The list of top 100 courses appears in Business North Carolina’s April issue.

There are few significant changes in this year's North Carolina Golf Panel ranking of the state's 100 best golf courses. Pinehurst No. 2 is No. 1, the same since the panel was established in 1995 — and no new courses were built in the state. But the subtle differences — for instance, Old North State Club jumped Quail Hollow Club to take third place — are sure to stir debate, as are the panel’s specialty rankings. That’s OK. Passion is polemic, even among our panel. Courses that made the cut impressed the panel — about 135 journalists, golf pros, college coaches, noted amateurs and business leaders — with their routing, design, strategy, memorability, fairness, variety, conditioning and aesthetics. Rankings are calculated by averaging point totals based on the number of votes. This year, a minimum of 40 had to vote for a course for it to qualify. Panelists could only vote for those they have played. Kevin Brafford is executive director of the North Carolina Golf Panel.

Kevin Brafford is executive director of the North Carolina Golf Panel.

Courses in the top 10 are:

• Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst
• Grandfather Golf & Country Club in Linville
• Old North State Club in New London
• Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte
• The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood) in Pinehurst
• Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines
• Elk River Club
• Charlotte Country Club
• Pinehurst No. 8
• Forest Creek Golf Club (South) in Pinehurst

The panel also ranked courses in several other categories. Best by region were:

• Western: Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Linville
• Charlotte metro: Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte
• Triad: Old North State Club in New London
• Triangle: Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh
• Sandhills: Pinehurst No. 2
• Eastern: River Landing (River) in Wallace
• Coastal: Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington

For a complete listing, visit here.

For bulk copy pricing and availability, contact Business North Carolina's Circulation Department at (704) 927-6272