DR. CHARLES L. SIFFORD GOLF COURSE

The wide, forgiving fairways here belie the true challenge: elevated greens protected by deep bunkers that demand precise approach shots from Charlotte's rolling Piedmont terrain. What this municipal track lacks in length it compensates for with strategic bunkering and undulating putting surfaces that reward course management over pure power. The risk-reward par-5 finishing hole, with water guarding the left side of a sloping green, provides the kind of dramatic conclusion that keeps you coming back to this unpretentious gem.