Wade Hampton Golf Club ☆ Follow

Wade Hampton Golf Club features 18 holes playing to par 72, stretching 7,395 yards with a slope rating of 146. Founded in 1986, the course opened in 1987 and was designed by Thomas Fazio. Located in the tiny mountain village of Cashiers in western North Carolina, the course is situated in a natural valley between flanking mountain peaks. The entire course sits in the shadow of Chimney Top mountain, with much of the back nine nestled against its imposing, sheer walls.

Built during the period when Tom Fazio was still working with the existing landscape rather than bulldozing it, Wade Hampton is an exercise in restraint. Some holes are guarded by gurgling brooks, but Fazio piped several streams underground to make the course more playable and walkable. The course has slick, undulating greens and tight fairways, and despite its mountain setting, the elevation changes are relatively modest but feature plenty of water hazards. The third green is set into the base of a tall hill with a waterfall behind it that has been there for centuries, resting near the valley floor surrounded by steep elevations with mature evergreens and oaks.

Selected as Golf Digest's Best New Private Course of 1987, it has never been out of the top 40 since it joined America's 100 Greatest. The course currently ranks 27th in Golf Digest's 2025-2026 ranking of America's 100 Greatest Courses and ranks first in North Carolina.