[Bret Boulter]

My Dad and I are headed to Pinehurst this summer for a father/son outing. If anyone could help me out with course selection I would really appreciate it.  Which courses are must plays vs. nice to plays vs. don't bothers? Also, is Pine Needles worth a daytrip to play? This is our 2nd annual trip, last year was Bandon, which will be hard to beat.  

I'm thinking: 2,4,7,8 Must plays     1,3,4,5,6 Nice to Plays???

Carolina on my Mind!

[Brad Klein]

Forgetting all of the surcharges, etc., at the resort proper and elsewhere, as well as issues of access, in order of priority:

Must play No. 2

Pine Needles, then Tobacco Road
 
Need to see 4 and 8 to complete your education though 1 and 3 are a lot more interesting and worthwhile

Then Mid Pines

Forest Creek South and North

It's also worth spending a quick afternoon playing The Pit.

[Gary Slatter]

Pine Needles and Mid Pines are good.
I liked 8, 3 and 2.  2 is over-rated in my opinion, e$pecially their "caddie$" or putter carriers.
There is a good thread somewhere recently about the courses at Pinehurst.  Tobacco Road has many fans.

[Tim Bert]

A slightly more favorable opinion...

I did one of the Pinehurst packages and we weren't there that long so I didn't have the luxury of trying out some of the other must-sees in the area.

#2 is essential, even at the outrageous "who knows how much they are charging because it is all buried in the bill" rate.

#4 I liked much more than the most of the critics on this site.  I thought the greens were enjoyable and provided a good test.  There were a few holes back by the big area'o'water that I didn't love, but all in all I liked it.

#7 was less enjoyable than #2,#4, and #8 in my opinion, though it was still enjoyable.  I didn't think there were too many memorable holes on the course, and the conditioning was the worst of the four when I visited.

#8 I also liked more than many others here.  I thought there were a few holes that were over the top, but there were also several others that I thought were good holes.

Based on what I've read about the other courses in the area, if I had to do this trip again I'd probably focus less on the resort and more on the overall area.  You can't go wrong with #2, but as a whole I enjoyed the golf courses on this trip much less than Bandon.  For my money, #2 is the only one at the resort that is in the league with any of the courses at Bandon.  That's the reason we haven't been back to Pinehurst and we have our third trip to Bandon on the calendar in June.

[Jason McNamara]

Pine Needles and Mid-Pines are right across from each other, and no more than 15 mins from Pinehurst.  See if they have some sort of one day two-fer.

If you like really tough golf that is not cheap and not terribly 'fun,' then the National might be your course.  Early Nicklaus, iirc.

I also liked the Pit.   Tobacco Road was after my visit, iirc.

[cary lichtenstein]

#2  and Tobacco Roads are the must plays

[michael j fay]

Pinehurst # 2 is a world top 20. At a little over $ 20.00 per hole it is not economical. It must be approached as an experience.

I agree with Vostinak on # 4 and # 8. There is very little value in either course. The routing of #8 is very suspect with the straight up the hill holes (including the finisher). # 4 is referred to as Tom Fazio's tribute to Robbers Roost by the locals. Both 4 and 8 carry surcharges which are not only unwarrented but also add cost to second rate golf experiences. Number 1 is a delightful little course, but I must stress little (under 6,00 yards). Number 3 has the best set of greens on the complex, plays just over 6,200 and is a real challenge. I would forgo # 7, although it is one of Rees Jones better efforts.
Number 6 has some wonderful holes, but the housing is much too close. Number 5 is a fairly good golf course, pretty straightforward and pleasant. Once again the housing diminishes the experience.

Pine Needles and Mid Pines are less than 10 minutes from the resort. I personally prefer Mid Pines, but Pine Needles is a terrific course. Both are quintessential Ross. They are across the street from each other but built 5 years apart on vastly differing terrain. Both are delightful.

Forest Creek North and South are way above average Fazio courses.

For a dose of Ellis Maples you might want to try the South course at Whispering Pines.

