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A Group Of People Playing Golf
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Golf & Activities at Washington Duke Inn

Championship Golf Next Door, and So Much More on Property

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club adjoins Duke University Golf Club, the university’s 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. As a guest of the Inn, you can reserve tee times up to 30 days in advance, compared with 14 days for the public, or let our Duke Golf Package take care of the details: an overnight stay, breakfast, and green fees and cart for a round. Between rounds, our indoor pool, fitness center and the trails of Duke Forest make it easy to stay active or simply unwind.

Duke University Golf Club at a glance:

  • Design: 18 holes by Robert Trent Jones Sr., opened by Duke University in 1957, and the only Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course in Durham
  • Length: 7,154 yards
  • Renovation: tee and green complexes redesigned by Rees Jones in 1993
  • Championships: host of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, including in 1962 and 2001
  • Tee times: open to the public seven days a week; Inn guests can book up to 30 days in advance, compared with 14 days for the public
  • Instruction: professional instruction for group or private lessons
  • Before and after your round: NINETEEN Grill serves hot breakfast sandwiches, fresh deli sandwiches for golfers on the go and post-round cocktails on an outdoor patio overlooking the driving range

Between rounds, staying active is easy right here at the Inn:

When the day’s round is done, there is plenty to enjoy at the Inn:

  • Dine: dinner at the Fairview Dining Room, a drink at the Bull Durham Bar or Afternoon Tea
  • Friday live music: Sunset Serenades brings complimentary live music to the Terrace on the Green, 7 to 10 p.m., April through September
  • Saturday jazz brunch: live jazz with brunch in the Fairview Dining Room
  • Saturday stargazing: complimentary stargazing at sunset on the patio just off Fairview, guided by the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society, March through November
  • Quiet nights in: board games to borrow from the front desk
  • Seasonal events: our events calendar adds ticketed dinners and seasonal experiences throughout the year

Durham Activities

Is the Duke University golf course open to the public?

Yes. Duke University Golf Club is open to the public seven days a week. Guests of Washington Duke Inn can reserve tee times up to 30 days in advance, compared with 14 days for the general public. Tee times can be booked through the Golf Shop at 919.681.2288, ext. 4.

Where should I stay to play golf at Duke University?

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club adjoins Duke University Golf Club, the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course on Duke’s campus in Durham, NC. Staying at the Inn opens tee-time reservations up to 30 days ahead, and the Duke Golf Package bundles your room, breakfast, and green fees and cart for one round.

What is included in the Washington Duke Inn golf package?

The Duke Golf Package includes an overnight stay in a King or Double Front View guest room, full breakfast in the Vista Restaurant or through in-room dining, green fees and cart fees for one round, a personalized bag tag, overnight golf bag storage, and a warm-up bucket of balls.

Does Washington Duke Inn have a pool?

Yes. Washington Duke Inn has an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, open year-round from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with chair lifts in both for accessibility.

Is there a gym at Washington Duke Inn?

Yes. The fitness center is equipped with Peloton exercise bikes and Freemotion equipment.

How long is the Al Buehler Trail?

The Al Buehler Trail is a 3.1-mile walking and running trail through Duke Forest, and it is one of the outdoor activities Washington Duke Inn guests enjoy during their stay.

Is there live music at Washington Duke Inn?

Yes. Sunset Serenades brings complimentary live music to the Terrace on the Green on Friday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., April through September, and live jazz accompanies Saturday brunch in the Fairview Dining Room.

What is there to do at Washington Duke Inn besides golf?

Guests can swim in the indoor pool and jacuzzi, work out in the fitness center, walk or run the 3.1-mile Al Buehler Trail, and join complimentary Saturday yoga (May through September) or Saturday stargazing (March through November). Friday evenings bring complimentary live music on the Terrace on the Green from April through September, and the Inn’s events calendar adds ticketed dinners and seasonal experiences year round. Dining at the Inn includes the Fairview Dining Room, the Bull Durham Bar, the Vista Restaurant, Afternoon Tea and in-room dining, plus NINETEEN Grill on an outdoor patio overlooking the golf club’s driving range.

