Pinehurst Golf

[Bill Gayne]

Just got back from Pinehurst yesterday. We stayed at the Pinecrest Inn and would concur on the comments to date. The bar is lively and the food is generous. The pork chop was liked by everyone and I thought the venison was particularily good.

For the golf, the group of twelve played Legacy, Pinewild, Foxfire, and about half the group played Tobacco Road. Despite some horrible weather conditions there was consensus  that Pinewild was the best of the bunch. I thought the greens and surrounds were easily the best of the courses (I was not part of the group that went to Tobacco Road). I also enjoy playing a dormant bermuda course.

Legacy and Foxfire was solid and worthy of playing. None of the six that went to Tobacco Road came back singing it's praises. Too many blind shots and too many extreme features for that group.

[Bill Gayne]

Also there's a fascinating little shop across from Duggans in the Village that specializes in golf art, antiques, and collectibles.

[David Schofield]

The best restaurant in all of Pinehurst is The Barn.

What about the LobSteer Inn?

I'm amused by some of the posts on here complaining about the greens on #4.  Sure, there were false fronts and false sides (for lack of a better term), but I thought the greens, more so than other courses I played on my last trip, were quite unexceptional.  I had a lot of putts that broke 3" or less.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did play #4 the day after Tobacco Road so that might explain some of my thoughts on the subject...

[rjsimper]

Holly or Magnolia at Pinewild?

[Bill Gayne]

We played the Magnolia at Pinewild.

[Michael Powers]

I just got back from Pinehurst and we played T. Road, CCNC, Pine Needles, #1, and Bayonet.  We were supposed to play #2 but got rained out big time and played 9 holes on #1 as a result 

I liked both courses at CCNC, the Cardinal seemed to drain better (there was rain there on Tuesday) than the Dogwood, but I liked the Dogwood better in terms of design and routing.  The water comes into play much more on Cardinal.  The greens were aerated about 2 weeks prior and hadn't quite healed, but they should be great for you.  I havn't played it but my buddy told me that Mid Pines is short and not nearly the course that Pine Needles is.  Here is how I would rate the courses you list, hope this helps
1.  #2
2.  Pine Needles
3.  T. Road
4.  CCNC Dogwood
5.  CCNC Cardinal
6.  Southern Pines
7.  Mid Pines

Southern Pines and Mid are based on my golf pro buddy's recomendation.

[John Moore II]

Michael--I would actually rate Southern Pines ahead of CCNC Cardinal and certainly ahead of Mid Pines. Mid Pines is simply an overated golf course in a land filled with overrated golf courses. Don't believe what you read in Golf Digest Places to Play about all the clubs in Pinehurst. There is some good hemp being consumed by whoever wrote those ratings, in most cases.
--BTW-my rating of Southern Pines is no longer influenced by my employment, I no longer work for the management company running Southern Pines. I simply think Southern Pines is a fine golf course.

[Doug Ralston]

Nevermind! Too expensive! A public facility for those who can afford a private membership.

O well.

Doug

[Steve Kline]

Certainly Mid Pines is way too short even for medium length hitters. But I still find it fun if you forget about par. I would enjoy it even more if it was about half the price. It's certainly no where near the course that Pine Needles is and is never in as good of shape, yet the greens fees aren't that different. I've only Southern Pines once but I don't remember it being much different than Mid Pines.

[Michael Powers]

Ken,
Don't worry about me with Golf Digest Places to Play.  Never read any, simply going on a recomendation of a fellow HP in the area who hosted me.  There was no intent to discredit the club you were formally employed at.  Take it easy.

[John Moore II]

Michael--I was just making a statement in general about the Golf Digest places to play.
--They are real garbage in my opinion.
--I just think that there are courses in Pinehurst that are far overrated and far underrated. My previous company managed Foxfire, CC of Whispering Pines, Hyland Hills and Southern Pines. According to GD, Hyland Hills is the best of the bunch. Hard for me to agree with that. I think if people went into Pinehurst not knowing anything about the courses and who designed them, many of the ratings would be far different. So many courses in Pinehurst are rated high because of designer reputation and because a certain designer does good courses elsewhere, this one must automatically be great, and thats just not the case.
--I was not trying to direct anything personally at you either in this post or the last one.

