Turnberry Country Club

Turnberry is a semi-private golf club. Anyone can sign up for various levels of membership and amenities for a variety of prices. The only way to get onto the course is to be a member, play with a member, or play one of the few scrambles they host every year. I was a member two years ago. I tried it out and found out that it just wasn't for me. Two of my golf buddies are still members there so I've played it multiple times every year.

Last time I played here was in June. The driving range and practice greens are nice. The course itself WAS a gem (like worthy of 5 stars). Over the past several years, it has deteriorated a bit. Tee boxes. greens, bunkers, and most of the fairways are in good shape. The rough and fringe areas are patchy. Cart paths are in poor shape and there are numerous low areas around the course that don't drain well. The on course bathroom has never been open.

The difficulty of the course is challenging. Both the front and back 9 have changes in elevation and water bordering the fairways. The bunkering was well thought out as there are fairways bunkers in "normal" driving areas and numerous green side bunkers that protect the greens. There are not any forced carries on shots into the greens which allows you to be creative with how you want to play the hole and gives you options if you are hitting out of the mature trees throughout the course. The course tips out at 6876 yards with other tee options as well. The hardest holes for me on this course have been 3rd hole which plays 220 yards from the tips and is well guarded with water down the left and bunkers on the right and the 460 yard 5th hole which usually always plays into the wind and has a tee shot that has to carry water. The 17th hole, par 5, is no guarantee to be a scoring hole. There are large, mature trees, along the left side of this dog leg left which makes taking a 2nd shot towards the green nearly impossible.

My review boils down to this: I like the course, I don't love it. I really don't like the rates, even when I was a member. It is comparable to Foxford Hills or Chalet Hills in Cary but you can play at those course for almost $10/round cheaper. In my opinion, its worth signing up for the basic membership for one year, playing your free rounds, and seeing if you love the course. The course was recently sold so perhaps the new ownership will address some of the shortcomings in order to make this a 5 star course again in the near future.