Pinehurst - America's Golf Town Gets Better and Better

I have just returned from a glorious four days in Pinehurst, North Carolina. It’s a straightforward drive down from DC, especially in the Covid-19 times with considerably less traffic on the roads, especially around the beltway (oh, and my brother in law was driving too)! From the north it’s less than five hours to the Mike Strantz gem, Tobacco Road.

We stayed at the Pine Crest Inn in the village, as we often do, but it is beginning to show signs of its age and needs some serious TLC in the rooms and public areas. We love the history of the place (the Ross family owned and operated it for decades) and the staff are terrific, but with so many other good options in the town owned by the Resort for only $50 more a night, we may choose another hotel on our next visit.

Day One - Tobacco Road

Golf, pure, crazy golf! This is the late Mike Stranz’s gift to the world of golf. If you haven’t played Tobacco Road, you have missed something very special. I would throw out one caveat - you need to be able to play a reasonable game or you will shoot 150! My advice is not to keep score, simply enjoy the view, the sheer audacity of what he pulled off and the trust the owner had in allowing this course to get built. It is truly like nothing you have ever played, or will play. From the opening tee shot through two huge hills, with ball spotter perched precariously on the right hill, to the blind tee shot on 18 it is sensory overload. And so much fun! Forget the scorecard, this is a matchplay golf course and makes no apologies for that. Go. Enjoy! I recommend playing Tobacco on the way to Pinehurst or as your final course on the way home as it is a 30 minute drive from the village of Pinehurst.

Day Two - The Cradle and Thistle Dhu at Pinehurst Resort

Just outside the clubhouse are two magnificent additions to Pinehurst Resort. The first you’ll likely encounter is a HUGE putting green, Thistle Dhu. For those who have played The Himalayas Putting Course at St. Andrews, you’ll notice some similarities. It’s impossible to play without a huge smile on your face. You can play the 18 holes as laid out by the superintendent or simply choose a hole 30 to 100 feet away and go for it. Three putts is quite an accomplishment on many holes! This is not the place to work on your stroke - it’s a place for a beer and a great time. The Pinehurst mascot, Putter Boy, is situated in the middle of the green overseeing the action. Thistle Dhu is an inspirational idea that more and more clubs and resorts would do well to copy.

Next up, grab a wedge or two and your putter and wander down to the starters hut for The Cradle. We were informed by the delightful starter there had been 500 holes in one around the short course, but sadly we didn’t add to the number. Designed by Gil Hanse, the short holes vary in length from about 50 yards to 110 yards. Several allow the option of using a putter off the tee, which I did to great effect. There was an eightsome a few holes ahead of us and groups of kids, groups of mums - golfers and non golfers having fun - isn’t that what we are all here for?! It’s a wonderful innovation and what’s better than making a few twos on the scorecard.

Day Two - Number 2

Designed by the legendary Donald Ross in 1907, Number 2 is a must play course on any trip to the Pinehurst area. You’ll get more out of it if you can play a bit, for sure, but even if you can’t, enjoy the subtlety of Mr. Ross’ work and also marvel at the 2010 restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The greens that seem like upturned saucers are tough to hit and sometimes tougher to read. The course is an absolute joy to play with short walks from greens to tees, variety of short holes, glorious par fives and degree of difficulty that can “go to eleven” when the greens get quick. The next time we see that will be the U.S. Open, scheduled for 2024.

Day Three - Pine Needles

About 10 minutes from the village of Pinehurst is the magical combo of Pine Needles and Mid Pines. On opposite sides of the road, but sharing similar topography, both are designed by Donald Ross, with restorations by the skilled architect Kyle Franz. Kyle’s pedigree is first class, having worked with Tom Doak, Coore & Crenshaw and Gil Hanse. His own work here at “Pine” and “Mid” is exceptional. From the uphill opening par five to the sweeping downhill par four Pine Needles is a joyful experience.

Mid-Pines

I last played Mid Pines prior to Kyle’s 2013 renovation and his injection of drama to the golf course is extraordinary. He has breathed life into the par fives by opening up the vistas and the set of par threes match up to anything in the country. For the first time ever I played using a golf scooter - a fun way to zoom around the course. Your clubs rest on the handlebars and we were encouraged to drive everywhere except the greens. The renovation at Mid Pines has, quite rightly, put it back in the “Top 100 courses you can play.” I highly recommend you take the short drive to this Ross/Franz gem.

