Rory McIlroy's Miracle Mile - Play Best Golf Courses in Charlotte, NC

Golf Course ReviewFour Acres of Greens – Challenge Youat Skybrook Golf Club- Huntersville, NC By: Sam SmithWhen the 18-hole championshipsemi-private SkybrookGolf Club inHuntersville, NC opened for play in July2000, golfers were beckoned to thisspectacular golf course featuring beautifulrolling fairways and incredibly scenicviews. And now 10-years later,daily and membership play and golf outingsafford a wide range of players theopportunity to enjoy one of the premierlayouts of the six-course Carolina Trail.Roaming across 7,000 yards of remarkablymountainous terrain, JohnLaFoy, designer and golf course architect,blended the rolling hills, dramaticelevation changes and beautiful landscapeinto a course that will capture theheart of every golfer that plays.“With our Carolina Trail membershiplevels, we get great referral playfrom other courses,” explained HeadGolf Professional Jeff Thomas. “Thislets players put a great deal of varietyinto their golf course selections. Theylove the feel created by the elevationchanges of the mountain feel here atSkybrook, with a location convenient toall of the Charlotte market.”hole with a 419-yard par 4that comes complete withelevated tee box, spectacularview, and behemothgreen. As a matter of fact,7 of the first 9 holes havegreens that stretch morethan 50-feet in depth fromfront to back. Getting onin regulation may be easierwith the larger greens,but make sure you take acouple of long putts onthe practice green, youmay need them.MATTER OF FACT:You will find4-acres of greensat Skybrook.After the first hole, the rest of thefront nine ranges from testy to very enjoyable,including the 433-yard 6th holethat invites site-seeking and rave reviewswith the elevation of its tee box.For “the down the middle” hitters, allSkybrook closes with three challenging holes...highlighted by 400-yard par 4 - 17th, #2 handicap holecreate some tense moments.Hole #6 aside, off the tee box, thiscourse can be forgiving because manyof the holes slope back towards the fairways,a uniqueness of this course thatsets it apart. If you miss a shot, youwon't be looking for your ball longerthan the rules allow.Skybrook builds to achallenging finish, with all3 of the last holes ready toeither make or breakyour round.Multi-functional Clubhouse guards the #1 handicap 9th hole at Skybrook Golf ClubYou get a real feel of the golf courseelevation changes right from the firstThe 178-yard par 3 16th hole is allcarry over water into a tight green. #17,the number 2 handicap hole, is a long429-yard par 4 slight dogleg-left withthe same lake running all along its leftside. The 18th hole will test you’reyour metal. This 553-yard par 5 startsthese elevated tees could lead to rednumbers. But, for errant drivers, it could42 - CAROLINA GOLF JOURNAL - SUMMER 2010 _____________________________________________________________________________