Laurinburg, NC Outdoor Activities

PGA professional Jason Rockhold stows shiny nuggets of golf wisdom up his argyle-print sleeves accrued from a competitive career as a mini-tour golf professional and a coaching tenure that includes more than 10,000 private lessons. Endowed with a keen eye for swing deficiencies, Jason analyzes his students' swings as they crush orbs, patiently proffering corrective advice to help players add distance to their drives, precision to their short game, and flair to their post-swing pose. With covered and heated hitting stalls, clinics can be conducted year-round regardless of weather conditions, and video lessons enlist V1 video analysis to provide pupils with intricate data about their swing, as well as a visual aid to complement Jason's analytical explication.

The Bobcats made their NBA debut in the 2004–05 season. The franchise gradually improved its performance every year until the 2009–10 season, when they posted their first above-.500 record and first playoff appearance. The team makes its den in Time Warner Cable Arena, where 20,000 fans cheer and taunt the players with cans of tuna to intensify their hunger for a first league title.

Motivated by a passion for climbing and an understanding of how the sport enhances both mental and physical strength, the architects of Inner Peaks designed their gym to challenge climbers with 13,000 square feet of continuous, molded climbing walls boasting an altitude of 25 feet. With the addition of 50 rope stations, terrain for every skill level, a bouldering area, and training courses for ages 16 and older, they created a facility that fosters development of the skills needed to climb natural rocks or trim Lincoln's nose hairs on Mount Rushmore. The gym's team of expert climbers is headed by husband and wife owners, Doug Cosby and Page Lee, who both have many years of experience in sport climbing and climbing-gym management under their belts. The passionate staff is always dangling somewhere nearby ready to assist or offer instruction as burgeoning climbers scale an unparalleled lead cave, negotiate three long, aesthetic cracks, and maneuver around arches, roofs, and routes that are altered each week.

Keith Hills Golf Club's three nine-hole courses convene for divergent 18-hole experiences along the cattail-lined shores of Cape Fear River. Daunting wetlands and well-bunkered fairways pose threats throughout the 27-hole expanse, placing a high premium on course management, deft club selection, and web-toed golf balls. The course's bermuda-grass fairways snake through the shadows of towering oaks and pines on their way to slick, bentgrass greens. The stately complex encompasses a 32-acre practice facility, a fully stocked pro shop, an onsite snack bar, and men's and ladies' locker rooms with showers to freshen up or revive comatose golf carts.

The Orange Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-36 course

• Length of 3,326 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 36 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 127 from the farthest tees

The Black Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-36 course

• Length of 3,299 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 36.2 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 136 from the farthest tees

The White Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-36 course

• Length of 3,309 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 35.4 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 129 from the farthest tees

Coed dodge ball and flag-football games. Kayaking trips. Ice-climbing excursions. The open-air enthusiasts at Charlotte Outdoor Adventures coordinate a schedule of active events such as these for a membership base passionate about playing in the sunshine. Led by a qualified volunteer, groups set out on excursions ranging from hikes through the Carolinian countryside to waterfall rappelling in the Grand Canyon. Membership benefits include access to hundreds of activities each month as well as friendships forged through shared experience and bartering packed-lunch items.

Celebrating their 20th anniversary this season, the Charlotte Eagles contend with 10 rival teams for supremacy in the United Soccer League’s Pro division. This year's roster is packed with seasoned players such as Colombian Jorge Herrera and local Charlottean Darryl Roberts, who sits among the league’s top scorers so far in 2012. A glance at the current schedule will help fans plan to attend a game when the sun will be close enough to earth to tan their bodies in home-team orange.