Hedingham Golf Club, Raleigh, NC

My wife and I played recently for the first time in many (20) years. Yes, there are now houses filled in next to the course, but the layout is not as narrow as several other courses I play in Central NC. And I never felt crowded by the houses, just by trying to hit a narrow fairway. The course was in very decent shape, considering the heavy rains we've been having. The fairways were in good shape, the greens had been aerated within the last couple of weeks, so they were mostly filled in, still a little bumpy, but fair. The bunkers were hurting due to heavy rain, but so are the bunkers in some of the high-priced courses in the area. The folks who took my reservation and met us at the clubhouse were friendly and helpful. golf carts were charged up and running well. Water was available in number places, but the one set of bathrooms out on the course were locked up, even though the sign on them said "open". At $40 each on a Sunday, we got a good deal on a decent course. Yes, there are a lot of doglegs, and we were glad to be paired up with a couple who play here often and could "advise" us on where to aim. Also, I figure the Hedingham folks are on a tight budget, and got a chuckle when I picked up one of the scorecards and realized it was a xerox copy on some glossy paper with no map of the course, just the par/yardage/handicap info. Hedingham won't be one of my favorites, but I'd go back to try to do better (I shot 88 from the Golds, right about exactly on my handicap) now that I've been reintroduced to the course.

Can't help but laugh at the 33 handicap below that said he hit houses because of bad course design. There are houses Out of Bounds, outside the cart paths, well off the fairway. If you hit 80 yards off line at just about any course with houses on it you might hit one or two..

Not a bad track overall. Recently renovated championship bermuda greens are coming in really nicely, fairways are average to good. Regular Groupon and ActiveGolf online deals can get you a round for $20, which is a hard value to beat. There are a lot of houses on the course, but that shouldn't come as a surprise, the real problem with the course is the cart paths, which are very bumpy, hopefully the new management has a renovation to those in the works as well. If you're looking for a serene/intimate atmosphere, I'd stay away. But if you're looking for a challenging round of golf on a fair track at a good value ($25 for twilight, online deals for cheaper), it's definitely worth a shot.

Many people remark on how close the houses are to one another (and to the holes). That pain is a reality today. But 10-12 years ago, the majority of the holes were tucked into woods. This course is a simple result of extreme overdevelopment. My wife and I have not played there since we experienced the intense housing development.