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Rating Index Rating
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4.6
1079 Reviews (1079)
5 Stars
681
4 Stars
325
3 Stars
55
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
6
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.6
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.4
96.0%
Recommend this course
1037 out of 1079 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
14 Reviews (14)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.4
Value
4.6
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.8
100.0%
Recommend this course
14 out of 14 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.6
74 Reviews (74)
5 Stars
54
4 Stars
14
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.6
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.4
StaffFriendliness
4.8
94.6%
Recommend this course
70 out of 74 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
River Ridge consistently impresses with its outstanding layout, beautifully maintained fairways, and fast, smooth greens that hold up even after heavy rain. Friendly staff, solid practice facilities, and strong value make this course a reliable choice worth booking.

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 72
Length 6740 yards
Slope 138
Rating 72.2

River Ridge Golf Club is one of the finest public golf courses in Raleigh. The course sprawls across 100 acres in the heart of the Triangle, it's an easy 15-minute drive from downtown Raleigh. The lush green of the course contrasts beautifully with the Carolina blue skies. Mature trees frame most of the holes and there are a few lakes that come into play. The rolling terrain provides plenty of ups and downs throughout the golf course. Accuracy will be generously rewarded but it's not overly punishing for the high handicapper. The course's signature hole is the par-4 fifth, a 375-yard hole that can be conquered with smart play. Try to keep your long iron or fairway wood to the right of the fairway, which will give you a short iron approach into the green.

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Course Details

Year Built 1997
Fairways Bermuda
Greens MiniVerde Bermuda
Golf Season Year round
Architect Chuck Smith

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Collared shirts, long pants or bermuda shorts No cut-offs, tank tops, jeans.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Snacks, Beverage Carts

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Lounge, Meeting Facilities, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Available Sports

Tennis

Accolades

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12 rounds of waived fees
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Reviews

4.6
1079 Reviews (1079)

What Golfers Are Saying

Course Challenges Include:
Undulating Greens 19
Bunkers 16
Elevation Changes 16
This course/club is great for:
Locals 20
Advanced Golfers 13
A Weekend Splurge 7
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 16
Convenient to the City 14

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 29
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

On the rise!

Conditions were to be expected for this time of year and the greens looked (and putted) like they’d recently been punched but overall great value.

New carts with USB ports are a great addition.

It looks like everyone at River Ridge is trying to get the course in peak form for the future and I’m excited to see the changes.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful Course

My only complaint about this course is the pace of play. It took us 5 hours to play 18. The course was in perfect shape for early spring and greens were emasculate. There are tee boxes suitable for all skill sets and the course is very forgiving. The pin placements were set in really tough positions making for a frustrating day on the greens. Overall, I fully recommend this course!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great golf course !

Great layout,beautiful, would recommend to anyone.a enjoyable round of golf! A plus!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Beautiful layout for the price

The layout of this course is something you typically don't find at a discounted public course. The greens did not look great, but they sure played perfectly! In fairness, the weather has been brutal to the greens, but what I'm saying is don't let the looks of the greens fool you- these are extremely quality greens!

We zipped through 18 holes in under 4 hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Great Course

River Ridge is a great course. The conditions are always good. New greens are running true and quick. This is one of my go-to courses in this area.

I usually play this course about 30 times per year and I've never had anything but a great experience!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Give River Ridge a try

For windy and wet conditions, River Ridge was in really good shape. I enjoyed some of the holes that challenged you to get over water, but position the landing for the next hit. Some of the uphill par 3s were tough, but fair. I would definitely come back again when I'm in the area.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good value

Awesome greens for late winter-early spring. Different setup than most courses so a refreshing change. Range and range balls need some work but overall a great experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 59
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Unusual but challenging and well maintained

I've played this course many times under many different conditions, and I always consider it one of my go-to courses to play. It's very well maintained, with beautiful bermuda greens that roll true, and fairways and traps are full and kept neat. The layout is interesting, including several short holes that are much harder than their yardage would have you believe, but it's not target golf. Carts are virtually new. Nice clubhouse and generally friendly staff, and the range is very good. The only downside is that the putting green is very hilly, so hard to practice your aim.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 14
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

Greens true and fast...course in excellent condition. Great variety of holes and never disappointed here. Pace of play excellent. Only one complaint please get better range balls and mow the driving range.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Nice round

Had some issues out here the previous week with pace of play but did not experience this issue this time around. It was quite cold out so that probably kept crowd to a minimum. Course is in great shape for winter. #6 always has drainage issues and water logged fairway though.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Pace of Play

I went out as a single around 1:30 hoping to get in as much as possible before dark (should be about 3.5 hours of play). Was instructed that they were running behind and busy. Got paired with another single, no problem for me. We finished the front 9 at 4:20. I didnt even want to head to the back 9 as we may have got 2 more holes in so i went back to the range for 30 minutes. Probably should have only paid for 9 holes but i didnt think it would take almost 3 hours to play 9.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 418
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 25 Contributor
Previously Played

Awesome Greens

River Ridge has some of the best Bermuda greens in the Raleigh area...VERY Fast and true! Fairways are in good shape, rough is not too long but very dense. Great, fair layout. Sand traps are a little inconsistent as far as depth/texture. Great play on GolfNow Hot Deal!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Day Out

Played River Ridge last week, course was in great condition, greens were hard and fast. Pace of play was good. Will return again.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 418
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 25 Contributor
Previously Played

Quick Greens

Course is in excellent condition for the fall. Bermuda greens very fast but true....try to stay below the hole!!!!

The rough isn't particularly long but is dense. Great layout....some strong par 4's.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 17
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Enjoyable and challenging

This was a very solid public course at a reasonable price. It offered a good challenge while not being overly difficult. Greens were fast if you were above the hole! Course conditions were good on the day we played.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Solid

Top dressing made it tough but the greens rolled true and the staff was awesome. We were paired with two great guys and had a solid day on the course. Pace of play was solid and it was not very crowded so we had a great day.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

First time of many

I'm quite happy that I chose this course! The condition was fantastic, the course is set up just as well. It is a challenging course with a number of blind tee shots and undulating greens that had some very interesting pin positions. I played from the whites, but I can see more and more challenge as you move back two more tee sets. I will be visiting again, and soon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Always seems to be in good shape

I play here a bit specifically because the greens are always quick and a challenge. Course conditions on the Sunday we played were good and pace of play was excellent.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
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