A Complete Guide to Asheville Area Golf Communities

Compare NC golf communities by exploring the amenities and attributes that attract so many luxury home buyers to this area.

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Josh Smith
Josh Smith

President, Walnut Cove Realty

dave bailey
David Bailey

Broker-in-Charge, Walnut Cove Realty

Searching for the right golf community in an in-demand market like western North Carolina can be overwhelming. There are a few nationally recognized options to choose from in 2024, attracting attention from the likes of Golf Digest and Golfweek, each with its own character and lifestyle. This comparison guide presents four of the most attractive communities near Asheville for golfers, with key information about each to help you find the community best suited to you. Some are private communities centered around a golf course—"true” golf communities—while others are historic neighborhoods featuring an excellent course that can’t be dismissed out of hand.

This guide has been compiled and regularly updated by the North Carolina real estate experts at Walnut Cove Realty. Our goal is to provide you with a list of golf communities that home buyers are most interested in based on our experience so you can research homes on your own terms and engage with real estate professionals when you’re ready.

Some of the area’s luxury communities feature a variety of living styles, from single family lock and leave patio and townhome options to large multi-level estate homes. If you have a specific interest or desire, let us know. We will be happy to refine a search to meet your parameters of the ideal home.

Table of contents

Use the links below to jump around this guide and explore each community on the list.

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Asheville Airport Driving Proximity
Downtown Asheville Driving Proximity
Mission Hospital Driving Proximity
Blue Ridge Parkway Driving Proximity
Charlotte, North Carolina, Driving Proximity

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

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1121-Timberbluff-Way-Arden-NC

Community Features

Fitness/Wellness Center
Intra-Community Trail System
Clubhouse
Guard/Gated Security
Dining
Clubs

Approximate distance

Airport 5 miles
Downtown Asheville 11.5 miles
Mission Hospital 10.5 miles
Blue Ridge Parkway 3 miles
Charlotte 116 miles

Course specs

SLOPE

124.0 – 148.0

LENGTH

4,646 – 7,270

RATING

66.8 – 75.8

DESIGNER

Jack Nicklaus

PAR

71

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About The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove features a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course set within a rich landscape of cultivated gardens and thousands of acres of land abutting the Blue Ridge Parkway, with convenient access to premium dining, culture, and healthcare in nearby Asheville, North Carolina. The community offers a range of housing options, from single-family homes, to townhomes, to lots and acreage.

The course itself has not only been recognized as one of the best in North Carolina by Golf Digest and Golfweek, but has the honor of being the home facility for the UNC Asheville Women's Golf Team. It features four sets of women's tees and five sets of men's tees, and offers both structured, club-run groups and informal, member-run groups, giving the course a neighborhood golf feel while providing a best-in-state experience.

Surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, it features playable bentgrass fairways, rolling slopes, challenging greens, bunkers, and elevation changes from 2,100 to 2,250 feet through mountain meadows, creeks, and streams set against rolling grassland within a natural amphitheater.

The first nine wind through open fields of once rolling farmland, lying over and across soft ridges with plenty of bunkers to provide a variety of obstacles—and opportunities—for smart play. The back nine crisscrosses over and around mountain streams carved through local woodland in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In particular, players may appreciate hole seven, which features a par-four that requires you to play over the fairway bunkers and into a green that has water on three sides, as if you’re hitting the ball into a lake. Similarly, scenic hole 16 is a par-three over a creek tucked below the Pisgah National Forest.

After a morning’s round, the Club Village is the perfect spot to relax. Residents can wash up in the locker room facilities, have a leisurely lunch featuring locally sourced ingredients at the Tavern, enjoy a cocktail on the patio, or savor a satisfying vintage from the on-site wine room, before ducking into the pro shop to browse their assortment of gear, including a wide selection of women’s products.

What’s more, members of the club can enjoy traditional, seasonal, and special events as well as forge new friendships in groups like the Walnut Cove Ladies Golf Association. Member-guests, men’s and ladies’ days, club championships, Christmas tournaments, nine and dines, USGA tournaments, afternoon women’s programs, casual golf groups: something is bound to be happening at the club.

The community

Beyond golf, the community itself is amenity-rich. It features an 18,000-foot luxury wellness center with pools, fitness equipment, and tennis court, as well as miles of in-gate hiking trails. Residents can enjoy classes like yoga or spin, receive guidance from personal trainers, participate in guided outdoor activities, or enjoy a well-earned massage.

Looking to enrich your life and those of others? Walnut Cove is home to a number of member-run clubs for a range of interests, from bridge and mahjong to fishing and bowling. In addition, The Walnut Cove Members Association, a group of property owners interested in supporting local nonprofits, provides additional charitable opportunities, notably a mentorship program for student athletes at UNC Asheville and grants for local charities.

Move into your dream home faster at Walnut Cove.

