When Pete Dye first saw the site where the late Nemacolin resort founder Joe Hardy wanted him to build a golf course, he had doubts.

“The property was an unbelievable rock pile,” the late designer said. But the course was Hardy’s dream, so Dye moved 21,000 tons of rock to make it happen. As he predicted, it was one of the most difficult courses he ever built — and arguably one of his finest.

“Sure, you still see a lot of rock when you’re playing it,” said Dye, “but we probably buried 10 times as much rock as you can see. We blasted for six months before we even started on the doggone thing, then filled in the ravines with what we had removed.”

Before his death in 2020, Dye worked with designer Tim Liddy to make some changes, including removing a lot of sand bunkers. The work transformed the tournament layout (venue for the PGA 84 Lumber Classic 2003–2006) into a more user-friendly route. It’s still 7,526 yards with a rating/slope of 77.0/149, but most of the landing areas are generous, and the greens are not penal.

“The course is special for many reasons,” said Christopher Anderson, director, Golf and Ground Operations. “There are so many environmental features — rock outcroppings, rock walls, streams, ponds, waterfalls and native areas — and the layout itself provides great shot variety and angles off the tee and into the greens.”

Tim Liddy teamed up with Pete and Alice Dye on a second 18 holes at the resort. Opened in 2017, Shepherd’s Rock (see Global Traveler, February 2018) proves formidable (7,290 yards, rating/slope: 74.7/138) but immensely entertaining with its mountain views, tall grasses, lakes, wood-lined bunkers and grazing sheep. I cannot visit the resort without playing both, but Mystic Rock remains my favorite.

Nemacolin’s memorable golf is complemented by a choice of four hotels, numerous cottages and villas, more than a dozen restaurants and bars, and an impressive array of activities for every season.

Hole 2 © Donnelle Oxley

HOLE 2
473 yards, par 4
A statue of Gene Sarazen — the first of several pieces of outdoor art — offers inspiration on the tee. If you can hit your drive long enough to carry the ravine and bunker on this dogleg right, you’ll be rewarded with an unprotected shot to the right-angled green.

If your drive lands on the left side of the fairway, you’ll be challenged by a bunker complex. “The farther back your tees are, the tougher the landing area,” Anderson said. “The fairway narrows at the front and is guarded by bunkers on both sides.”

HOLE 5
598 yards, par 5
The track’s longest par 5 is mostly downhill but guarded by water on the left and bunkers on the right. There are two greens, one on the right and another on the left next to a water hazard fed by a 30-foot-tall waterfall. On a rock island in the hazard stands a statue of golfer John Daly, a friend of the Hardy family since his PGA Tour days. Anderson said this is the most memorable hole because it has the best view of the course from the tees. “The two greens provide a different feel and shot selection for your approach,” he added. “You have a good opportunity to go for the green in two and putt for eagle.”

HOLE 12
185 yards, par 3
This is another hole with two greens, one of which involves an unforgiving carry over water. The front and right sides of the green are edged by a steep drop into water while the left and back dish down into a grassy depression. The second green offers a smaller target but does not require the water carry.

Hole 5 © Courtesy Nemacolin

HOLE 16
525 yards, par 5
Sixteen ushers in a dramatic trio of finishing holes. Throughout the course, water comes into play on eight holes but is perhaps most intimidating here. The fairway narrows, leading to a peninsula green jutting left into the lake. It’s a tempting spot for big hitters to go for it in two, but the wiser approach, according to Anderson, is a layup that leaves a short wedge into the green for a birdie putt.

HOLE 18
468 yards, par 4
Ranked the second-hardest, the finishing hole doglegs right to a green overlooked by the resort’s Falling Rock hotel and the scoreboard used during PGA tournaments. Long, deep bunkers line the landing area on the left, but it’s critical to stay left for an unobstructed shot to the tabletop green. Big bunkers sprawl along the right side of the fairway all the way to the green and partially block the front. This is a hard green to stick, and balls feed off into bunkers or grassy areas left and rear.