For a bargain, play the Southern Pines Country Club for $ 22.00 plus cart. The wonderful Ross layout at SPCC has been somewhat mangled by redesign and the conditions are not exemplary but it is one of the best pieces of ground in the area.

Tobacco Road is worth a try if for no other reason than to join in on the cult discussion. I've played there a few times and have enjoyed myself.

Other courses of note are the Dogwood course at CCNC, National (great layout, screwy greens), the Pit and the Magnolia course at Pinewild.

[Matt_Ward]

Bret:

For what it's worth --

I agree with playing #2 -- however, giving up your first born and other items (namely plenty of wampum) is a bit much. As much as people moan about what it costs to play Pebble, the folks at Pinehurst are quick to throw in various surcharges to lighten your load -- your wallet that is.

Play it and savor it but if you need to think about the $$ spent then use other more reasonably priced options -- Tobacco Road, comes quickly to mind. Ditto The Pit.

[Tommy Williamsen]

#1 is fun but not very challenging
#2 needs to be played at least once.  It is probaly in my top fifty.
#4 I have always like it second best.  The revision changed it somewhat but I still like it.
#5 is just ok
#6 I do not enjoy
#8 is pretty good

Others have suggested other courses in the area.  I alos like The Country Club of NC Cardinal course.

[Tom Yost]

It seems Pinehurst only offers golf "packages" that include lodging. Anyone know if there is any daily fee option for someone who just wanted to play #2 ?


Tom

[Matt MacIver]

My recollection is that daily play on #2 is restricted to THAT DAY, i.e. if you are not staying at the resort then you can only call at 7:00 a.m. that morning and see if anything is available.  Not sure if it's that way for the rest of the numbered courses.  

I really liked #4, contrary to some.  A little more elevation change than #2, and some water in play.  I really dis-liked #8, quite unmemorable to me.  

Mid-Pines is an all-time favorite, and of course they're playing the Women's US Open this year at Pine Needles.  

We played The Pit as our first round of a long weekend and left thoroughly beat up, and as a result we universally hated it.  I'll play it again one day...I guess...but it will be a long while and not before all those listed above, plus T-Road which I've not played.  Lots of dog-legs and blind shots made The Pit really difficult for the first-timer, oft high-handicapper.  

[michael j fay]

Tom:

The Resort is entertaining non-hotel play at # 2. The fare is around $ 450.00 with a caddie.

[Marty Bonnar]

Centennial package looks damn tempting. Nancy, book us a flight!!

http://www.pinehurst.com/golf_vacation_packages.asp?package=103&name=#package_103

£750(!) for three nights dinner, bed and b'fast and three rounds inc. one on #2. Let's go!!

FBD.

[Bill Shamleffer]

Just dreaming ...

If I was one of the top 312 ams, next summer for $125.00 I could play at least 54 holes on Pinehurst #2, plus 54 more at a qualifying course such as The Orchards or Pastiempo, in addition to the 18 at the 2nd medal play course.

AND, I could walk & carry my own bag for each round.

Not bad for under $18.00 per round.

[Matt_Ward]

If people have to ask how much does it get to play Pinehurst #2 then it's likely very fair to say that such folks should simply skip it. As you peel the bills you will be crying very loudly.

People looking for a fast and relatively cheap experience at Pinehurst #2 are the same people looking for the bridge or tunnel that doesn't cost anything when crossing the Hudson River from Jersey to New York.

Just keep looking ...

[Evan_Smith]

