Golf in Newton

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.

When they took over Jimmy Mac’s Golf Range, PGA professional Brad “Smiley” Latimer and his wife Pam knew they had their work cut out for them. The couple dove right in: they resurfaced the miniature golf course, illuminated its brick-lined pathways with nearly 100 solar lights, acquired a FlightScope Launch Monitor for lessons, and stocked on the driving range with new Titleist and Callaway balls. Even after completing these renovations, they continue to revamp the facilities. The 18-hole mini-golf course now features two cascading waterfalls, babbling brooks that wend along turf fairways, and new putters that send colorful golf balls into holes or to the one-eyed pirate living under the course bridge to fulfill his dream of a new ocular orb.

A 325-yard driving range showcases 25,000 square feet of Bermuda grass tees and 20 artificial turf hitting stations featuring laser yardage readers. The range has covered and uncovered stations, as well as lights that let golfers swing even after the sun has started to snore. Lessons provide the instructional guidance of a professional while taking advantage of the center’s practice bunker and chipping and pitching greens, developing swings dependable enough to take down rabid ball washers.

The founders of Cadillac Golf Ranch felt that most practice ranges were too impersonal, never quite feeling like home. With that in mind, they designed what they envisioned a "club without a golf course," replete with all the luxuries and camaraderie of a full-scale course. Dimpled orbs take flight within the well-manicured bermuda-grass alleyways of Cadillac Golf Ranch's 60,000-square-foot driving range. Synthetic hitting mats unfurl underneath a rustic, heated shelter and real grass launch pads purr in appreciation of artfully shaped divots. Practice sand traps emulate the testy lies of fairway bunkers, and the range also boasts more nettled hitting areas to fine-tune shots out of the rough.

Putt-putt protégés can smooth out chips and putts at the club's indoor and outdoor short-game facilities or crush drives in their indoor hitting bays—where swing-analysis software breaks down each pendulous motion and video playback introduces golfers to a digital doppelganger soon to become their inferior. Back muscles weary from an intense practice session can convalesce on the overstuffed leather couches of the ranch's lounge, which boasts two 55-inch TVs.

Guests at Mount Mitchell Golf Resort soak in beautiful views of forests, the resort's namesake mountain, and the South Toe River while enjoying relaxing outdoor activities. Ranked among the best places to golf in North Carolina by Golfweek, the Resort's 18-hole course unfurls across 6,495 yards of bent-grass tees, fairways, and fast greens situated along the Toe River valley. Golfers must avoid the river's flowing waters on seven holes as they tunnel through the rising peaks of Mount Mitchell that envelope the fairways in vibrant clusters of trees.

In addition to hunting pars on the par 72 course, vacationers can cast lines into the South Toe to lure trophy brown and rainbow trout, either independently or with the assistance of a fishing guide. Additional resort attractions include trail hiking, tennis, mining for gemstones or abandoned gopher stereos, summer theater, and horseback riding. When craving a restaurant meal, visitors may stop by Hawtree's Pub or the clubhouse dining room, TEO'S, with views of the golf course's 18th hole.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,492 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.0 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Scorecard

The Tradition Golf Club’s 18-hole course takes golfers across 6,978 yards of emerald corridors cleaved into a rolling expanse of dense hardwoods. Players can prepare for the grassy monolith’s tree-lined fairways with lessons from one of the club’s resident aces, who imparts swinging wisdom on any aspect of the game, from the basics of the proper grip, stance, and alignment to more nuanced topics, such as how to prevent a hybrid club from having polarized alter egos.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,978 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.9 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 140 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options available
• Scorecard

Golfers traversing Creek Golf Club's 6,625-yard course enjoy plateaued tee boxes and fairways lined with mature trees. The 18-hole course showcases smooth, diamond Zoysia grass greens that tightly swathe the terrain's dramatic, natural contours like skinny jeans on the Jolly Green Giant's hips.

Golf balls fall like hail from the skies above the Club's driving range, where synthetic mats facilitate practice during inclement weather and grass tees provide a natural lie for swing rehearsals. The range serves as the classroom for lessons with PGA professional Mike Byce, who assists those looking to add distance to their drives or transition from a conventional putter to a belly putter or a sawed-off curtain rod.

After a day at the links, guests can refuel at the Club's bar and grill, which serves burgers, salads, cold-cut sandwiches, and other classic eats.