Pinehurst, NC

[Phreddy]

I'm cold and I'm getting old(er).

 

I will be retiring in the next couple years, and living in the upper midwest will no longer be on my agenda. North Carolina seems to have a lot to offer and by our (my wife and I) standards offers a very temperate winter climate. I believe I've read that the Pinehurst golf courses offer a "membership," but I am at a loss as to what exactly that means. Preferred tee times? Discounted play? Does it apply to all of the courses? I think I am correct that to be "a member" you need to live in the village of Pinehurst, and that membership privileges transfer with the property, but not all properties have retained those rights.

 

Can someone help me sort this out?

 

Thanks,

 

Phred

[Alexblakk]

http://cdn1.pinehurst.com/content/uploads/2014/07/PCC-Legendary-Categories.pdf

[Phreddy]

Thanks.

I wonder if the initiation fee listed is incorporated into the price of some area homes, as I believe access to membership is limited to Pinehurst property owners, or if it does not transfer. My guess would the the latter.

Phred

[lefty-golfer]

my neighbor just had a parent pass away in Pinehurst, the home is being discussed for sale and he was very clear that it does have a ful golf memebership with the home...so yes in some configuration there is a realestate tie into it and the initiation can be part of the real estate price. if you are serious call an agent down there, the resort is far to big for that not to be common knowledge in the marketplace.

[crazy8golfer]

[quote name='Phreddy' timestamp='1420601429' post='10699035']
I'm cold and I'm getting old(er).

I will be retiring in the next couple years, and living in the upper midwest will no longer be on my agenda. North Carolina seems to have a lot to offer and by our (my wife and I) standards offers a very temperate winter climate. I believe I've read that the Pinehurst golf courses offer a "membership," but I am at a loss as to what exactly that means. Preferred tee times? Discounted play? Does it apply to all of the courses? I think I am correct that to be "a member" you need to live in the village of Pinehurst, and that membership privileges transfer with the property, but not all properties have retained those rights.

Can someone help me sort this out?

Thanks,

Phred
[/quote]

Hello Friend,

Please do some serious research before committing to this type membership. This area has some very nice golf courses, but in my opinion the winter weather is not great. There will be some days that you can play golf, but a lot that you cannot in Dec - March. Personally, $445/month is a pretty high dues rate and there may be more fees on top of that. Only you know what you are looking for, but be sure to get all the hidden fees explained in advance.Good Luck

[sniper]

I would review the link in a previous post. Winter weather can be cold but there are a lot of days that are great during winter. I would look at Mid Pines/Pine Needles or even Pinewild as options for membership as well.

Just looked at Pinewild CC and I would go with Pinehurst over Pinewild.

[dumbdog]

I'd give Mid Pines and Pine Needles a look before committing to Pinehurst CC.

[TheDailyDuffer]

Its beyond me why anyone would pay 45k initiation and 5.4k yearly for a course(s) open to the public.

[Chomper]

I almost bought a home and a membership in Pinehurst.
I think that the highest level of membership is worth the investment if you are a serious golfer.
9 courses, two of which are pretty much only open to members, and really only 6 of the 9 are open to the "public".

[golfheaven69]

Other than golf Pinehurst doesn't have much to offer. I would rent for a year before pulling the trigger. You can find plenty of reasonable condo's to rent.

[Phreddy]

I appreciate the info and the ideas relative to alternatives. As I type this it is -2 outside my window on the wings of a 15-20 mph wind. My clubs are sitting in the corner weeping. My wife and I have raised 5 kids in the Milwaukee area and the two youngest will be done with college in the next two years. Our parents are gone and at best we can guess only one of our kids intends to remain in this area. There is really nothing other than good memories to hold us to "home" and consequently a map of the US is an open book.

We traveled to Richmond VA last May for a family wedding and took that trip as an opportunity to make a side trip to Pinehurst for a couple rounds. The topography around the Raleigh/Durham area stuck a cord with us, the pine forests felt like familiar friends from the northern parts of Wisconsin and the general vibe felt welcoming. On my first day of play at Pinehurst I was teed up with some locals who were "members" and hence the root of my question as to what that really entailed. I played #2, #8 and #4 and was taken in by that kind of variety in such proximity. And so the though process has begun.