Hole 1 Par 4

Welcome. Our classic layout begins with a sweeping right to left dogleg that narrows the further you play into it. There is plenty of room to the right but too much in that direction will adversely affect your yardage to the hole. Swing your way just short of the neck of the fairway where your successful positioning should leave approximately 160 yards to the middle of the green for a nice two putt par opener.

Hole 2 Par 4

From the tee, our second dogleg is sharper and immediately suggests an advantage for those cutting the corner. Don't believe your eyes! Play straight away toward the group of tall pines. Rees Jones has given you a long green as a target but it is well protected with formidable right side bunkers. Any shots that are hit long will roll down a steep embankment leaving a very difficult pitch. Consider playing safely toward the left side and take your chances putting.

Hole 3 Par 4

What a golf hole! Thanks, Rees. This is an exacting par four which calls for a chess move off the tee. A straight approach to the throat of this small, shielded green is possible if you are willing to flirt with the right side fairway bunker on your drive. The left side is the safer route but it will leave you with a line that requires playing between bunkers short and water long. Either choice is challenging on this blue-ribbon hole. Good luck.

Hole 4 Par 3

Rees Jones has proven that great three pars don't have to be long. This jewel is framed by gallery mounds behind the green and is fronted beautifully by Dumpy's Creek. The short yardage invites a promising birdie opportunity if you can safely negotiate the bunkers front left and back right. Don't forget to factor the two tier green into you club selection.

Hole 5 Par 4

Duke's design starts your round with four position holes. Now its time for a power hole! You can clearly see the large right fairway bunker but there is plenty of room to the left. Just stretch back and let the big dog eat. Your long drive pays dividends in shortening your second shot since this green is flanked by bunkers on three sides.

Hole 6 Par 4

Location location location...the fairway sand line blends in visually with the green sand line to create an effect of bunkers everywhere. Let your opponents play out of the ninety three yards of fairway bunkers on the right. Your position in the short grass will be especially appreciated because it's all carry into another well protected, strategically contoured green.

Hole 7 Par 5

Here's your shot at our first par five but don't celebrate too early, its a brute. A prodigious driving hole where your best 300 yard drive can fly over the right side fairway bunkers leaving you a mere 272 into the green! For most of us, choices on the second are limited due to creek cutting only seven yards from the front of the green. Good news, if you can carry the green there's plenty of room long. Bad news, the real challenge is in putting this unique sculptured green that slopes strongly from back to front. Shots that end up above the hole will require the deft touch of one of our Duke Medical Center surgeons.

Hole 8 Par 3

Another great par three. Take a second look. The shot requirement is all carry over a monstrous fronting bunker...and uphill all the way to this three level green. Although you may not feel any wind on the tee, you would be wise to check the wind direction on the tree tops along the right side.

Hole 9 Par 5

Rees brings the front side to a close with a reachable par five that could yield a feathered vertebrate. The drive is straight away but will surely benefit from a right to left ball flight. The Washington Duke Inn provides a dramatic backdrop with lots of gallery locations to accommodate the fans who have come to watch you play. We know you're a crowd pleaser as you stand ready to rip your second shot into the center of this sizable green BUT, be sure to understand the errant shots missing this green will face difficult recoveries. A lay up short of the green must be played with care to improve your chances of leaving this hole with a one putt birdie.

Hole 10 Par 4

Congratulations. You've just completed the Jones' front nine and we hope you are headed toward your personal best at Duke Golf Club. This tee box is surrounded by gallery mounds but simply concentrate on your game instead of the crowd noise. The hole opens with a generous landing area and prefers a left to right tee shot moving away from the fairway bunker. The green is receptive and could yield birdie opportunities to balls landing in the right center of the target. Shots played defiantly left must fly the bunker knowing that anything long will be caught in a hollow behind the green.

