Turn left on South Boulevard/US 521 at the first traffic light, Sharon Road West, you can only turn right. Exit left onto Westinghouse Blvd and continue on to South Boulevard/US-521. Keep left at the fork on the ramp and take I-77 to Columbia. The Club is located at the 2nd right on Gleneagles Road .ĭriving Directions from I-85 South: Take I-85S to I-77, Exit #38, Statesville/Columbia. At the fourth traffic light, turn left onto Gleneagles Road. Continue on Tyvola to Park Road and turn right. Continue on Tyvola and cross over I-77 and South Boulevard/US 521. Continue on Billy Graham Parkway to Tyvola Road and exit right. The Club is on the second right after the Park Road Intersection.ĭriving Directions from I-85 North: Exit on Billy Graham Parkway South and turn right. Sharon Road West becomes Gleneagles Road once you cross over Park Road. Take the Billy Graham Parkway South ramp toward I-77. Thinking of going to Charlotte? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.ĭriving Directions from Charlotte Douglas Airport: Start going East on RC Josh Birmingham Parkway. The airport sits 18 miles north west of the Golf Club, with driving directions available below. The Quail Hollow Club is located in the Southeastern Region of Charlotte, North Carolina, approximately 9 miles from the city and near the the Ballantyne Corporate Area and Southpark Mall.Īir: Charlotte Douglas International is one of the busiest airports in the United States, being one of the main hubs for American Airlines and therefore serving a number of domestic and international destinations across Europe and Central America. Over 50% of the birdies came from the left despite a small percentage of players taking it on.Address: 3700 Gleneagles Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210, United States The proof is still in the pudding – at last year’s Championship 19 of the 37 birdies made on the 18th came from the left half of the fairway. At The Players far fewer competitors opt to take the risky route. It leads to a greater variance in scoring and a more interesting hole. Those who play it safe to the right side of the fairway have a longer shot and an approach to a green which runs away to the left from them. A long drive over the water yields significantly shorter approach shot and the best angle to the green. The difference is that the 18th at Sawgrass grants a clear advantage to those who take on the risk of the water. Like Quail Hollow, it has trouble down the entire left side. The 18th at Sawgrass is slightly shorter, measuring 462 yards. But the 18th at Sawgrass is praised as one of the greatest finishes in golf for good reason. Like Quail Hollow’s finisher, the 18th at Sawgrass is extremely difficult.
It is useful to consider Quail Hollow’s 18th against a truly great finishing hole: TPC Sawgrass’ revered 18th. Soccer gets interesting with spacing and when play gets out to the edges. Angles and playing to edges of fairways makes golf interesting. A golf course where the only strategy is finding the middle of the fairway is like a kindergarten soccer game where everyone huddles around the ball. The hole can be entertaining at the end of a tournament – but it’s not strategically interesting. It’s a hole that was designed without a firm grasp of strategy. So it’s no surprise that only 9 of the 26 birdies thus far have come from the left side of the fairway. At best, it shaves a few yards off the hole. Consequently, the risky left side approach doesn’t pay off. The angle of the green favors the player who plays to the right side of the fairway. A bold play up the left side should yield an advantage, but it doesn’t. Not too far right though – a bunker lies 290 yards away penalizing shots that fade off the fairway. Off the tee, it encourages players to shy away and hug the right side. The creek is a factor off the tee and on the approach shot.
It measures 492 yards and its dominant feature is the small creek which runs down the entire left side of the hole. Yes, it’s a challenging finish that can provide drama from carnage as we saw with Jason Day’s 8 on Saturday. Quail Hollow fails to reward players who pull off a riskier shot. The majority of Quail Hollow’s holes ask a player to take on a bunker or hazard, but the less risky line will yield a similar or better angle. It’s a shame – because with all the work they have done at Quail Hollow, it could really have been special.
Its condition has been fantastic, but the course and its design has left me wanting more. Quail Hollow has provided a stern championship test at this week’s PGA Championship.