It has also become a major player in professional sports, with the NBA Hornets, the NFL Panthers, and the many of Winston Cup racing's top drivers based there. As the city has grown, reaching north and south, so have the golf options. The most recent addition to the area's golf scene has been the Golf Club at Ballantyne, which is home to the Dana Rader Golf School. Rader, one of GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Instructors and a former LPGA Teacher of the Year, directs the Ballantyne operation. The golf course plays 6,735 from the back tees and was built on a sublime piece of property.
Mature trees place a premium on accuracy and course management.
Although it is a recent addition to the Charlotte golf scene, Ballantyne has big plans for the future. Part of a new business park, Ballantyne hopes to become a full-fledged resort someday, with two hotels adjacent to the golf course by the early 21st century. They're long gone from the Charlotte scene, but what used to be their base of operations at Heritage, USA, is now the site of Regent Park Golf Club, one of the most enjoyable courses in the area. Located less than 20 minutes from Charlotte and five minutes from the Carowinds theme park, Regent Park features the best practice facility of any public course in the area, and a golf course whose interesting layout and superb conditioning has made it a local favorite. The 467-yard eighth hole looks like it was transplanted straight from the Blue Ridge Mountains, with an approach shot that is as tough as granite.