Routed at elevations up to 5,400 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville; Palmer called it unlike any course he had ever designed, citing the forced carries over ravines and streams.
This course is in our GSPro library — pull it up in any bay and play it wall to wall.
"One of the last courses Arnold Palmer personally worked on — a nice one to mention around Masters season when Palmer nostalgia runs high."
An Arnold Palmer signature design (with Ed Seay and Harrison Minchew) opened in 2007 inside a 4,400-acre private preserve in the Plott Balsam range, about 45 minutes from Asheville. The course climbs to roughly 5,400 feet of elevation — among the highest golf in the eastern US — and plays as a par 70 of 6,784 yards where the number on the card wildly understates the examination: forced carries over ravines and mountain streams appear on most holes, in classic go-for-broke Palmer style, with Great Smoky Mountains views as the payoff.
Golfers who love dramatic elevation and risk-reward carries, Palmer-design fans, and anyone chasing high-altitude golf in the East. Views alone justify the round.
The holes launched from high tees across ravines are the show — massive elevation drops make driver feel heroic, and the Smokies panoramas from the upper holes are among the best backdrops in Southeastern golf.
Rough on beginners: repeated forced carries over ravines and creeks leave few bail-outs. Forward tees (down to 4,626 yards) help, but this is target mountain golf.
In GSPro via community recreation. A great Clubhouse pick precisely because almost nobody can play it in real life — the forced carries and elevation drops translate vividly in a bay. Mid-handicaps and up; beginners will lose a lot of virtual balls.
Private club inside a gated mountain community — access is members and their guests, or via real-estate discovery visits. No public play.
Source: https://balsammountainpreserve.com/golf/; https://pakgolfstudios.com/gspro-course-list/ · high confidence