The owners of Pine Needles and Mid Pines recently announced their purchase of another Ross gem, Southern Pines, a course that has fallen from grace after year of neglect. Sounds like a good reason to revisit!

So, there you have it, three nights, four days and five courses. My favorite golf town in America, Pinehurst. 

PS - Whilst you are there, stop off at the newly opened Pinehurst Brewing Co. The food was great, the beer plentiful and it’s a short walk from any hotel in the village.

Slow Play - Keep It Moving People!

The USGA's new President, Glen Nager has been vocal recently about the curse of the game in America, namely slow play. It was the main topic in his recent speech at the USGA annual soiree and he was quoted as saying:

"Slow play has now become one of the most significant threats to the game's health" and "six hour rounds threaten to drive players away from the game"

Well, let's ignore the fact that new players are not coming to the game, so presumably he is talking about existing golfers leaving the game. But his point is well made, that slow play in America is an epidemic within club golfers. A recent experience highlights this fact - A group of us were at a wonderful golf course in the Pinehurst area, Tobacco Road. Now, we are all reasonable players and in front of us were two groups who literally could not hit the ball and despite our protestations with the clueless marshalls no one was asked to leave, no one was let through, no action whatsoever. And so after 5 1/2 hours for 13 holes we walked off. We raced to the airport, likely never to return.

This is fascinating on many levels.

1. How does a golf course not kick off players who can't actually play?
2. How does a golf course allow guys making $0 manage the golf course?
3. How does the Pro not know what is going on when his 0730 is still not in the clubhouse at 130?

Growing up playing golf in England and Scotland, it was the norm to walk the golf course comfortably in 3 hours. During tournaments (in the days when I could actually play!) rounds would creep up to 3 1/2 hours. This is still the case in the UK, the land of fewer carts, cheaper golf and less GPS devices.

So, the question is what happened and when did times start creeping up and up and is anyone to blame? And what can be done about it? Well, here are some random musings on these questions.

There's no doubt the professional tours are in part to blame - Tour players continue to take an age and the Oxford shirts at PVB just will not discipline anyone, even though everyone knows who the culprits are. Can you believe the last guy to get fined a shot was Glen Day (also known as All Day!) in 1995. Twenty years and no one has been out of position, not one...amazing!

I didn't grow up playing in a cart and for me it is THE worst possible way to play the game. I get it - they generate revenue and some people do need them. But if you have 2 good legs, get off your xxxx and walk - it's quicker and healthier. More and more clubs are giving players the option to walk or take a pull cart. And don't tell me carts are quicker than walking - they aren't!

I would posit that US golfers have considerably less knowledge of the etiquette of the game than those in other countries and this impacts the speed of play dramatically. No one is questioning your manhood if you let some one who is playing faster - everyone wins and yet is really happens here.

Maybe the "clubs for profit" model is to blame? Squeezing more tee times into an hour just to drive incremental revenue. Again, that model doesn't exist at most clubs in the UK as they are private member clubs without tee sheets and designed to end the year with $1 in the bank. They will gladly accept outside play, even at the very best, such as Muirfield, but you better keep up with the group in front or you really will be politely asked to leave.

Some organizations in golf have been trying for many years to address the problem addressed by Mr. Nager. Namely the American Junior Golf Association who have a strict tournament policy of ready golf, move onto the next tee when finished, tee off when you are ready regardless of who won the hole - all of which have contributed to them cutting 30-45 minutes from playing times and made for a more enjoyable game. I wish clubs would adopt a similar model - maybe the AJGA should rollout their tournament model in conjunction with the USGA to clubs across the country?

I think we all know there is no silver bullet here - it is going to take a concerted effort from everyone to speed up play and to make the game more enjoyable for playing partners and those behind you! It's great that Mr. Nager has chosen to highlight this huge problem during his tenure and use some of the USGA's considerable resources to create greater awareness and hopefully some practical solutions.

I have been vocal on this subject before - You can read my slow play blog from April of last year - The Curse of the Game and 5 Culprits here)