The Palisades Country Club – Played May 2021
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 13704 Grand Palisades Parkway, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Year: 2005
- Architect: Jack Nicklaus
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Champion: 6,767 yards, Par 72, 73.6 Rating/148 Slope
- Challenge: 6,421 yards, Par 72, 71.9 Rating/144 Slope
- Men’s: 6,155 yards, Par 72, 70.3 Rating/138 Slope
- Forward: 5,661 yards, Par 72, 68.0 Rating/130 Slope
- Gold: 5,323 yards, Par 72, 66.7 Rating/126 Slope
- Ladies: 4,742 yards, Par 72, 68.6 Rating/124 Slope
In 2021, the concept of “internet friends” is much less abnormal. I had some before 2020 brought about a global pandemic, but it was put into overdrive with those events. I’m now in a thriving chat with golfers spread all over South Carolina and North Carolina. Why am I telling you all of this?
One reason is to urge you to embrace all forms of communication. A second reason is that group is how I got to play The Palisades Country Club.
Three of us headed out for a morning round at the club that is located close to Lake Wylie, not far over the South Carolina border. There is a large development around the course with a ton of houses. There was even a school in there!
The Palisades is listed as a Jack Nicklaus course and like most of them you need to be on your game to post a score. Contrary to most Nicklaus courses I’ve played, there were some doglegs to the left. I found the course asked you to move it both ways and didn’t necessarily favor a fade.
You can see in the slideshow below that the course is tree-lined and features plenty of hazards you must avoid. On a few holes the hazards were a bit too penal in my opinion.
My favorite hole was the ninth. It’s a medium-length par 4 with bunkers on the right that can play as centerline hazards. It bends slightly right and has a good look from the tee.
The major ding against the course is its walkability. There are some treks between holes. The walk from 9 to 10 is downright ridiculous and pretty much requires a cart unless you want to spend 15 minutes hoofing it.
From my host, it seems The Palisades Country Club has a bustling social schedule. There were plenty of personal golf carts in the parking lot and an interclub match was going on when we teed off. It sounds like a fun place to be a member.
