Lake at Carolina Trace Country Club

Always enjoy the Lake course although I rarely play well there. (Who put those bunkers in my way?!).

While the course is awesome, the resident/members can be rude…at least one of them. After teeing off at our appointed 11:48, an elderly single caught up to us on the first green. He hit his approach shot before we were off the green. Of course, he duffed it…but still. He caught us again as we finished #2 so after hitting our tee shots on #3 we scooted into the trees and as he came by we told him to go ahead. He pointed his scrawney finger at me and said “You aren’t supposed to jump ahead of your tee time. I had a 12:00 tee time and you jumped in front of me!” I said “We had an 11:48 tee time and that’s before your 12:00 tee time!” I told him to play thru to which he said, again wagging his boney finger at me, “You will stay right there until I am completely finished with this hole!” At that I drove on out toward my ball as I called the pro shop and complained about one of their psycho resident/members! He played thru but I so desperately wanted to hit on top of him (or just hit him, period!).

Oher than the jerk, the course is in great shape. Worth the drive from Pinehurst if vacationing there as we are.

This was my second time playing. We played about 5 weeks ago early on a Saturday morning, and play was smooth and fun. We played this past Sunday with a 12:30 tee time and the pace of play was horrendous. It was smooth on the first 7 holes but on 10, we were waiting 10 minutes just to get to the tee box. every hole was the same. There were two groups stacked up behind us, and we were stuck behind 4 groups. No course ranger to get things moving. People started jumping holes to try and get done. If we had not done the same, it would have taken about 5 hours to play 18 with two people. It is an hour drive from Raleigh to this course and at that price, I would expect a bit more order. I doubt if I will travel that far to play again after this experience.. S

The carts where running on gas, but overall a good course to play.

Staff was super friendly - my top weighted criteria btw. Beautiful course, major elevation changes, especially on par 3’s.

A couple of them signature holes, but a couple of them identical holes as well. Par 5s are best holes on the course, risk reward on every second shot. The par 4s skew a tad too short, but accuracy a premium regardless. Would give 4.5 overall for value. We played it for $52 and literally (literally) had the entire course to ourselves. It was hotAF and the membership skews senior, we only saw our first other golfer on the 18th hole. Pro shop said it’s most often like that on hot summer pm’s.

Awesome friendly staff! Really made me feel welcome. I played during the hot part of the day and there was almost no one on the course, so pace was exactly what I wanted - I played in under 3 hours. The Lake course layout is fabulous, and the par 3's are totally awesome. A little lengthy but so beautiful. Greens were in great shape. I'd play there again in a heartbeat.

Really enjoyed the day. Very few golfers. The course was in great shape. Traps are in nice condition

Had a 3.5 hour round on a Sunday mid morning. Greens were great despite recovering from a recent punch and still held some decent speed. May have to go back in a couple weeks and see how they are. Fun elevation changes while still getting a sand hillsy feel.

The gentleman in the Pro shop was awesome. He actually got us out early. The course was in great shape Recommend this course to anyone.

Awesome gentleman in the pro shop. Got us out early.

Greens were awesome.

Beautiful layout, enough challenges to play. I had my A game and enjoyed every shot.

Good challenging course. Had a slow group ahead which made for a long day. Greens rolling nicely, bunkers taken care of but hard to follow the course due to lack of signage.

Amazing layout, amazing conditions and amazing staff!

We played the Lake course which was beautiful with lots of rolling hills and elevation changes. We were down in NC from MA playing Pinehurst No. 1 which was very underwhelming and not worth the price. Next time we do a golf trip to NC this will be our main course and the play the Creek course as well.

Leaving the same review for both courses since I played both the same day.

Before I say anything else, I have to say that Mike in the pro shop is next level friendly and helpful. I called early in the day to ask if I could get out a little early due to expected weather, and he was very accommodating. I ended up getting caught out on the course cowering under a small bathroom overhang during my unexpected second round (the course was empty, and the first round flew by, so I decided to try and beat the weather. I didn't make it.). As I was calling the clubhouse to get the bathroom code, the shelter was nearly struck by lightning. Mike offered to have someone come out and pick me up via the adjoining road. Though I decided to wait it out, the gesture was very nice and helped make the day unforgettable. As for the courses, they are very beautiful and highly challenging. The Lakes course has three of the most unforgettable par 3's you'll find anywhere with two of them dropping nearly 50' in elevation with water carries and one on a peninsula out into Lake Trace with expansive views. There are elevation changes galore, and I would extremely discourage anyone wanting to walk. Besides, there are some incredibly long distances between holes. The carts are much better than what I've read from other reviews with nicely cushioned, high-end seats, but they are gas carts, and they are loud. The concrete cart paths are great on the Lakes course, but the blacktop paths on the Creek course have a ton of bumps because of root growth, so you have to keep your eyes pealed at all times or you might chip some teeth. The front nine of the Creek course has a couple of holes where knowing the course would have saved a couple of strokes, especially the par 5 third where the fairway stops suddenly and blindly from the tee and becomes an incredibly steep area of rough right where a good drive might stop, and if your ball doesn't have enough speed to get through it, you'll have the worst downhill shot over water you've ever imagined. Either buy a yardage book or play with someone who knows, but it would be nice if there were at least some pictures on the scorecard or on signs at the tee. The greens are very fast and roll beautifully, and the fairways were coming in nicely for this time of year. Like many others have said, these courses desperately need signage. It was very easy to either get lost or feel like you're lost, even if you're in the right place. I played the Lakes first, and when making the turn, I didn't yet understand that the Creek course didn't come back to the clubhouse, so when I saw signs pointing to #10, I was unsure if it was the right course or not. Other places very little to know signs at all, especially the path getting back to the clubhouse after #18 of the Creek. (hint: when you get to the road, take a left, and immediately look for the path on your right. It's the same color as the driveway it touches, and there's just a little yellow arrow to tell you where to go.) Overall, it was an awesome experience with memorable golf and a very friendly staff.