Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 5 – Moving on Up.

The truth of Matt’s final point, that playing up to just a slightly shorter overall yardage still presents interesting challenges yet in a less stressful manner, is the hallmark of a well-designed golf course. Moving up from one set of tees to a shorter set doesn’t magically make a good golf course boring or easy; it makes the challenges less stressful and more enjoyable.

Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 3 – Southern Pines has been unleashed.

This is the third in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. Southern Pines Golf Club, revamped under new ownership after becoming the…

Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 2 – Enjoy The Cradle while you can

This is the second in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. When we first visited The Cradle at the Pinehurst resort in…

Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 1 – The Happiest Place in Golf

This is the first in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. The happiest place in golf is the south porch at Pinehurst…

What I learned from that one time I walked 81 holes of golf in 31 hours.

I’ve been thinking and reflecting upon my emergency, sanity-restoring one-man golf trip to the Sandhills of North Carolina to visit Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, Hyland Golf Club, and Tobacco Road Golf Club. Here are my musings on what I experienced and what I learned from walking 36 holes at Mid Pines one Friday…

The Cradle at Pinehurst – The Best of Short Course Fun

I am an enthusiast of great short golf courses, by whatever name they are called and however they are supposed to be played.  Par 3 course. Short Course. Executive Course. Pitch and Putt. Putting Course. Nine holes. Twelve Holes. Eighteen holes. The labels make no difference, so long as the golf experience is engaging and…

Fun in the sun meets blood and guts: Beaufort Club (formerly North River Club), Beaufort, North Carolina

I shouldn’t write this, but on a sunny October day in Beaufort, North Carolina, I was very thankful for the Great Recession that struck in the second half of 2008.  I wish were I was compassionate enough that I’d feel bad for the original developer of the North River Club, who lost the golf course…

Swept out to sea at the Country Club of the Crystal Coast, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

On a sunny, windswept October afternoon, the Country Club of the Crystal Coast proved an ideal place to get out for a few hours, take in some fantastic views of the Bogue Sound and the Intracoastal Waterway, and test my shot making abilities in 20 – 30 mph sustained winds. Situated on the north side…