Courtesy of The Trump Organization
Overview
Trump National Charlotte possesses plenty of aesthetic tee shots and approaches with great views of Lake Norman. Greg Norman, the architect, did a great job of balancing a fun course, while maintaining a very distinct and playable course layout meandering through the inlets of Lake Norman incorporating both water hazards and elevation challenges.
About
Awards
Best in State: Ranked Top 25 in North Carolina from 2015-2016. Current Ranking: 35th.
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
“Course has huge, undulated greens that are receptive, have good speed and roll true. Course was in excellent condition. Bermuda fairways played firm. Course had elevation changes and a variety of dogleg left and right holes."
Read More2023
Review
“Located in Mooresville , NC, about 40 minutes north of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, this well maintained private Greg Norman designed course has many elevation changes and has challenging green complexes and is surrounded by Lake Norman."
Read More2022
Review
“Great par 5s, par 3s are lacking. Very firm and fast greens, hold shots but easily can putt off green. Great use of water and comes into play fairly. Good variety of challenge holes with strategy and do or die reward shots. Cannot hit driver every hole. Par 3s need more variety in distances. Bunkers are in terrific shape, very fluffy sand and well covered."
Read More2022
Review
“The Trump National Golf Club of Charlotte, really Mooresville, is one of the more bizarre and likely polarizing courses I have played. Politics have nothing to do with that statement. These scenic eighteen holes flirt consistently with Lake Norman, which has no relation to architect Greg Norman. The facility also offers an abbreviated and nifty mini par-3. The routing has an uneven pace. Several blind tee shots flummox a first-time visitor. Some holes feel squeezed into a landscape with few level lies, holes, or greens. Water factors into most of them. This course requires players to hit good shots. Risk/reward in some cases more like do-or-die. Forced carriers abound. Severely sloped, built-up green complexes quickly dash hopes, turning some mediocre approaches into miserable, almost hopeless ones. If a hole is extremely difficult, technical, or quirky, does that make it great? Or bad? Not necessarily, even if the experience is memorable. The dichotomy? At Trump National, they can still be fun. The two members with whom I played knew the course well, scored decently, and had a good time. “Our handicaps travel well,” said one of them. Some examples: The #2 handicap, downhill, dogleg left, par-4, 310-385 yard, par-4, 6th feels tight from the tee. A shot to the right bounces back to the fairway. That is not an uncommon feature at Trump National. The second goes downhill into a deep, but narrow green that slopes severely from right to left, toward a marina. A missed shot practically falls off that green, through the Bermuda grass, into vegetation. A slightly short approach followed by a slightly strong pitch becomes a double-bogey. The #1 handicap, par-4, 414-497 yard, 10th intimidates at first sight. A hazard bisects the narrow fairway, followed by a long, uphill approach with water on the right and another deep, narrow green built into the side of a steep covering a buried boulder. Contrived? Squeezed? Yes, along with high shot values and resistance to par. I doubt many players can consistently measure up to this hole. The par-5, 481-588 yard, par-5, 16th is my favorite hole because it provides options. It’s straight-away with a forced carry to the green over an inlet of the lake. A good drive tempts bold players to go for that green. Or, they can play their second over a shorter section of water to a cape-style fairway on the left, leaving a short approach. Playing this hole reminded me of the 16th at Cypress Point. These options make the hole eminently fair and interesting. And demanding."
Read More2022
Review
“This is a Greg Norman designed course about an hour north of Charlotte, NC on Lake Norman. The course itself is a residential course that meanders around the shore of the lake, and although water can come into play on many holes, it really does not come into play that often. If firm and fast is our benchmark for conditioning, this course rates very highly. There are several very good holes, most notably the par 5's. Par 3's are good holes, but not great. The best par 3 is hole number 3 with fall offs right, left, and behind the green. Some par 4's are kind of quirky. Number 5 green slopes toward a hazard on the right that makes the green very difficult to hold, and Number 10. Ten is a sharp dogleg right to an impossibly sloped green that is nearly impossible to hold if the pin is in the front. There are some weak holes, notably par 4's number 4, 9, and 11 and the par 3 14th. Course is built through a very, very upscale neighborhood. Homes and yards border the course but are not intrusive. Ambiance is low, mainly due to noise and music coming from pleasure boats on the lake. Greens are fast but receptive. There is some slope to some greens, but overall I did not find the greens to be particularly challenging lowering resistance to scoring. The course can play as long as 7400 yards."
Read More2018
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