Grandfather Golf & Country Club

Grandfather is the highest of the Blue Ridge Mountain peaks and at the feet of the old man nestles Grandfather Golf and Country Club. There are two 18-hole courses at Grandfather, a short executive track and the championship course. Ellis Maples designed each layout, but the championship course is naturally the one and is considered the finest mountain course in the Carolinas.

The architect stated in a letter back in 1965 that, "the magnificent scenery afforded by the west slope of Grandfather Mountain as it towers above the Linville River Valley provides a golf setting that is unequalled in North Carolina. Tremendous trees line the fairways and the lake, streams and topography afford opportunities for a great variety of interesting golf holes."

Set in a valley between two mountain ridges, the Championship course is routed through dense woodland with fairways generally isolated from each other. A number of small creeks meander through the property, crossing several of the fairways, and this type of hazard is most noticeable on the par four 15th where water threatens both the fairway landing area and the approach to an exposed plateau green.