Region sports
GOLF
The Fayetteville area boasts a plethora of scenic and challenging golf courses and provides some terrific values with courses such as Cypress Lakes, King's Grant and Baywood offering up an enjoyable experience close to the city. A little farther, the Bayonet at Puppy Creek and Anderson Creek provide a wonderful playing experience, as well.
But if you truly want to test yourself on the courses played by the pros, head about 45 minutes to the west until you reach Pinehurst. The Pinehurst Resort's renowned No. 2 course has hosted two U.S. Open championships with a third on the schedule for 2014 paired with a U.S. Women's Open. Last summer, the course hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship, won by 18-year-old Danny Lee.
Not far away, the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club also has been the host for two U.S. Women's Open, including the memorable 2007 event won by Cristie Kerr.
ACC BASKETBALL
Nothing defines the state of North Carolina quite like college basketball. And no matter what time of year it is, the excitement surrounding ACC action promises to percolate with four different programs residing within a three-hour drive of Fay- etteville. If it's the middle of the summer, fans already are debating about the season ahead. If it's the middle of winter, then the passion is peaking with fans of four storied basketball programs competing for neighborhood bragging rights.
In 2008-09, three teams from within the state climbed to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were the nation's last remaining undefeated team, setting a school record with their 16-0 start. The Duke Blue Devils, meanwhile, reached the 30-win mark for the seventh time in the past 12 seasons, punctuating their season by winning the championship at the ACC tournament in Atlanta. But the season ultimately belonged to Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heels, who uncorked a speedy and powerful lineup to win the national championship for the second time in the past five seasons. In fact, in 21 of the past 29 seasons, at least one school from within state lines has reached the Final Four.
NASCAR
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing ranks No. 2 in TV viewership, trailing only the NFL. There are four opportunities to catch that elite division in action within a 130-mile radius of Fayetteville.
Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is NASCAR's oldest superspeedway, dating to 1950. It annually hosts the Southern 500 on the Saturday night before Mother's Day. The track is about 90 miles from downtown Fayetteville.
Lowe's Motor Speedway plays host to the Coca-Cola 600 - NASCAR's longest race - on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and that's held eight days after the Sprint All-Star Race. The 1.5-mile track is the scene of the only night event in the 10-race Chase to the Cup that determines the NASCAR champion, and that race is scheduled for Oct. 17.
NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series tackles Lowe's Motor Speedway in mid-May as part of the all-star race festivities, and the Nationwide Series competes at the track on Memorial Day weekend and again in October.
The track is about a three-hour drive from Fayetteville.