Mid Pines / Pine Needles / Southern Pines advice

[Tim Taylor]

Hey treehouse,


Planning a 60th birthday trip next April. There will be four of us, handicaps from 8 to 14, converging from Northern Virginia and the Carolinas.


Which course would play on arrival day after five hour drive?
Would you play same course back to back on the 36 hole days? Or split it up to see different pins and tee set ups?
Is one of the courses more fun than others for an alternate shot match?
Which course is best for a caddie round?



Tim

[mike_malone]

Your questions make me feel like I’m back in school.


I will just say that I get a feeling when I play a course. My ideal feeling is constant pleasure from playing and looking around at things as I go. I get this feeling maybe once a year at new courses for me.


Mid Pines gave me that feeling. I felt that this is what Pinehurst golf is!!

[Ira Fishman]

Tim,


I think PN is best for the first day round. It plays tougher than it seems but it is more forgiving off of the tee.


SP for the caddie round. It is the toughest walk.


You will have a great time.


Ira

[Charles Lund]

I've done five trips to the Pinehurst area.  You can have a complete and satisfying trip playing Mid Pines, Pine Needles, and Southern Pines.

I'd suggest that for the 36 hole days you try to play Mid Pines and Pine Needles with 18 holes on each course.  All you have go do is cross the street to get to the other course.    I played Southern Pines during the renovation, just after it reopened, and again in March of this year.  I'd play it on the days you plan to play 18 holes so it's likely that pin positions will vary.  On the March trip this year I also played Mid Pines and Pine Needles.  Despite the common heritage of each course, it's not like you get the feeling you are playing the same holes so there is less of a deja vu sense of what you might encounter with the work of some designers.


I also like the distinct character of each course and club.  Despite the presence of the Pinehurst Resort in the immediate area, you can have a high quality golf experience at the three courses you are playing.  I've played four of the resort courses and liked the experience.


Charles Lund

[Tim Martin]

I've done five trips to the Pinehurst area.  You can have a complete and satisfying trip playing Mid Pines, Pine Needles, and Southern Pines.

I'd suggest that for the 36 hole days you try to play Mid Pines and Pine Needles with 18 holes on each course.  All you have go do is cross the street to get to the other course.    I played Southern Pines during the renovation, just after it reopened, and again in March of this year.  I'd play it on the days you plan to play 18 holes so it's likely that pin positions will vary.  On the March trip this year I also played Mid Pines and Pine Needles.  Despite the common heritage of each course, it's not like you get the feeling you are playing the same holes so there is less of a deja vu sense of what you might encounter with the work of some designers.


I also like the distinct character of each course and club.  Despite the presence of the Pinehurst Resort in the immediate area, you can have a high quality golf experience at the three courses you are playing.  I've played four of the resort courses and liked the experience.


Charles Lund

Tim-I agree with Ira that the caddie round should be at Southern Pines. Further Charles gets it right as far as which courses to play and when. If I had ten rounds I would play four at MP and three each at PN and SP. Enjoy the trip!

[Ronald Montesano]

It simply doesn't matter. If you're with the right people, and you have the right attitude, the caddie can help at all of them. I would take the caddie for your first round. If you hit it off, retain the caddie for the next two rounds. If not, hoof it and haul it.

All three courses are famazing. Get that local farrier to join you for a few rounds, and you'll have the time of your life.

I love #TheResort, but Sandhills is much more than #TheResort. I could spend a bunch of trips to the region without setting foot on #YouGuessedIt

[Peter Sayegh]

The 36 hole day must be an MP/PN combination.
Upon arrival, I would recommend MP or SP.
If you want a caddy to just carry your bag, I'd echo SP.

I can count on one hand the number of caddies I've ever seen at MP/PN/SP combined so if you're looking for someone that offers shot advice and a knowledge of the greens particular to those courses, I'd ask others on this board for (a) name/s.

[Matt MacIver]

I’ve never used (or seen) caddies there but didn’t look for them.  But beware, MP and probably the others have Bermuda greens and since they allow Monday play don’t actively top-dress them weekly - meaning they allow (want) the Bermuda to actively grow and “get grainy” throughout the day, so if you can’t read grain you better learn fast. 

[Peter Sayegh]

I’ve never used (or seen) caddies there but didn’t look for them.  But beware, MP and probably the others have Bermuda greens and since they allow Monday play don’t actively top-dress them weekly - meaning they allow (want) the Bermuda to actively grow and “get grainy” throughout the day, so if you can’t read grain you better learn fast.

Matt,
Thank you.

First thing I tell all my first time guests at MP is it's the hardest 7 foot putt course I've played.

[Peter Bowman]

I just came back from that area this past weekend.  We played Pine Needles, Tobacco Road, and Mid South.  Ran M hosted me at his Southern Pines course 3 years ago while it was partially renovated by Kyle Franz, and I loved it. I like it better than #2 and Pine Needles as well as Dormie Club.
Tobacco Road remains for me as a course I'll always want to play again when visiting the Pinehurst area.  It's fair with just the right amount of ridiculousness and silliness.  It is designed to appear challenging and intimidating, but making par is easier than the impressions from the tee box.  Every hole is unique and very memorable. 
I cannot say the same for Pine Needles and the other courses.  So if you haven't played TR yet, make time for it.  Pine Needles, Southern Pines, and from what little I saw of Mid Pines, all dress similarly, making it hard to remember which course a hole was on. 
That said, Southern Pines had the most design diversity of those three. 

