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The PGA TOUR Is Back in Asheville After 84 Years. Here Is Why I Am Excited, and What It Means If You Are Thinking About Owning Luxury Real Estate in Western NC
I am excited as a golfer and as a local real estate expert that the PGA TOUR is coming back to Asheville after 84 years. The last time the TOUR played here, Ben Hogan won. I had no idea until this tournament was announced that Hogan won the old Asheville Land of the Sky Open three years running, 1940 through 1942, or that Asheville is where he picked up his first individual TOUR title. That event was played the week before the Masters. The war ended it, and the TOUR did not come back until now.
On September 17 through 20, the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville tees off at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. I have valued and sold real estate in Buncombe County for 34 years, spent 20 of those as a state-certified appraiser, and have played Walnut Cove many times over the years. I was fortunate to play it again today, the final round before the tournament takes over. This is what I would tell a past client who called and asked, "Should I care about this, and is that community a fit for me?"
We have made a lot of progress since Hurricane Helene hit almost exactly two years ago, and we still have a lot of work ahead. Events like this one, along with the G20 finance ministers meetings at the Grove Park Inn earlier this month, put Asheville back in the spotlight as a great place to visit and to retire. That matters for every homeowner in this county, not just the ones inside a gate.
Biltmore Estate and Explore Asheville are co-title sponsors under a four-year agreement, so this is a September fixture through at least 2029. The tournament opens the FedExCup Fall, which some people dismiss as exhibition season. It is not. These are the events that decide who keeps a TOUR card for next year, and the players treat them that way. Coverage runs on Golf Channel, PGA TOUR Live on ESPN+ and SiriusXM. Active-duty military get complimentary grounds tickets, with discounts for veterans, reserve, retired, Guard and first responders.
One detail I like: the trophy base was built by the Biltmore carpentry team from a black walnut tree Helene took down on the estate. If you lived through that fall, that lands differently than it does for a visitor.
Go. It is a lot of fun to watch the best players in the world strike the ball with that much grace and power. The sound of the ball coming off the club is different. The flight of the ball is different from anything you have seen. I am convinced that just watching their tempo on every swing helps me play better afterward, even if it is not true.
The tournament is at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, southwest of downtown Asheville and not far from the Asheville Regional Airport, roughly ten minutes from the terminal and twenty from downtown. Walnut Cove is the only gated golf community in Asheville. It sits in a valley bordered by Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Beyond the golf, there is a full wellness center with an indoor lap pool, fitness floor, outdoor pool, spa and tennis, a newer beer garden at The Tavern with open-air seating and live music, and miles of hiking and cycling trails with Pisgah National Forest immediately outside the gate.
What sets The Cliffs apart is the structure. The Cliffs is seven private mountain and lake communities between Greenville and Asheville, and Walnut Cove is the only one in North Carolina. One membership covers all seven. Golf at Walnut Cove during the week, lake access on Keowee on the weekend. For buyers who want mountains and water without carrying two club memberships, that is the real draw.
Owners are a mix of full-time residents and seasonal. Housing ranges from homesites you build on to finished custom homes, cottages and townhomes.
The Jack Nicklaus Signature course is a real treat to play, starting with the drive in past the gate and over a small mountain range to a layout ringed by mountain ranges. The clubhouse village reminds you of an old English town, with an impressive clubhouse and an adjacent pub and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Golf Digest named it the country's best new clubhouse when it opened, and it still earns that. From the moment you arrive, the staff and the check-in process make you feel like a VIP. The carts have plush leather seats and GPS screens, so you know your distance the moment you pull up to your ball.
The practice facility is as good as any I have used. Pyramid-stacked range balls are waiting for your warm-up, you hit to actual greens with pins, and there is a generous putting green and bunker area for chips and pitches. Most days there is music playing while you warm up before your round.
The course is challenging, but after a few rounds you start to understand how much more room there is in the generous fairways than you can see from the tee box. For the tournament, the nines are flipped. The members' back nine plays as the front nine and the members' 9th becomes a stadium-style finishing hole. Grandstands and VIP areas are up and being finished as I write this.
The course layout offers plenty of doglegs plus elevation changes rewarding good shots in the fairway. The greens are large and generous, typically fast, with plenty of undulation and greenside bunkers you want to stay out of. Look up from the fairway and you can see cars moving along the Blue Ridge Parkway far above you. The course is typically pristine and well maintained.
Along the course you pass luxury homes with impressive rear patios and outdoor living areas, many with outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and screened rooms built for the four-season climate western North Carolina offers.
Today the course was in tournament condition. The greens rolled perfectly, and the rough has been grown thick to force players to hit fairways or chip back out. I shot a legitimate 84 playing the ball down, which tells you how it will treat anyone who gets loose off the tee next week.
Four consecutive Septembers of nationally televised golf will put Walnut Cove in front of people who had never heard of Arden. That is good for the community and good for the south Asheville corridor generally. Biltmore Park, Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Lake and The Ramble all sit in the same orbit.
In my opinion, I would not be surprised to see an uptick in luxury real estate offerings within our market area directly related to this coverage and exposure. Only time will tell. Our office produces a custom monthly report covering every facet of the regions listings, sales and activity, with month over month and year over year trends. If that would be valuable to you, call, text or email me and I will send it your way free of charge.
I have valued and sold golf-adjacent property in this county for three decades. If you are thinking about owning at The Cliffs, or anywhere in western North Carolina, call, text or email and we will talk through your specific needs and whether it is the right fit for you. As always, my job is to provide value and information so you can make an intelligent decision for you or your family, with no pressure. Reach out today and let's start a casual conversation about your real estate or real estate investment needs. I look forward to it.
Troy Flack | Troy Flack Group | Keller Williams Professionals | 828-275-7275 | troyflack@kw.com
Tournament dates, ticket policies, community amenities and membership terms are as published by the PGA TOUR, Explore Asheville and The Cliffs at the time of writing and are subject to change. Buyers should verify all details directly with the tournament and The Cliffs.