Golf Courses Near Highlands, NC

Highlands, like nearby Cashiers, has been an upscale summer retreat in the mountains of western Carolina since the 1800s. Real estate is ultra expensive here. Private country clubs, exclusive golf course communities, and a couple of resort-affiliated private clubs that allow play by guests staying on-site dominate the golf landscape in this stunning portion of the Blue Ridge. The only 18-hole course that offers full public access to tee times in the Cashiers-Highlands area is Sapphire National Golf Club, a layout with an excellent collection of par 3s highlighted by the island-green 15th, and the signature par-4 14th, where a waterfall looms hard by the green. You can also get tee times at two nine-hole courses. Red Bird Golf Links rambles along the picturesque Horsepasture River in Sapphire, while Franklin Golf Club in Franklin is a tree-lined, 1923-vintage layout with tiny greens.

At 4,118 feet elevation, Highlands is one of the highest towns east of the Mississippi. It’s known for clean air, cool summers, forested mountains, and beautiful waterfalls. Hikers and bikers are in their glory here, as are anglers who ply the countless trout streams. Highlands’ atmospheric five-block Main Street is a delight for strolling as well as for boutique shopping, antique hunting, and gallery crawling. The Highlands Playhouse stages critically-acclaimed productions in summer. There’s a reason why the population of Highlands swells from about 1,000 to over 20,000 in summer—It’s a very appealing place!