Hole 11 Par 5

A truly strategic five par featuring a unique green design that is shaped into an "S" and literally painted into its surrounding landscape. A player's attitude and psyche will be molded by this critical turning point hole. This is the beginning of Duke's own "Amen Corner". A good score here can open up the entire back side but....This hole is reachable in two by smashing your drive long and left near the fairway bunker. Before you play your second and as you view your options from the top of the hill, take a moment to experience one of those delicious moments of truth that golfers relish. Any choice must factor in the cunning design of this green. Tom's Creek, protected by a bunker on each side which will require precision into the correct location. Regardless of your result, this hole is a golfer's delight. Enjoy this moment, its what golf is all about.

Hole 12 Par 3

Playing further into the 'Corner,' we arrive at one of Duke's photographic gems. You'll love this showpiece three par from any tee position. If you're playing the back tees, Rees has provided you with a peninsula green that provides challenge as well as aesthetics. It is a singular opportunity to prove your mettle. This hole confirms the fact that water has an uncanny ability to collect all those shots hit with hope rather than confidence.

Hole 13 Par 4

This short four par is simply outstanding. The Tee shot requires a premium on direction due to the trees and lateral hazards on both sides but allows an advantage to toy with the pond fronting the fairway. The ability to shorten the approach to the green even by one club might make the difference in hitting this diagonally designed green. Aim at the hollowed area in the middle of the green and forget the fooling with hold locations that lie next to hazard of every variety. Stead...play away please.

Hole 14 Par 4

This five par offers an opportunity to let the shaft out for all those playing the shorter tees. A back tee player is provided a slight left to right feeling on the drive and should play off the left side of the fairway. This hole seems like the calm in the middle of the "Corner" storm as it plays generously through our tree lined North Carolina landscape...until you are hitting for the green. Stay left in positioning your approach for two distinct benefits; you will be playing into the full length of the green and you might be able to use the built in ramp on the left side of the green to your advantage. This is our largest green and offers some tricky putts for all those who fail to land close to the hole.

Hole 15 Par 3

Just one more challenge before you finish Rees' "Corner". To compound your problems, this is the favorite location of tournament galleries because they can view the action on three holes at once. You are facing a slightly uphill, slightly long, slightly difficult three par where the wind can play a major role in your club selection. Swing with confidence, the green was built to hold a shot from a long club and includes a chipping bail out area to the left of the green.

Hole 16 Par 4

The inviting four par allows you a moment to enjoy the visual beauty and panorama from the Devil tee which is located on the highest point of the golf course. Any of the elevated tee boxes will give your drive extra carry as you try to land far enough into the dogleg to see the green. The short grass is lined with hanging hardwoods on the right and a series of fairway bunkers left and long. Your uphill second is played to a wide green divided by a slight ridge. Care should be given to the visual effect of short yardage created by the placement of the front bunker into the hillside.

Hole 17 Par 4

Through sixteen holes, the truly great classic golf course designs all seem to effortlessly take a player through every club in the bag and every corner of the mind. Then, with two holes left to play, the course demands a little extra to complete an experience found no where else in sport. Rees has continued in this classic tradition with his design of the seventeenth at Duke. A taxing driving hole, straight away but more, asking for both length and accuracy. Any tee shot other than long and straight will leave you with a real test for your long iron ability. Greenside bunkering creates additional hardship making this the most difficult hole on the course. Par is a good score.

Hole 18 Par 4

The eighteenth is one of the most challenging finishing holes anywhere. Sixteen yards longer than the mammoth seventeenth, it will also call for two very long and accurate shots to hit the green in regulation. The fairway slopes right to left so plan to land your drive on the right side for a clear second shot into this pear shaped green. Just imagine that you're about to finish the final round of the U.S. Open in front of a gallery of thousands. Your shot soars toward the green and lands next to the hole for a tap in birdie!