North Carolina Golf Panel

Course Ratings and Rankings

Who We Are

A history of the North Carolina Golf Panel

The North Carolina Golf Panel was founded in 1995 by noted Charlotte public relations executive Bill Hensley, a longtime golf writer and promoter of the game. The Golf Panel began as a free-standing, self-supporting interest group under the aegis of North Carolina Magazine, a publication of N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, the state chamber of commerce. Today, it operates as a free-standing entity.

In the past decade, the NC Golf Panel has emerged as the most authoritative statewide source of golf course rankings in a state that boasts some of the nation's best courses. Our approximately 135-member group has a unique composition: There are several dozen members of the golf media, including writers from some of the top daily newspapers in the state, golf coaches at several leading colleges and universities, an array of club pros and general managers at many outstanding courses, accomplished amateur players, and others who take an active role in promoting golf in North Carolina.  Lastly, the panel has a large number of business executives who share a common thread with each of the above - a passion and appreciation for golf in our great state.

Each year the members of the Golf Panel vote to determine up-to-date rankings of North Carolina's Top 100 Courses. We also arrive at Top 10 rankings from each of the following six regions: Mountains, Charlotte Metro, Piedmont Triad, Triangle, Sandhills and Coastal. We also vote on a few select specialty categories each year. The Golf Panel's rankings are published annually in the state's leading golf publications and daily newspapers, plus they are detailed on this website.

By averaging the vote totals in our annual balloting from panelists of such varied backgrounds and skill levels, the panel arrives at ratings that are fair and can be appreciated by a broad spectrum of golfers. Like any ratings group, we know that ours is not an exact science. Panelists can only vote for courses that they have played - how could one possibly rank a course he or she hasn't played? - and it may take years for each panelist to visit the hundreds of courses worthy of consideration.