I've had the luxury of playing golf in Pinehurst since 1990 (when the price was reasonable) and was even a member for 6 years.  My take is that golf at the Pinehurst Resort is WAY overpriced, however you seem to want to play the courses so here is my opinion.
#1-Very short, but has some great holes and would be a good starter course.
#2-I guess you have to see it, but not worth half of what they charge for greens fees.  It is an amazing course, but for the price, I would rather be looking at the Pacific Ocean on Pebble Beach.
#3-See #1
#4-It used to be an awesome golf course, but Fazio built a course that doesn't fit for the area.  Not worth the money, but the new course is still a good test of golf.
#5-It used to be the hardest course at Pinehurst before they flatened all the areas around the greens and made the approaches architecturely uninteresting.  The reason that it is so difficult is the amount of tee shots where OB comes in to play.  My count is 11 of 14 holes (didn't count par 3's) have OB on the tee shot.  I won't pay the money they want now to play this course again.  Too bad, because it was a great test.  It still has some Ross holes on the course, but it's mostly Maples.
#6-I think this is the best deal of the Pinehurst courses (unless they've recently added a surcharge).  I haven't played it since they made some minor revisons, but overall it was a very enjoyable round of golf with the most elevation change of Pinehurst courses 1-6.
#7-My membership didn't include the course, so I've only played it about 4 times, but I liked it.  Perhaps the most elevation change of the Pinehurst courses.  They made some changes a few years ago and I haven't talked to anybody about the changes so I can't comment on the current course.
#8-Never played it as they wanted to charge members $180 when it opened in 1999.  I don't recall hearing anything good about this course and I've heard firsthand from a few friends that it's not that great and way too expensive.

Now there are many other great courses in the area and some have been mentioned.  

Pine Needles and Mid Pines are two of my favourite courses in Pinehurst so I would definitely play them and they should be cheaper than the Pinehurst courses.

Both courses at Pinewild are great.  The  Magnolia (Gene Hamm) and the Holly (Player) are fun, challenging, and also should be cheaper or the same price as Pinehurst.

I think the National (Nicklaus) is worth a visit, but I think it also quite expensive so there are other courses I would play.

The best values in the area are as follows:

Southern Pines CC-Easily the best value (perhaps in North America) and has some of the most interesting land that Ross had available in the area.  About 5 years ago my Dad and I were in Pinehurst for 2 weeks and ended up playing Southern Pines 9 or 10 times (even though my Dad is a member at Pinehurst) because it is such a great course and an amazing deal.  After noon with a cart (it's easily walkable) was $27.  However in recent years the conditioning hasn't been the best, but the greens were always good.  Go to the course first, to see what condition the course is in if you're worried.  There should never be a problem getting on.

Foxfire (Hamm) has 36 holes and both courses are well worth the money.  They usually have a great rate if you play both courses on the same day and even if you don't it's still a great deal.

Bayonet at Puppy Creek (Willard Byrd) if you don't mind driving 35 minutes east of town you won't be disappointed.  It's a great layout and is always in great shape.  It should be in the $40 range or less and I play it every time I go to Pinehurst.

Hyland Hills (Tom Jackson) if conditioning isn't a huge concern(it could be great or just okay) then I would suggest playing here as a warm up course.  The layout is outstanding but there are a couple of greens that need reshaping because of slopes that are too severe (6th and 12th) but overall this course is the 2nd best deal in town.  Should be about $25 with cart after 1pm, but again is easily walked and is the perfect starter course because if you don't play well, it's only $25!

Tobacco Road is a neat course, but can be the most frustrating course in the world depending on where the pins are that day.  Some of the greens are dowright stupid, but if they're not charging more than $70 (they probably are depending on time of day) it is worth the look.  It's also 30 mins north of Pinehurst.

The Pit (Dan Maples) is okay, but they are a handful of stupid greens and it not worth what they charge. I wouldn't pay more than $50.

I like Talamore (Rees Jones) but there are others I'd play first before paying the high green fee.

I could go on longer, but I won't.  Here's my ranking if price is sort of an issue.

Pinehurst #2-You have to I guess
Pine Needles and Mid Pines-can't just play one
Pinewild-Both courses
Pinehurst #6
Southern Pines
Foxfire and/or Bayonet- depends on drive to Bayonet
Pinehurst #1-for historical purposes
Hyland Hills

If you don't care about price, sub in The National, Tobacco Road, and Forest Creek for Foxfire/Bayonet and Hyland Hills.
If you want any more clarification, contact me.

Sorry for the long reply, but I have strong feelings for the Pinehurst area and I think that Club Corp has ruined golf for Pinehurst.
thanks,
Evan

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