GETTING IN THE swing.

Twenty-five years ago, Charlotte public relations agency owner Bill Hensley didn't think the famous national golf publications were treating North Carolina's esteemed courses fairly. "I was ticked at how the magazines rated our courses, so I said, 'I'll get a panel together and we'll have our own damned rating,"' he recalls. A gifted promoter, Hensley convened a group of 100 talented golfers, ink-stained writers and some businesspeople to travel around rating the state's best links. Early members included N.C. golfing legends such as Harvie Ward and Peggy Kirk Bell, along with some hackers whose love for the sport exceeded their skill level. Thus was born the N.C. Golf Panel, which presents its 25th annual report on the state's 100 best courses in this magazine. The 2020 list is little changed from last year's, with the exception of Pinehurst No. 4, which returned to a top 10 rating after a 2018 redesign by architect Gil Hanse reduced its turf acreage by 40%. Its more famous sibling course, Pinehurst No. 2, claimed its traditional top spot, followed by western N.C. favorites Grandfather Golf & Country Club of Linville and Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club of Cashiers. The latter course, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2006, is among the state's most exclusive, with golf memberships limited to 350 property owners in the development.

Other courses that rose in this year's rankings include No. 55 Grandover Resort in Greensboro, which was 63rd last year, and No. 56 The Currituck Club in Corolla, which had been 66th previously.

Hensley, 94, says he only played one round last year, but he still enjoys talking with the golf panel members about the strengths and weaknesses of the various Tar Heel State tracks. "I think the panel has turned out really well."

2020 TOP 100 GOLF COURSES (second number is previous year's ranking) 1 1. PINEHURST NO. 2 PINEHURST 72 7,588 76.5/138 PAR YARDAGE COURSE RATING/SLOPE 2. 2. GRANDFATHER GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB LINVILLE 72 7,085 74.3/145 3. 3. MOUNTAINTOP GOLF & LAKE CLUB CASHIERS 70 7,126 73.9/145 4 4. PINE NEEDLES LODGE & GOLF CLUB SOUTHERN PINES 71 7,015 73.5/135 5. 5. THE COUNTRY CLUB OF NORTH CAROLINA (DOGWOOD) PINEHURST 72 7,204 75.2/134 6. 6. QUAIL HOLLOW CLUB CHARLOTTE 72 7,396 75.0/140 7 9. ELK RIVER CLUB BANNER ELK PAR YARDAGE COURSE RATING/SLOPE 72 6,826 73.4/141 Developed in 1984 by Spencer and Harry Robbins, the member-owned Elk River Club is home to six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus' first signature golf course in the state. The course's 35 acres of fairways integrates the region's natural topography surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. "The contrasts at Elk River are amazing ... the blue hues of the mountain views, the emerald greens of the course itself, and the sparkling streams that meander throughout," says panelist Roger Krupa of Cary. "I could not wait to see what nature and [Jack] Nicklaus had provided for the next hole." 8. 7. OLD NORTH STATE CLUB NEW LONDON 72 7,102 74.8/142 9. 19. PINEHURST NO. 4 PINEHURST 72 7,227 74.9/138 10. 8 CHARLOTTE COUNTRY CLUB CHARLOTTE 71 7,335 75.9/146 11. 11 SEDGEFIELD COUNTRY CLUB GREENSBORO 71 7,117 72.9/130 12. 10. PINEHURST NO. 8 PINEHURST 72 7,099 74.1/137 13. 14 OLD TOWN CLUB WINSTON-SALEM 70 7,042 74.5/140 14. 13. CAPE FEAR COUNTRY CLUB WILMINGTON 72 6,856 73.4/135 15. 12. WADE HAMPTON GOLF CLUB CASHIERS 72 7,154 74.0/144 16. 16. EAGLE POINT GOLF CLUB WILMINGTON 72 7,170 74.5/137 17. 15. THE COUNTRY CLUB OF NORTH CAROLINA (CARDINAL) PINEHURST 72 7,212 75.0/141 18. 17. MID PINES INN & GOLF CLUB SOUTHERN PINES 72 6,732 71.0/126 19. 18. OLD CHATHAM GOLF CLUB DURHAM 72 7,210 74.0/131 20 20. RALEIGH COUNTRY CLUB RALEIGH PAR YARDAGE COURSE RATING/SLOPE 71 6,816 73.7/135 Fans of the prominent Triangle golf course have to wait until late September before teeing off, as Raleigh Country Club is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation that will add 15 acres and push the total yardage from championship tees to more than 7,000 yards. For the project, owner McConnell Golf hired architect Kyle Franz, who has worked on famous courses such as Pinehurst No. 2, Mid Pines and Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore. The course is expected to become more challenging while maintaining Ross' designs. "Few Donald Ross courses have retained the characteristics of his design elements as truly and as beautifully as Raleigh Country Club," says panelist Henry Lister of Chapel Hill. "Mr. Ross would be proud." 21. 21. ROCK BARN COUNTRY CLUB & SPA...