Looking to build your forever home in the North Carolina mountains? Walnut Cove Realty’s Luxury Build Program combines the speed and convenience of buying a home with the freedom of customization afforded by building. It’s essentially the best of both worlds, without the worst of either.

We partner with trusted builders and residents of select communities within The Cliffs at Walnut Cove to fund the design and construction of new luxury homes with popular features and much shorter build times. Luxury home buyers looking to build don’t have to spend months closing on a lot, planning from scratch with designers, and waiting even longer for the build.

If you're looking for a home in the western North Carolina mountains, Walnut Cove is an ideal choice. Come visit us and see our gorgeous mountain homes, amenities, and community for yourself!

Why The Cliffs at Walnut Cove?

  • Nearby attractions

    Whether you’re in the mood for an exceptional meal, beer, hike, concert, or theatrical performance, you’ll find it nearby in Asheville and surrounding communities.

  • Home & Homesite prices

    HOMES: $1M to $5M+

    HOMESITES: $150K to $2M+

  • Activities

    In addition to a top notch golfing experience, the community offers a 8,000 sq. ft. Wellness Center with indoor and outdoor pools, hiking trails, tennis courts, and a nature center.

  • Lifestyle & Vibe

    This community offers the perfect combination of privacy and elegant living. An upmarket living experience is ensured by strict architectural integrity regulations and attention to detail throughout the community.

  • Course Accolades
    • Best in State—Golf Digest
    • Among America’s best residential courses—Golfweek
    • Among the best private golf courses in NC—Golfweek
    • Part of one of the best golf communities in North America—Golf Magazine
    • UNC Asheville women's golf home course
  • Environmental

    The community offers residents a CSA program and maintains protected land.

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove — firsthand impressions

Rebecca Dougherty

“Walnut Cove is what I consider the premier gated community in Asheville. It offers you everything you’d really ever want from this area—from wooded lots to high view elevation. It has such a variety.”

— Rebecca Dougherty, Walnut Cove Realty, Executive Broker

dave bailey

“Getting integrated into this community happens to a large degree on the golf course. You start meeting people, making plans for dinner, and it goes from there.”

— Walnut Cove resident, Walnut Cove Realty Broker In Charge

Josh Smith

“Hole 18 is very challenging. It's a dogleg to the left downhill and across the creek. It makes you want to come back and try again.”

— Josh Smith, Walnut Cove Realty, President

Champion Hills

champion hills golf course with azaleas
champion hills golf course with turkeys
champion hills community building

Community Features

Intra-Community Trail System
Clubhouse
Fitness/Wellness Center
Clubs
Dining
Tennis Court

Approximate distance

Airport 16 miles
Downtown Asheville 29 miles
Mission Hospital 27.5 miles
Blue Ridge Parkway 21 miles
Charlotte 107 miles

Course specs

SLOPE

136

LENGTH

6719

RATING

71.3

DESIGNER

Tom Fazio

PAR

71

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About Champion Hills

Champion Hills is one of the most sought-after golfing communities in the area. Nestled in the pristine splendor of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains in Hendersonville, residents enjoy a beautiful living experience that combines southern hospitality with a mountain lifestyle.

The course

Here, you’ll find one of the best residential courses in the US, according to Golfweek—a Tom Fazio-designed championship-rated masterpiece where you can play your best game with great company any time of year.

Touted as one of Tom Fazio’s personal favorites, the course itself is a portfolio of stunning vistas featuring streams, forested hills, and deep ravines, at a range of angles, elevations, and settings, engrossing players in the game while offering something new to look forward to at each hole.

With 350 feet of elevation change, it’s meticulously designed to be fun, fair, and challenging for players of different abilities, featuring a generous number of downhill holes, level lies, and fairways simultaneously challenging and sculpted to encourage your ball to bounce toward you rather than away.

A collection of club events and golf groups help residents find community while pro instruction, a putting green, and driving range are available to help residents master their game. Meanwhile, a full-service clubhouse awaits golfers after a long day with luxurious fine and casual dining opportunities.

The community

As with the other communities on this list, a mild, four-season climate with temperate Winters and cool mountain Summers allows you to experience Champion Hills through vibrant Springs and Autumns as well as lush Summers. Glorious seasonal colors draw residents from all around in addition to easy access to the vibrant arts, entertainment, sports, and healthcare amenities of the Hendersonville, Asheville, and Greenville regions.

Residents here enjoy a lifestyle that offers the best of both worlds: a sense of solitude and quiet, along with an active social life. Besides top shelf golf, a fully-equipped fitness and wellness center, tennis courts with accompanying programs for various skill levels, and 17 miles of marked walking trails help residents stay fit.

Meanwhile, seasonal events ensure there is never a dull moment, from wine tastings and cooking demonstrations to holiday gatherings. The community also offers a variety of other clubs, groups, and volunteer opportunities to suit your interests, whether you yearn for a game of bridge or want to give back by supporting local nonprofits.

