtns as you experience a more rolling terrain, elevated vistas on what seemed to be a rather cramped but well routed back nine utilizing every possible acre that they had at its disposal. In the end, it was a wonderful time and a really enjoyable routing that would be fun to play each and everyday while on property."
Read More2025
Review
“Great golf course to play. If you have not heard / played it, consider it a sleeper and you will not be disappointed. Front nine is old school Donald Ross 9 holes. Very consistent and flowing routing. The back nine Bobby Weed was able to re-create 9 holes from land that previously had 18 holes. The back nine has more width and variety due to extra land space for creativity. Enjoy the great layout"
Read More2025
Review
“A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains."
Read More2025
Review
“One of the more traditional designs in the mountains -- the valley that includes the course is surrounded by beautiful views. The front nine includes the original Ross holes while the back is mostly new and designed by Bobby Weed on hillier terrain. Nice place with the inn attached. Worth a visit!"
Read More2025
Review
“Waynesville Inn was a recently renovated and refreshed course that was originally a Donald Ross design reimagined by Bobby Weed at the base of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. The holes that stood out to me were the short par 4 2nd hole, which offered an early birdie opportunity if you could hit a precise tee shot that setup a good view of the pin. The par 5 12th hole had a creek running down the right side of the hole and crossed in front of the green giving player an option to go for the green and risk hitting it in the water, but setting up a good birdie (or better) opportunity if you made it. The short par 4 13th hole was a cape hole which invited the player to bite off as much as they could down the right hand side, which brought in risk of not covering the hillside and making the hole much more difficult."
Read More2025
Review
“Lovely little course situated in the mountains. Beautiful setting with some nice views of the Smokies. Not an overly long course, but the challenge comes on the greens as they have a lot of movement to them. Very walkable course that lets you take in the surrounding views."
Read More2025
Review
“Front nine which is the original Ross is very cramped. Back nine is different and more open."
Read More2024
Review
“Fun course and nice group trip location with lodging on site"
Read More2024
