My Pinehurst dream trip interrupted by Covid19

Since I have the time, I thought I would share with you guys, my write up on my first ever trip to Pinehurst last month. Originally scheduled to be in Pinehurst from March 14-March 20.

We flew into RDU on Saturday (my wife's first ever flight at the age of 47). There was already some grumblings of the corona virus and the fear of flying, but we went anyway. The flight was only 2/3 full and went off without a hitch. We landed midday in Raleigh. Got our rental car and headed south to Pinehurst. We are both big bbq fans, so we stopped at Pik n Pig in Carthage, NC. It is a rural airport and restaurant. BBQ was solid and the desserts were better (try the Nanner Pudding). We got to our condo about 5pm and we dropped off our bags and headed to Pinehurst to scope things out. The Cradle was calling my name, so I ponyed up the $50 and went out. It was a blast. My wife (who doesn't golf) said it was like a block party. The Cradle is very laid back, not formal at all and you can zip around in about 45min-1hr. For anyone thinking of going, i was told the greens fee of $50 is an all day fee.

Sunday came and the only thing I had scheduled was to play Pinehurst #4. It was cool (45*) and damp, but no rain. The sun never did come out, but I enjoyed it none the less. I was supposed to be paired with 2 members, but when they showed up, they had plans to play with 2 guys from the proshop and would be joining them on hole #5. So the starter sent me off on my own. I played at my own pace and didn't actually see too many people. I hit the ball well, but had a blow up hole on the short par 3 4th hole. For those that know the hole, there is a huge drop off to the right of the green. I went down there and didn't emerge until 4 shots had been played. Posted a 79. That evening we went into town and went to Duggan's Pub. It was a nice meal and our way of celebrating St Patty's day. At this point of the trip, Covid was all over the news and NC schools had been closed that day. The talk was that restaurants were next. We were starting to worry, because I wasn't scheduled to play #2 until Wednesday and we were worried the resort might shut down before that happened.

Monday was my round up the road at Tobacco Road. This is a wild Mike Strantz design in Sanford, NC about 30 minutes away. Once again, it was cool (50*) and had rained overnight. The course was damp, but not muddy. The ball wasn't really flying very far and it had the look of rain all day. But what a course! It was like a roller coaster ride. The course was not that long, but had visual intimidation everywhere. Crazy banks and berns, greens that went on in all directions, just a lot of fun. For the 2nd day in a row, I got to play alone. As is the theme of Pinehurst so far, one hole (par 3 #13) cost me big time. I launched 3 balls into the water before finding dry land with my 4th. Shot 84.

My original plans were to have a day off on Tuesday, play Pinehurst #2 Wednesday and then play Pine Needles and MidPines on Thursday. But it was looking more and more like the late part of the week would either be cancelled on us or we would be quarantined. So, I moved MidPines up to Tuesday morning. MidPines is a strange little place. On the one hand, it has a cool sort of 70's Dean Martin/Rat Pack vibe to it. On the other hand, my wife said she did not feel comfortable at all in the proshop/19th hole...she said it felt very much like a 70's men's club. It had a very clique-ish feel to the place. The lodge looked fairly rough from the outside, but i've heard it is pretty nice inside. We teed off about 9:58am and it was the coldest day so far...about 43* and rainy. By this point of my trip, between Covid and the weather, I was starting to get a bad attitude, starting to feel sorry for myself for having a less than relaxing time on vacation. After losing my ball on the second hole, I gave myself a talking to. And I needed it. After that hole, I had a blast playing this course. Visually it reminded me a little of what I've seen on TV of Olympic Club and a little of what I've seen of Cypress Point. But, on a much smaller scale. It was a neat course and the surprise of the trip for me. Once again, I got to play by myself, but this led to a problem. On the 3rd hole, we caught a foursome of guys. Even though they were struggling, they would not let me play thru. There were no course marshals and the round ended up taking us 5hours and 5 minutes to play. By the 15th hole, there were two groups behind me waiting as well. We talked on every tee as we waited, but did not get to play thru. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed this course, but left with a bad taste in my mouth thanks to the guys holding up the course. By the time we finished, the 19th hole was closed because the Governor closed all restaurants. So, we went to a grocery store and got some snacks and spent the evening at home.

Finally Wednesday came and I had an 8am on Pinehurst #2. I was told (the night before) that I was playing by myself, but when I arrived, I was paired with a very nice retired gentleman that is a member and lives on course #4. When we teed off, it was about 40*, but had hopes that the sun might finally shine. #2 is everything you would think it would be. And the more I remember that day, the more my opinion of the course improves. This course is a true American gem. The thing that is so amazing about it is, it is difficult without being tricked up in any way. Everything is in front of you and the fairways are generous. But the closer you get to the hole, the harder the course becomes. False edges, domed greens and mowed run off areas challenge everyone. My partner and I played and had a great time. He told me stories of his time at Pinehurst and it all got better when the sun finally popped out on the 8th hole. Its amazing what a little sunshine and 65* temps will do for your soul. I got up/down on 18 for par and a solid score of 79. Not wanting to leave, we went and took two loops around the Cradle before nightfall.

But by this point of the trip, my wife was starting to fear the flight home, so we decided to cut our time in Pinehurst short by a day and start the 14 hour drive home instead of flying back. So, after one more night in our condo, we packed up and headed home. That has been about a month ago now and we both would like to go back to Pinehurst after all this craziness has died away. The vibe around the golf courses of pinehurst are not stuffy at all. They have done a good job of creating a relaxed 'everybody is welcome' atmosphere. We have already made promise to each other that we will go back. Probably not next year, but we will be back for sure. What a neat place.

Great post and summary of your experience at Pinehurst during the start of these crazy times - sorry to hear your trip got cut short. Must have been a brutal drive home..

I'm sorry to hear about your MPines 5+ hour experience - the lodge is a little tired but the course is one of my favorite walks in golf on a beautiful day. Glad to see you got in most of your scheduled golf, albeit with colder temperatures.

Thank you for a great write-up of your trip down here and I hope you can make it back after all this passes. Mid-March is always a crap shoot weather-wise as it can be 40 or 70...even in the same week!

I'm a member at Mid Pines/Pine Needles - sorry to hear of the 5 hour round...

Generally Mid Pines backs up early, Like the 2nd tee into 3 - those are really difficult holes for anyone from any Tee's (and most folks think they are still going to have a great score until it unwinds on these 2 holes)

Then the 4th is the hardest easy hole - looks simple but you can go for a ton of strokes around the green. (#1 at Pine Needles is that hole, short 5 that looks simple)

But after the 4th it generally moves well...

They could marshal a little better I suppose- generally it's 4 hour rounds - I've played everyday the last two weeks, tee off at 5pm and finish in 2.5 hours...

MP Clubhouse bar is generally a fun spot, great bartenders, great spot to watch groups finish on 18 from the deck, excellent Sunday brunch folks come from all over for...