My Quest to Check Off Golf's Best Experiences

#18, Par 4, 406 Yards


The final hole at Pine Needles was actually Ross's original 1st hole.  So, while it isn't a simple hole, it was intended to be one of Ross's "Gentle handshake" openers.  The hole goes downhill and a bit to the left with no trouble off the tee (in the form of bunkers at least).  Up by the green, bunkers protect the left side and a run-up shot is perfectly playable into the green if you desire.

So here's the thing about Pine Needles.  The Lodge and the experience of staying on the property exceeded my expectations.  It's a cozy welcoming environment, and definitely more of the feel of a family-owned boutique lodge.  Their amenities are perfect for a golf trip with good food (though a bit overpriced) and a really cool atmosphere at the restaurant and grill.  The downstairs game room is a really neat bonus for a buddies trip.  


With that said, the golf itself fell a bit short of my expectations.  As a course that is consistently ranked around 50th in the best public courses in America, I expected to be wow'ed, and really just wasn't.  The course has a lot of really good holes, but not 18 of them.  There were a few that were forgettable which I wouldn't have expected for a course of its reputation.  Of the courses I played on this trip (Dormie, Tobacco Road, Mid Pines, Pinehurst Number 2, and Pinehurst Number 8) I'd regrettably have to say that Pine Needles was my least favorite of the bunch.  However, don't interpret that to mean it's a bad course as I just compared it against a pretty great list of tracks.  However, I had three rounds to split between Pine Needles and Mid Pines, and after playing them both, I was pleased that we decided to play Mid Pines twice and only Pine Needles once.  If facing the same decision, I would recommend that.  Mid Pines, after its renovation by Kyle Franz, is a really fun course and is a more memorable set of holes.


Regardless, thanks to Pine Needles for being a fun experience, a nice round of golf, and a great place to stay.

#16, Par 3, 169 Yards


The last par 3 on the golf course, the 16th is probably the easiest hole of the last five holes, and presents the best chance to score.  Truthfully, neither par three on the back nine is all that challenging, so take advantage of them when you have the chance.  Just two bunkers on either side of the green on this one.  Avoid them, and a par or better is perfectly attainable.

#17, Par 4, 432 Yards


A long and tight par 4 with a hard dogleg to the left awaits at the 17th.  Again, a bunker stands waiting at the inner elbow of the dogleg, and two bunkers are on either side of the hole up by the green, though neither is all that close to the putting surface.  The bunker on the left would be considered green-side, but the one on the right is well short of the green, and there to catch a poorly-struck long iron hit into this long hole.

#15, Par 5, 485 Yards


Starting at the 14th hole, it was this stretch of the golf course that I thought lacked a bit of interest.  The 15th is just a straight-away, flat par 5 with bunkers flanking the landing area off the tee, the possible layup zone, and the green.  There just wasn't anything exciting to it in my mind, and I've seen countless similar holes around the country.

#14, Par 4, 402 Yards


The halfway point of the inward nine is also the hardest hole on the side.  The hole is a reasonably long dogleg right of almost 90 degrees.  Bunkers are at the inside elbow and will guard anyone's attempts to hug too close to the dogleg.  Once at the corner, a high fade is probably the ideal shot into a green that has a bunker front right.  The bunker on the left is not as close to the green as it appears on the approach.

#13, Par 3, 181 Yards


This one is a mid-iron to a green that is plenty receptive to that type of shot.  As long as you carry it to the middle of the green, there will be no hazards to grab a wayward shot, as all three bunkers are on the front side of the green, with the last bunker protecting the front third of the green on the right.  Not a simple par, but a decent player shouldn't be making any worse than a bogey here either.

#11, Par 4, 369 Yards


The 11th was another cool little hole.  Downhill and with a large sandy area looming at around 300 yards from the tee, I went ahead and pounded driver, though it is clearly not necessary, and probably not even well advised to do so.  However, I got away with it, and ended up with only 78 yards into the hole.  It plays a lot shorter than its yardage due to the downhill tee shot.  A shot pitch and two putts later and I had started the back with two straight pars.