No matter what you’re seeking in a full-time residence or seasonal retreat, Champion Hills offers attractive homes in a range of styles and sizes—each thoughtfully crafted for elegant living.

Why Champion Hills?

  • Nearby attractions

    Champion Hills is an easy five miles from Hendersonville, North Carolina. It’s also less than an hour away from the exciting city of Asheville, where you’ll find a thriving arts scene and seemingly endless opportunities for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

  • Home Prices

    $535K to $1.7M+

  • Activities

    Champion Hills offers a wide array of activities, including 17 miles of walking trails, lighted tennis courts, and many member groups for those who enjoy lunching, dining, travel, dancing, hiking, yoga, cars, bridge, tennis, gardening and much more.

  • Lifestyle & Vibe

    There’s a friendly, welcoming energy in the crisp mountain air here. Champion Hills is perfect for those who love living life to its fullest. Experience authentic connections and a region enriched with activities.

  • Course Accolades
    • One of the best residential courses in the US—Golfweek
    • #1 year-round course in WNC—Golf Digest
    • Best in State—Golf Digest
  • Environmental

    Permission is required to significantly prune native rhododendrons because of their sensitivity and to remove native shrubs or trees. Clear-cutting is forbidden and crown reduction is discouraged.

Champion Hills — firsthand impressions

Josh Smith

“Those who live in Champion Hills have convenient access to Hendersonville, a quaint mountain town with good restaurants. It's a little lower in elevation. At Champion Hills, you also have a Tom Fazio-designed golf course right in your backyard.”

— Josh Smith, Walnut Cove Realty, President

dave bailey

“Champion Hills is Tom Fazio's hometown golf course—he actually lives in Hendersonville. It's a great golf course he designed there. ”

— David Bailey, Broker-in-Charge, Walnut Cove Realty

North Asheville

345 Midland Dr Asheville home

Community Features

Open Community
Historic
Clubhouse
Clubs
Community Open Space
Dining
Fitness/Wellness Center
Golf Course
Tennis Court

Approximate distance

Airport 16 – 20.5 Miles
Downtown Asheville 1.5 – 4 Miles
Mission Hospital 2.5 – 5.5 Miles
Blue Ridge Parkway 8.5 – 12 Miles
Charlotte 124 – 133 Miles

Course specs

SLOPE

133

LENGTH

6677

RATING

72.3

DESIGNER

Donald J. Ross

PAR

70

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About North Asheville

Neighborhoods of interest to luxury buyers in the North Asheville area include Lake View Park, Grove Park, The Hills of Beaverdam, and Lakeshore Heights. These neighborhoods and communities are all convenient to the Country Club of Asheville, one of the first private clubs founded in the US, established in 1894.

The club’s golf course was designed by legendary architect Donald Ross, like the nearby course at the Omni Grove Park Inn. In fact, it is said that the Country Club of Asheville was originally located where the Grove Park Inn is today, and the Grove Park Inn golf course once belonged to the Country Club of Asheville. Later, the club was moved North to its current location, and Donald Ross designed a new course there which members are familiar with today. It was updated by Richard Mandell in 2016.

The course features bent grass fairways. These are at times challengingly long with multiple uphill and downhill shots. Hole 16 in particular offers an enchanting view of Asheville and the surrounding mountains, and was once the longest in North Carolina, at 600 yards, with a creek in between.

Hole 17, in turn, may be the longest and most difficult Par-three of the course. As a local watering hole, it’s not uncommon for neighbors to create their own, informal groups to practice and socialize.

Golfers can warm up for their game at the 25-tee driving range, putting, and chipping greens in the practice area. Meanwhile, personal training and golf clinics are available to help perfect your swing, as is the SkyTrak indoor golf simulator.

Aside from golf, members can enjoy the club’s Olympic-size swimming pool, indoor and outdoor tennis facilities, indoor pickleball courts, new 2,500 square foot fitness center, and even rec rooms to entertain children and teens.

Those interested can join men’s, and women’s, or youth programs and lessons for swimming, water aerobics, tennis, and more. As for culinary delights after a round, fine mountain views await al fresco diners as well as indoor dinner and cocktail options—family friendly, casual, or buttoned up.

The community

These established, historic neighborhoods feature a mix of older homes, including grand plantation-style and old world, European-style houses convenient to Asheville’s restaurants, nightlife, shopping, wellness, and cultural opportunities, as well as rare natural attractions such as the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest.

In addition, UNC Asheville and its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute are nearby, offering retired residents a revolving calendar of expert talks, workshops, socials, courses, and performances to feed their minds.

