Springtime is just around the corner. Have you got your golf vacation booked? No? Well, how about golf in North Carolina at golf courses located other than Pinehurst Resort? Does that fit the ticket? I thought so and the Golf Trip Junkie has the deals for you. Check it out!
Clearly, the team at Golf Trip Junkie are big fans of Pinehurst Resort—the 9 golf courses, The Cradle Short Course, the practice area, the lodging, the overall excellent atmosphere, and on and on I could go. Truly, it is in a class of its own.
For some golfers however, Pinehurst Resort is not in their wheelhouse in terms of budget, which we also get.
Does that mean that it is Pinehurst Resort or bust for great golf in North Carolina?
Certainly not. In fact, there is some exceptional golf in the Sandhills-Southern Pines area that can meet pretty much any budget that you could hope for during a buddies, couples, ladies, or corporate golf vacation.
Here are Golf Trip Junkie’s top 3 picks for the Sandhills-Southern Pines, North Carolina area golf courses:
TOBACCO ROAD GOLF CLUB
In general, golfers flock to the Sandhills, NC area with every intention of playing Tobacco Road, and rightfully so. However, there are the select few golfers that, simply put, do not have the makeup for this Mike Strantz masterpiece.
The long and short of it, if you enjoy target golf with rolling and undulating fairways and greens, golf, shot-making that requires creativity for golf that is not directly in front of you, wonderful elevation changes, golf balls—that if do not land in the correct parts of the green—will roll off, then Tobacco Road is for you.
If you are the type of golfer that prefers soft fairways and greens with balls landing and stopping on a dime like tour players, then this gem is NOT for you.
My advice, however, expand your golf horizons and gain an alternative perspective for how golf can (meant to?) be played. If you take this approach, I assure you that you will absolutely love every moment of Tobacco Road Golf Club, no matter how great or poorly you may play.
DORMIE CLUB
This—2018—is your last chance to play this Coore & Crenshaw design as it is transitioning back to its roots of a private club in 2019.
Depending on the golf publication, Dormie Club is ranked #2 for public golf courses in North Carolina, only behind Pinehurst No. 2. That ranking alone speaks volumes of what you can expect to experience from the opening tee shot to when the final putt drops on the 18th hole.
Upon arriving at Dormie Club it doesn’t ‘scream’ anything special as it currently has a very small clubhouse, unpaved parking lot, etc. But, as the old adage goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.
When setting out to design Dormie Club, the highly acclaimed golf architectural team of Coore & Crenshaw wanted to test every facet of a golfer’s game. They certainly accomplished this with rolling fast fairways, sloped greens, challenging short par-3’s—both short and long—all the way to various lengths of par-4’s and awesome par-5’s!
Essentially, at Dorme Club they managed to check the box off for every key component of a great golf course design.
PINE NEEDLES GOLF COURSE
What an awesome Donald Ross golf course design!
Originally built in 1927, this Ross masterpiece is one to behold so much so that it’s been a frequent stop for the U.S. Women’s open—1996, 2001, 2007—and will be the host site in 2022.
From the moment golfers enter the grounds at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, surely an experience that will not soon be forgotten. With an excellent practice area to warm up before putting the peg in the ground on the first tee, an uphill par-5, golfers are in for a treat.
A characteristic of Donald Ross designs are the putting surfaces that are upside-down-bowl greens—essentially with false fronts that can give even the most skilled golfer some fits. That said, Pine Needles, although plays more than 7,000 yards from the back deck, has both great looks off of the tee blocks and plenty of landing area in the fairways, which set you up for a golfer’s best chance to challenging these greens.
As with the other golf courses on this list, the fairways have some undulation and movement to them, as do the greens, but not nearly as severe. Bottom line, Pine Needles Golf Course is a very challenging and memorable golf experience!
Intrigued? Of course you are. These golf courses are must plays that will appeal to any golf appetite!
Let’s get started and reach out to the Golf Team at Golf Trip Junkie today. We can help you and your group plan a very memorable Sandhills-Southern Pines golf vacation. Call us today at 877.634.0790.
We look forward to working with you!