Also, I got a sneak peak at PH #10 and it is indeed very different from the other big 2 courses (2 and 4)

[Peter Sayegh]

I just came back from that area this past weekend.  We played Pine Needles, Tobacco Road, and Mid South.  Ran M hosted me at his Southern Pines course 3 years ago while it was partially renovated by Kyle Franz, and I loved it. I like it better than #2 and Pine Needles as well as Dormie Club.

Never played Dormie.
PN is not my favorite.

SP better than #2?
You gotta have a big pair of ProV1s to make that statement.

What did you think of Mid South?

[Edward Glidewell]

I really enjoyed playing Mid South a couple of years ago; it was better than I expected.


It's not in the same class as Mid Pines and Southern Pines (never played Pine Needles), but not many courses are.

[Brian Finn]

Pine Needles, Southern Pines, and from what little I saw of Mid Pines, all dress similarly, making it hard to remember which course a hole was on. 

While I think I can see where you are coming from, I could not disagree more.  For 3 courses in such close proximity, I think the variety of the land, design, and routing is incredible. 

[PCCraig]

Make sure you eat breakfast at The Track everyday. That's all I have to add.

[Tim Taylor]

OP here. Thanks for all the great info. Trying to get it booked is a challenge so far. Initially the Mid Pines reservations folks said "we book one year out". I called one year out, they said, call back in a few weeks or fill out the online form. Filled out the online form four weeks ago. No reply. Gonna try calling again today.


Tim

[PCCraig]

OP here. Thanks for all the great info. Trying to get it booked is a challenge so far. Initially the Mid Pines reservations folks said "we book one year out". I called one year out, they said, call back in a few weeks or fill out the online form. Filled out the online form four weeks ago. No reply. Gonna try calling again today.


Tim

The Barstool Golf Bros have "discovered" Pinehurst, unfortunately, for their buddies trips. 

[Peter Sayegh]

Make sure you eat breakfast at The Track everyday. That's all I have to add.

Best advice so far. The food and staff are incredible.

Fact: Place is cash only.
Fun fact: You can buy one of their logo coffee mugs if you ask.
Certainly, the cheapest and most utilitarian souvenir you can purchase in the area.

Tim

The Barstool Golf Bros have "discovered" Pinehurst, unfortunately, for their buddies trips. 

PC,

I'm not a Barstool guy, but many members have told me they enjoy their visits because they provide a little levity/entertainment while maintaining a level of respect for the club, its members, and courses.

[A.G._Crockett]

Pine Needles, Southern Pines, and from what little I saw of Mid Pines, all dress similarly, making it hard to remember which course a hole was on. 

While I think I can see where you are coming from, I could not disagree more.  For 3 courses in such close proximity, I think the variety of the land, design, and routing is incredible.

I agree; the three courses have always seemed remarkably different to me, given their proximity and heritage. 
For instance, if a tee shot hits a tree at PN, you've hit a pretty terrible shot; at MP if you have a round where you DON'T hit a tree, you've had a pretty good ball striking round.  (And that is NOT a knock on the trees at MP!)
And there is NO need to restrict a 36 hole day to PN/MP; the drive time to SP from there is less than 10 minutes.

[Tim Taylor]

Got it all booked. Was hoping for SP, MP/PN, PN/MP, SP. But, alas, they have a couples tournament some of those days. So we got:


April 17-20:

Thursday: Mid Pines 2:35
Friday: Southern Pines 7:43 / Mid Pines 1:45
Saturday: Pine Needles 8:10 / Southern Pines 2:03
Sunday: Pine Needles 8:00


Eleven months to get my game in shape.


Tim

[Ira Fishman]

Tim,


That will be a great trip. The couples tournament is a cool event. They have been hosting one in the spring and the fall for years and years. My wife and I have not played in it, but were paired in a practice round with a couple in their 70s who have played (and won multiple times) for at least two decades in them.


Ira

[Ira Fishman]

Pine Needles, Southern Pines, and from what little I saw of Mid Pines, all dress similarly, making it hard to remember which course a hole was on. 

While I think I can see where you are coming from, I could not disagree more.  For 3 courses in such close proximity, I think the variety of the land, design, and routing is incredible.

I agree; the three courses have always seemed remarkably different to me, given their proximity and heritage. 
For instance, if a tee shot hits a tree at PN, you've hit a pretty terrible shot; at MP if you have a round where you DON'T hit a tree, you've had a pretty good ball striking round.  (And that is NOT a knock on the trees at MP!)
And there is NO need to restrict a 36 hole day to PN/MP; the drive time to SP from there is less than 10 minutes.

I am with Brian and AG on this one. We have played MP and PN more than a dozen times each and SP three times since the restoration. I always am impressed how different they are. Yes, there are some tell tale Ross features, and the bunkering can look similar, but the variety in the routing, elevation changes, and green complexes is noteworthy given their proximity to each other.


Ira