I am aware that much of North Carolina will have some brisk days, but frankly, we don't think a constant 75 degrees ala San Diego would work for us. We would welcome the sense of seasons without the extremes we call normal here. My wife and I have traveled to Florida, Arizona, California and Hawaii on vacations. All of them were great trips, but we came away with the "nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there." We haven't solved the riddle yet, but when we do my clubs won't end up in the basement for 5 months a year.

Phred

[sniper]

My wife and I really enjoy Pinehurst. She loves the spa and village and obviously the golf is fantastic. We are only 3 hours away and have been 4 times in the last 18 months. That being said I would probably choose Mid Pines and Pine Needles over any two Pinehurst courses.

[LaterOn61]

Pinehurst doesn't have much to offer outside of the golfing. I would consider Myrtle Beach or give AZ a second shot.

[caniac6]

The Raleigh area would be a good choice. Prestonwood CC has 54 holes, and I would imagine it would be similarly priced as Pinehurst. There is a lot more to do in the Triangle area. Pro hockey, three major colleges, several minor league baseball teams, museums, and many cultural events. All I need is golf, cable tv, and my chair, but my wife would go nuts in Pinehurst.

[act0fgod]

[quote name='Phreddy' timestamp='1420601429' post='10699035']
Preferred tee times? Discounted play? Does it apply to all of the courses? I think I am correct that to be "a member" you need to live in the village of Pinehurst, and that membership privileges transfer with the property, but not all properties have retained those rights.

Can someone help me sort this out?

Thanks,

Phred
[/quote]

Personally I don't think it gets much better than Pinehurst and that's why we purchased our retirement home in 2012. Lets start with the questions. There is a membership. There are certain times blocked of for members on various courses on various days as well as open resort times on short notice. For reference the member tee times for Sunday the 11th. Course #1 9-3. Course #2 10-1. Course #3 9-1. Course #4 9-1030 and 1230-close. Course #5 930-1. Course #6 930-12. Realize that is the winter. There are times still available for members on #2 and there is currently a special on the rate members guests pay. The membership fees have been posted. Each of the categories fits a certain type of person. The Sports and Social categories require payments for golf, the full membership has a $19 cart/trail fee and the premier and 7/9 have no fees if you walk. Up to full gets you 1-6 (they occasionally have #8 available for play during the slow season). Currently you need to own property in the village to be a member. To be honest I'm not sure how the transfer currently process works. The rules changed shortly after we purchased our home. At the time we purchased our house initiation was 40k for all member categories but if the property had a current membership the initiation was 12k. We put in the terms of our contract that the seller was going to pay the initiation fees so essentially we rolled it into the mortgage. I think there is some sort of similar discount if the house currently has a membership under the current system. That being said the membership structure can change at the will of the resort ownership and the members really have no say in it, which I have to say is a bit of a negative.

So now for my thoughts
Pros:
1) For the price I don't think you can find a better course than #2. You can join without family connections. You get at least 6 courses and potentially 9 other courses (they also own a good chunk of land and there is occasional talks of another course).
2) Housing prices, from my perspective, are very affordable. If you want to downsize you could get a condo on the course for under 100k and for not much more you can get a single family residence off the course.
3) Despite what people are saying the area offers quite a lot. If you like the outdoors the hiking, horseback riding, biking, hunting, fishing is pretty darn good. The club has a beach on the lake in town you can take pontoons on and non-motorized boats. It's also not far from National Forrest where there is better boating.
4) It's not far from Raleigh Durham which is a growing metro area with lots of great things. Similarly it's not far from Charlotte (we usually fly into Charlotte) or Greensboro.
5) If you want the beach it's under a 3 hour drive.
5) The club itself offers a lot. They have great tennis facilities, pickle ball, lawn bowling and one of the best croquet teams in the south/nation. They have a number of pools and building a new one. Building a new fitness center. In addition to the club dining options you also get 20% off at the resort dining options, discounts at the resort for guests who may not want to stay with you, and it seems there is always a 20-30% discount on the spa.
6) I think the town is really cute and for such a small town there is still a bit of culture. The NC Philharmonic is based out of Pinehurst. If you are into the history of golf, specifically Donald Ross, the Tufts Archives is an amazing collection of information. The harness track is pretty darn cool if you ask me and there are regularly various events there.
7) There are always different golf events. US Open seems to be a re-occurring thing, the annual North South Am, US Kids national championship as well as the regular state and local events you can play in or volunteer to support.
8) Most people who live in the area love golf and as far as golfers go you get a fairly diverse group of people (blue collar through CEOs)
9) I don't plan to live in the area full time for another 15 years or so but the membership isn't wasted due to Club Corps membership. Essentially Club Corps allows 2 rounds/month at any of their courses for the cart fee only. They also allow 2 dinners per month at their dining clubs for gratuity, tax and alcohol. Here is a link to Club Corps [url="http://www.clubcorp.com/Membership/Benefits-Finder"]http://www.clubcorp.com/Membership/Benefits-Finder[/url]
10) My wife and I are both military so the proximity of Ft. Bragg was a plus for us (probably not for others)