#12, Par 4, 350 Yards


A shortish hole with a slight bend to the right, the ideal line off the tee is probably at the left edge of the bunker, though there's plenty of room left of that as well.  Being on the right half of the fairway will present the best angle into the hole with the worst miss being left of the green where a relatively deep bunker stands guard.

#10, Par 5, 482 Yards


Pine Needles is not the traditional American routing where each nine goes out and comes back to the clubhouse.  Therefore, it is not particularly conducive to playing nine holes.  And, that's fine, because if you stopped after nine, you'd miss one of the better holes on the course in my opinion.  The 10th is a neat par 5 that bends hard to the left at the top of the hill.  This is the last time you'll see at water hazard at Pine Needles, though it should only come into play for a very poorly stuck shot.  By my recollection, it's only 220 yards or so to carry the bunkers on the left from the Ross Tees, and strategically, aiming over the bunkers will leave the shortest and best line into the green to get home in two.  Bunkers straddle the layup area for those who don't try the heroic shot to set up an eagle.

#9, Par 4, 371 Yards


The front nine finishes with a mid-length par 4 that has only one bunker in play on the left side of the green with the bunker on the left side off the tee easily carried.  Take your chance to get a refreshment on this hole, as the snack shack is on the 9th rather than the 10th.  As I mentioned earlier, it's a better deal on the course than it is on the 19th hole!

#8, Par 4, 353 Yards


The third of four consecutive par 4's to end the first nine.  This one is a very subtle dogleg right with a bunker on the inside of the dogleg off the tee.  Three bunkers surround the green on either side, though in typical Donald Ross fashion, there are no bunkers behind the green, and as is typical with most holes at Pine Needles, there are no bunkers right in the front, so the ground game is possible if you would rather hit a run-up shot to the green.

#7, Par 4, 407 Yards


Bunkers on either side and OB right (where I ended up).  A draw is the ideal play.  However, if you end up OB, a kind homeowner has a good strategy--give you a golf ball, and maybe you won't wander through their property for yours--clever!

#6, Par 4, 411 Yards


A straight par 4 with a blind tee shot.  One fairway bunker is on the left side and should be avoided.  From there, two bunkers are on either side of the green, but again, only on the front portion.  If you carry it to the middle of the green, you should be over them even if you miss the green.  I had to take a picture of the "Chocolate drops" that are behind this green.  In the old days, before heavy machinery, it was common to bury rock/stones/boulders in a dirt pile rather than hauling them off the golf course.  Behind the 6th green is an example of this.

#5, Par 3, 181 Yards


The second par 3 on the first nine.  This one is definitely more of a test than the 3rd hole, and requires a mid-iron.  Again, carrying it to the middle of the green will avoid the bunkers, which protect the green on either side of the front portion.  I had to attempt to capture a pictures of the crowned greens at Pine Needles.  They're not quite as harsh as the turtleback greens at Pinehurst Number 2, but they're the same idea in many cases.  Miss on the edges, and you're sure to roll off and require a tricky pitch.

#4, Par 4, 382 Yards


Water comes into play and must be carried on three holes at Pine Needles.  After carrying a pond on the 3rd, another pond needs to be carried off the tee on the uphill 4th.  In the landing area, a small bunker guards the left side of the fairway of this hole, which bends just the slightest bit to the left,  Bunkers are in the front of the green, so carrying it the first distance will avoid all the trouble into this hole.

#3, Par 3, 135 Yards


The 3rd at Pine Needles is known as one of the most photographed holes in the Pinehurst area.  I did my part by snapping a few pictures of this sharp-looking par three.  After carrying a small pond, bunkers are on three sides of this hole--front, right, and left, so a long straight shot is the only safe place to miss the green.  Since it's only a wedge or short iron, bunkers can be avoided and a good score can be made here.

#2, Par 4, 438 Yards


After a soft opening, it's time to play golf.  This one is no picnic.  It's long with fairway bunkers down the right off the tee, and then one bunker on the left at the green.  A par here is a great score and not easy to come by.

