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The Blue Ridge, Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains encircle the western corner of the state and in the center is Asheville, where New Age meets Mayberry. Where else can you cruise Billy Graham Freeway in search of Possum Trot Road, all the while listening to Frank Zappa's weekly radio show on KNCW FM? Asheville is no Pinehurst and no Myrtle Beach -- there aren't dozens of courses cheek-by-jowl -- but this part of North Carolina has more than its share of worthy tracks, including a handful of the 45 courses that Ross built in the state.
Asheville's Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is everything you'd expect in a mountain retreat, with cavernous granite fireplaces and antique furniture. A glance at the roster of notable guests since the Inn opened in 1913 shows eight presidents, along with the colorful mix of Thomas Edison, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Tammy Wynette. The superb, newly renovated Ross course here was a regular PGA Tour stop a half-century ago and has hosted many stars for exhibitions. "They had wonderful moments here barnstorming in the 1940s and '50s," says Dal Raiford, the director of golf. "They'd put up flyers around town, charge people 50 cents to watch and gamble with the big shots in town to cover their rooms and bar tabs."
The layout first opened in 1899, but was revised by Ross in 1924. Despite constrained boundaries, the 6,700-yard track has fairly forgiving fairways, though level lies are rare and the greens are smallish and crowned. Be sure to exercise care at the 221-yard 7th hole, where Ben Hogan once ran up an 11.
The Inn has great food, but for a more eclectic menu try Flying Frog Cafe on the corner of Haywood Street. The cuisine is Continental mixed with German, and Urban Indian. How can you beat lamb, crab cakes and wiener schnitzel?
Ross also designed Asheville's 6,356-yard Buncombe County muni in 1927. The front nine is open, but the back weaves through hilly woodland. The greens here are large, but hazards lurk in places that the architect surely never envisioned. For instance, if you airmail the green at the 410-yard 9th hole, you'll be scrambling for par from beneath an SUV in the parking lot.