Cons
1) The resort makes all the choices. The members really don't have much say and there are lots of amenities your membership fees go to even if you don't use them. People have suggested Pine Needles/Mid Pines. They are cheaper due to fewer amenities with 2 pretty darn good courses.
2) If you want an intimate club where you know all the other members it's probably not a good fit. We don't live there but I get the feeling the club has some pretty distinct cliques. They essentially create a clique with the 7/9 category of membership (they have their own dining, own golf clubs and their own club leadership).
3) It does get hot during the summer and cold during the winter. That being said we lived in FL until recently and really enjoyed the lower temps when visiting during the summer. The winter is our favorite time to visit. It does snow occasionally but I really like the 50 degree winter weather with empty golf courses.
4) There are other cheaper options in the area.
5) I feel like the resort guests are the top priority and members are secondary.

All and all I'm very happy with the decision we made. Most people think we are crazy for buying a retirement home before turning 30 but we really love the area and enjoy our visits.

Long post and my opinions only but hope it's helpful.

[WJLIII]

ActofGod gave a very informative view of Pinehurst but I will try to add a little from a different perspective.

59 years old and we live at the beach in NC, decided 10-12 years ago we would retire to Pinehurst. Went at least every other weekend for 6 months and checked out all clubs within our parameters. We have a gated community and wanted the same in Pinehurst. Played the courses, walked the golf front lots, checked locker rooms, clubhouses, restaurants and the neighborhood environments. So much to offer and more than the once in a while trips will
experience. Pinehurst is a fun town and with more in the surrounding area, many new stores and restaurants. Health care is fantastic, check out Moore Regional. Southern Pines is a town that any non golfer would enjoy for a long time, lots of art, clothing, restaurants and music with many eclectic and traditional shops. Very renowned for horse country.

Many clubs to choose from within most budgets and with very active memberships. We went back and forth between Pinewild and National and decided on Pinewild just because people seemed so happy to belong there. CCNC, Forest Creek and Mid South are all worth checking out. Like everything, pluses and minuses to each one. We belong to Pinewild, Pine Needles and Pinehurst (lower tier). All great courses with similar amenities. The new members club at Pinehurst is impressive, not a better place to have lunch watching every shot into 18. Pine Needles is fantastic, great courses and extremely friendly to everyone, most enjoyable to deal with. Membership at most of the clubs is better if you buy a property/house with a transferable membership, really makes a difference. Check out the local real estate agents sites and pretty well explained.

Resort club membership has its ups and downs, we were concerned at first. We spend a lot of time at Bay Hill and really enjoyed the guest is a member concept. Not the same people every day and many interesting people. We enjoy the resort member idea but also chose to build in a gated community just because we travel so much and nice to be in a patrolled area.

We spend 60-70 nights a year in Pinehurst and still look forward to being permanent residents. The area is great but Raleigh is only 1 hour away which is a larger city with more amenities if you need more. We go there quite often for shows and concerts but would not want to retire there. I love Raleigh, raised there, family still there but not our retirement dream.

Check it out on a longer trip. Hard not to play golf but cruise around for a while. Hope to see you there one day but like I tell the young fellows I practice with " everybody has advice that stinks"

Best wishes