If you choose to stay on the property, and I definitely recommend it, the Clubhouse is great.  It includes a dining room, grill room, siting area with a fireplace, and a really cool downstairs area that includes foosball, ping pong, pool, and tons of pictures and artifacts from the tournaments that Pine Needles has hosted (most recently, US Women's Opens in 1996, 2001, and 2007.  One minor warning on the grill room and dining area....not cheap!  While the golf and lodging are great values at Pine Needles/Mid Pines, they manage to get some of their money back on the food and drink inside the clubhouse.  The on-course refreshments are more appropriately priced in the writer's opinion.

So, onto the golf course.  Pine Needles is a Donald Ross design that has gone through a few tweaks here and there, but still maintains much of the original design.  After Mid Pines and Pinehurst Number 2 have gone through restorations that eliminated the rough and uncovered the natural areas instead, Pine Needles stands out a bit.  However, there's not necessarily a knock on its quality.  There are a few holes that weren't terribly memorable, but a bunch of great holes as well.  We played this course as our second round of a ridiculous seven-round-in-four-days pilgrimage to the sandhills that would include Pinehurst Number 2, Pinehurst Number 8, Dormie Club, Tobacco Road, and Mid Pines.


The Medal Tees at Pine Needles stretch all the way back to 7,015 yards, but this round being only the second round played in about five months, we weren't about to undertake those tees.  The Ross Tees, at 6,436 yards and a par of 71 were more appropriate.  From there, the course played to a reasonable rating / slope of 70.6 / 126.  I'll quote those tees below: 

#1, Par 5, 482 Yards


Donald Ross is known for opening up his golf courses with holes that are relatively player-friendly.  Interestingly enough, Ross's original 1st hole at Pine Needles is now the 18th hole, so I can't say that the ease of the 1st hole follows this logic.  Today's 1st hole was originally the 2nd hole, but I'd argue that it follows the traditional blueprint of a Ross 1st hole much better than the now-18th would.  This hole is indeed a gentle handshake, and allows for a good start with good execution.  The drive must avoid a fairway bunker down the right side.  From there, the hole bends a bit to the right, and the second shot is relatively simple with a bunker on the right in what could be a layup zone and two small bunkers flanking the green.  This one has birdie written all over it, or a par at worst.

Life was good in Pinehurst, NC in the 1910's.  By the end of the decade, the Tufts family had built four golf courses at the Pinehurst Resort, and they were thriving at a level that expansion needed to be considered.  While there would prove to be additional land to build at the Resort itself (there are five courses on-site today), the 1920's were focused on expanding their territory outside of the Village of Pinehurst and in the direction of Southern Pines, NC.  The first course, Mid Pines, was begun in 1921 and opened as a private golf course in 1924.  Immediate after finishing Mid Pines, the Tufts family begun developing Pine Needles, right across the Midland Road, which would open in 1928.  Contrary to Mid Pines, the course was developed with residential homes in mind.


Of course when it came to hiring a golf course architect to design and oversee the building of Mid Pines and Pine Needles, there was really only one person who made any sense--Donald Ross.  Living right down the street, Mr. Ross had built quite a name for himself by designing and re-designing countless courses by this time, and had clearly shown an ability to construct masterpieces in the North Carolina sandhills.


Pine Needles has gone through a few different owners since Leonard Tufts built it as somewhat of an expansion of the Pinehurst property.  The most relevant ownership transition occurred in the mid 1950's, when LPGA Tour pro Peggy Kirk Bell and her husband Warren "Bullet" Bell bought the property.  Mrs. Bell still owns the property to this day, and her presence is clearly felt in was feels like a family-run operation.  What stands today at Pine Needles is a very cozy, welcoming environment with golf clearly being the focus.  The Lodge at Pine Needles includes several living quarters within a 100 yard walk of the first tee, and includes many amenities to make the stay special.  On my trip in March of 2014, we channeled our inner Caddyshack, and did a little "Night putting" on the lighted practice green right below our one-bedroom villa with an expansive balcony.

Pine Needles Golf Course


Southern Pines, North Carolina



http://www.pineneedles-midpines.com/golf-courses/pine-needles.cfm




Checked off the Bucket List March 14, 2014




Golf Magazine:

#50, Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2012)

#2, Best Public Golf Courses in North Carolina (2012)



Golf Digest:

#47, America's 100 Greatest Public Courses (2013-2014)

#17, Best in the State of North Carolina (2013-2014)