[Rick_Noyes]

I read through the entire thread and could not find a mention of the National Club (FKA Pinehurst National).  Has this course fallen off everyone's radar or is it just that nobody likes it?

[Steve Kline]

I think it's a terrible course. The epitome of the Nicklaus design school that required a high fade with long iron to too many greens. Everyone we have taken on trips there hated it. Plus, the last time we were there the service was beyond bad.

[hhuffines]

Steve,

I agree National is a waste of time with so many better options in the Sandhills.  Long shots into some of those greens are ridiculous and then a likely 3 putt (at least for me) results.

How do you like Pinehurst #8?  I've only been there a couple of times but don't see going back even with the big discounts PCC offers on it.

Others,

Is the conditioning at So. Pines the best its been in several years?

Thanks!

[Steve Kline]

I like #8. Probably my second favorite of the PCC courses after #2. I would rank them

#2
#8
#7
#4
#5
#6
#1
#3

[Michael Powers]

Ken,
No problem here, just responding to the implication that my post was based on Golf Digest.  It was my first trip to the PH area, and, although I am very familiar with resorts, the whole PH 1-5 area seemed like a bit of a free for all.  Kids running around on the putting green and chipping areas, mats only for guests to hit balls.  The bronze statue of the guy who used to own CCA kind of topped it for me, Ross, Tufts, Stewart, and CCA.  I'm actually not all that torn up about not paying the $165 PGA rate to play #2, but if I were a guest who was accustomed to first class and paying full, the overall experience would have been lacking.

[Steve Verde]

I really enjoy Pinehurst #4.  I like it significantly better than 7 and 8.  I know al the pot bunkers are a bit out of place but I like how they frame the holes.  4 is aesthetically far better than 7 and 8 in my opinion and I like the good mix of holes it has.  Some of the falloffs from the greens are too severe but this isn't that big of a flaw.

Having never played the original Ross #4, I can't say whether the redesign was worth it, but I do think Fazio's work here is good.  I kind of wish he had gotten away from the faux-Ross green complexes because with the bunkering and layout it could have had its own unique look that would have made it stand out far above the other secondary courses at the resort.  I think #4 will make a good co-host for the US Amateur and will probably be more of a challenge for the players than #2. I will be anxious to see the scores.  I think if the scores across the board are lower at #4 it is solely because of the conditioning at #2.

[Greg Krueger]

I played Southern Pines a couple of weeks ago. It was in good condition and what a joy to play! I would say it is in better condition than Mid Pines and for the price a much better value. That being said I disagree with a few previous posts about Mid Pines not being that good. It is a fantastic design and a superb routing. But it IS over priced to say the least.

[Mike Hendren]

I encourage all to set aside an hour to visit the Tufts Archives when in Pinehurst.  It is located at the rear of the public library.  Introduce yourself to the curator -  Ms. Audrey Moriarty.  Perhaps she'll disappear and return with Donald Ross' original drawing on linen of Seminole or some other such treat. 

Mike

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I just returned from there, having played in the Pine Needles 4 ball Invitational.
We lalyed mid pines on one of the days, and the green complexes are superb..
I get the feeling that the bunkering at PineNeedles has been altered more than that at Mid Pines and as such, you truly get the feel that you are playing as original Ross as is possible at Mid pines.
Dont get me wrong, Pine Needles is a better golf course, with some awesome green complexes and typical severe drop off areas within a few feet of pin placements..great fun to play.
Two very enjoyable places to play.

[John Moore II]

Greg-As I am sure you are referring to me about the bashing of Mid Pines, I will clarify. I do not think Mid Pines is a poor course, just an over rated one. To me, it is the weakest of the Donald Ross designs in the Southern Pines area. But that is not to say it is a poor course.

[Jason McNamara]

Don't know if the National needs a third strike to be out, but I will provide it.  Plenty tough without being fun, and apparently lots of $ besides.  (I was comped.)

(No, I am not a rater.)

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