Hound Ears - North Carolina - USA

Sometimes a club’s name is an instantaneous way to gauge the course’s core values, and with a name like “Hound Ears,” you would be correct to assume that fun is the foremost intent. Located in the state’s mountainous west, the rising and falling terrain will absolutely be a factor. That the course only measures 6,300 yards from the back hints at how gettable many of these holes are with just a few good shots.

In order to go downhill, you’ll need to start by trudging uphill. The No. 4 hole is a par five playing to just 495 yards, but it may seem as much as 600 during the ascent. The payoff is in the opportunity to come back down, however. Two holes later, you’ll be facing another 495-yard par five but this time you’ll be hugging the hillside as you descend dramatically from the tee, hoping to look at an approach for an eagle putt.

No. 16 will offer a similar opportunity, at just 477 yards. Your mind may be stuck on the previous hole, however: a 110-yard par three with a tee shot that drops nearly 50 feet to a green sitting behind a clear-flowing mountain stream.