For many homes in this area, the privately-owned Beaver Lake and Park is within easy walking distance. This spot is popular for aquatics like fishing, boating, and paddleboarding as well as walking, biking, and jogging. The man-made lake and neighborhood were designed by architect John Nolen, possibly with the assistance of his friend, Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.

The nearby Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, managed by the Audubon Society, offers birdwatchers in the area a convenient outlet. Visitors can enjoy a three-eighths mile walk through the wetland and stop to sit and watch a wide variety of birds, notably Brown-headed Nuthatches, Warbling Vireos, and Eastern Kingbirds.

To the South, The Grove Park Inn offers luxury indulgences, from spa treatments to tennis and some of Asheville’s finest dining, served by its five-star hotel staff.

Culinary enthusiasts can enjoy anything from an al fresco dinner with a dusk mountain view at the Sunset Terrace restaurant to a farm-to-table Sunday brunch featuring the likes of citrus poached shrimp, eggs benedict, and frangipane cake at the Blue Ridge restaurant.

The resort is also known for its gingerbread house competition: a special treat during the holiday season.

Why North Asheville?

  • Nearby attractions

    The nearby Grove Park Inn has entertained a number of American presidents and diplomats over the last century. For bookworms and cultural aficionados, the UNCA’s OLLIE offers continuing learning opportunities. Meanwhile, nature lovers will appreciate North Asheville’s proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

  • Activities

    In addition to an exclusive golf experience, North Asheville offers opportunities for running, walking/hiking, bird watching, cycling, tennis, shopping, dining, arts/culture, and fitness.

  • Lifestyle & Vibe

    Residents of North Asheville can enjoy historic neighborhood living that supports an active lifestyle.

  • Environmental

    The city of Asheville has its own sustainability office (created in 2008). Environmental policies include: 4% annual carbon reduction goal for municipal operations; food policy action plan; 50% municipal solid waste reduction goal by 2035; 100% renewable energy goal for municipal operations by 2030; Climate Emergency and Emergency Mobilization Effort to Restore a Safe Climate.

North Asheville — firsthand impressions

Josh Smith

“The golf course at The Country Club of Asheville is short, very approachable, and easy to walk. It’s an easy outlet for somebody that wants to be within close proximity to Asheville, but also have a golf option. Grove Park is the kind of neighborhood where you can ride a bike downtown and still walk across the street and play golf.”

Josh Smith, Walnut Cove Realty, President

Rebecca Dougherty

“Centered around the iconic Grove Park Inn, this North Asheville neighborhood is broader than just Grove Park. It's a beautiful mixed neighborhood that started in the 20s, and it's grown up to include both new and modern, and old and traditional. It's exceptional, and a coveted place in the city of Asheville. Both the Grove Park Inn and Country Club of Asheville have golf course memberships available.”

Rebecca Dougherty, Walnut Cove Realty, Executive Broker

Exceptional Luxury Real Estate Services in North Carolina

Walnut Cove Realty is a real estate firm representing homeowners and developers in Asheville, North Carolina, and the broader WNC region. We believe everyone deserves to live in a house they love. That’s why we use our knowledge of golf communities and luxury neighborhoods in the area to help buyers find the perfect golfside luxury home in the best gated community—and help sellers maximize their selling price and navigate their home sale from start to finish.

Here’s our promise to you when you work with us:

  • Transparent, thoughtful communication. The foundation of any great relationship—whether it be with a buyer or seller—begins with excellent communication. We promise to listen to your needs, offer valuable feedback, and keep you informed every step of the way.
  • A commitment to every client. We structure each of our luxury real estate services to ensure we are invested in your success—no matter what success means to you. When you win, we win—and we love to win.

How can we help you?

For buyers

Let our experts pair you with your perfect home.

For sellers

Attract your perfect buyer with the best offer.

For buyers looking to build

Learn about our popular WCR Luxury Spec Home Program.

Referrals and relocation

Learn about our trusted network of global affiliates and relocation services.

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Your Right-hand Real Estate Agents

For more than 15 years, the luxury real estate specialists at Walnut Cove Realty have used their unique knowledge of western North Carolina’s most coveted golf and mountain communities to help hundreds of buyers find the perfect luxury mountain home.

As a long-time luxury real estate market leader in western North Carolina, our team of record-breaking agents, an award-winning marketing department, a Luxury Marketing Specialist, and top-notch administrative professionals, ensure our clients receive superior results throughout the entire process. Through Walnut Cove Realty's affiliation with Allen Tate Realtors® / Beverly-Hanks REALTORS®, our marketing reach extends globally through Luxury Portfolio International® and LeadingRE®. Our tailored, data-driven approach to pricing, marketing, and negotiation combined with exemplary service have been our hallmark for decades.

Talk to us and move forward confidently.

Want to learn more about luxury real estate in western North Carolina or schedule a free private tour? Give us a call. Our experienced real estate sales staff is eager to help.

We look forward to hearing from you!