There are certain places that stay with me long after I’ve packed up my gear and headed home — and Maggie Valley Club and Resort, located about 35 miles west of Ashville, is definitely one of those places.

I first photographed the course in 2024, and I remember thinking at the time how calm and inviting it felt — tucked away in the North Carolina mountains, surrounded by ridgelines and evergreens. So when Director of Marketing & Membership, Caitlin Bledsoe, reached out and asked me to come back this year to capture the resort in full fall color, I didn’t have to think twice.

When I arrived last week, the Fall colors were perfect… the valley was alive with autumn. The trees were glowing in every direction — golds, reds, and deep burnt oranges — the kind of colors you can only find for a short window each year. The air was crisp… actually a bit cold… and the course felt like a peaceful mountain oasis.

Working with the team at Maggie Valley Club and Resort is always such a joy. They care deeply about this place, and it shows in every corner of the property. From Director of Golf Maintenance, Jonathan Collins and his staff, who keep the golf course in amazing shape... to the rest of the management team who welcomed me back like an old friend, it really does feel like a community up there.

This photo shoot was a little different from my first one there. The plan this trip was to showcase this beautiful North Carolina property at its Fall best. I focused more on aerial perspectives than I typically do to show off how the course winds through the mountain landscape — and how those fall colors wrap around every fairway and green. From above, you can see just how beautifully the course blends with the valley itself.

Of course, I also took plenty of player-perspective shots, capturing the views you get from the fairways or from behind the greens, with mountains rising in the distance and leaves scattered underfoot. And though golf was the main focus, I couldn’t resist stepping away for a few pure landscape moments to shoot scenes that had nothing to do with golf, but everything to do with the quiet beauty of this property. The soft morning light filtering through the trees, the reflection of color in a still pond, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot… it was one of those shoots where the environment takes over and tells its own story.

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to return to Maggie Valley and see it in a whole new season. It reminded me how much I love photographing places that have both heart and history, and where nature plays as big a role as the game itself. If you'd like to see the full collection, JUST CLICK HERE.

One last thought... When you’re planning next year’s photo projects, make room for the golden glow of fall. I can be flexible with dates to catch peak color—but you’ll need to reserve your spot today!