My Quest to Check Off Golf's Best Experiences

Near the crest of the hill and the pond still isn't visible.

#4, Par 4, 330 Yards


Donald Ross designed some great short par 4's in his career and this hole is no exception to that rule.  The hole plays uphill to a crowned green with well placed bunkers to get in the way of a good score.  A drive too far right can end up in pine straw and leave no change for a successful recovery (as seen below).  From tee to green, left is better than right on this one.

#14, Par 4, 361 Yards


Standing on the 14th tee is a really cool example of an appropriate tree management program.  The 14th is front of you, with the 15th hole coming back in the opposite direction on your left, setting atop a terrace.  The trees are not so thick as to block this cool land feature.  In addition, the 14th has my favorite bunker on the course, which was carved naturally into the hill behind the green.  

#13, Par 3, 223 Yards


The longest par 3 on the course is a trek from the back tees.  Appropriate for a hole of this length, the green is very open to a run-up shot if need be.  Also, for the high handicapper who can't get to the green in one shot, there is adequate fairway to play from the entire way, with no forced carries required.

#8, Par 3, 179 Yards


Another crowned green, fronted by a large bunker that protects the right half of the green.

#16, Par 4, 440 Yards


This hole, and the 1st hole, probably offer the two coolest views on the course, both of which are driven by downhill tee shots.  The 16th is a dogleg left where you need to keep your tee ball as close as possible to the inside of the dogleg as you can to get the best angle into the hole, and also to avoid the cluster of trees in the landing area on the right side.

#5, Par 5, 484 Yards


While it's not terribly common, several courses on Top 100 lists feature back-to-back par 5's (Seminole, Maidstone, Cypress Point, and Victoria National come to mind) and Mid Pines is one of them.  The first of the consecutive long holes features a blind tee shot.  The hole really doesn't present itself until you get near your tee ball, at which point a pond reveals itself at the bottom of the hill.  This hole is the shorter of these par 5's, but also the narrower one.  With two good shots, an eagle putt is definitely possible here.

#11, Par 3, 180 Yards


The 11th hole heads back in the opposite direction from the 10th.  The way the native area is kept, with the openness on the right side and the trees placed tight on the left, this hole has an awkward look to it.  It's asymmetrical and feels like the green should lay further to the right.  It requires a committed shot to aim correctly and not leave a shot out to the right where the hole naturally directs you to hit it.

#3, Par 4, 437 Yards


Here we have a hole that looks really good on paper, but just doesn't work in reality.  The third hole is the low point of the property and has to be one of the worst draining holes in the sand hills.  It is the glaring weakness at Mid Pines.  If they could fix drainage issues at this hole, the course would probably get even more respect by architecture buffs.  Notwithstanding the sogginess in the fairway, the hole requires a carry over a pond at the beginning and doglegs to the right into the green, with an uphill approach shot.  

#9, Par 4, 340 Yards


The last hole on the outward nine is a hard dogleg to the right.  It's a fairly short hole and quite narrow, so feel free to hit a long iron or hybrid off of the tee to just get it in play.  This is one of the flatter holes on the course.

#7, Par 4, 383 Yards


Nothing terribly flashy on this hole.  Just a solid hole with another great Ross green.  Keep it down the left side for the best chance to score.



#18, Par 4, 411 Yards


It's not the best hole on the course, but it's one of the more photographed holes, probably due to the beautiful Inn that stands watch behind the green.  That Inn has a fabulous patio which is a great place to enjoy a nice meal, cocktail, and watch players finish their rounds.  The hole goes downhill, which is rare for a finishing hole (clubhouses are frequently given the high ground, so it's more common for 18th holes to head uphill, back to the clubhouse)

#1, Par 4, 401 Yards


The first hole at Mid Pines is a sign of things to come.  A downhill tee shot with adequate width to stray a bit is followed up by an uphill approach into a well-undulating green.  If you stray a bit, you'll find your ball, and likely be in fairway, but you might be blocked a bit by trees on your approach.  It's really a fine looking opening hole, which takes you away from the clubhouse and out into the center of the property.  Bunkers around the green and carved naturally into the terrain, which you'll see plenty of during the round a Mid Pines--a complement to Kyle Franz's fine shaping work.

#12, Par 4, 380 Yards


The first dogleg left on the course, and a tricky one at that.  Hugging the left side and bringing the fairway bunkers into play will give the best angle into the green on the second shot.  A drive down the right side, on the safer side, will potentially need to get to the green by carrying a bunker that guards the right half.

#6, Par 5, 537 Yards


The longer of the back-to-back par 5's doesn't have any water, but does have ample sand and scruff to keep you on your toes.  With a large and deep bunker fronting the green, the second shot is critical to leaving a good angle into the hole to score.  Beware the false front on the right side.

#2, Par 3, 190 Yards


The first one-shotter at Mid Pines is a tricky one, with a green that runs diagonal away from the player to the right.  It has the angle of a reverse redan, though it lacks a kick plate on the left side of the green.  The hole demands a carry over a bunker that fronts the right half of the green.

#17, Par 4, 391 Yards


After the nice movement in the land on the downhill 16th, the 17th is quite flat.  A sweeping dogleg to the right, the green is the primary obstacle on this hole.  There are a few bunkers, but adequate width in the fairway to avoid them.  A good chance to get a good score if your match is coming down the wire. 

Mid Pines Golf Club


Southern Pines, North Carolina


http://www.pineneedles-midpines.com/mid-pines/


Checked off the Bucket List March 15, 2014

Golf Magazine:
#13, Best Public Golf Courses in North Carolina (2014)

#10, Par 5, 514 Yards


An uphill par five starts the back nine.  Out of bounds lines the right side all the way on this straight-as-an-arrow hole.  Three bunkers lay short of the green and stand to catch a poorly played second shot that is either laid up too long or carried too short when going for the green.

As I suggested before, Mid Pines is a legitimate under-the-radar gem in the sand hills.  It's something of a throwback to golf as it was played 80 years ago.  The restoration, which restored the native sandy soil, wire grass, pine cones, and pine straw, rather than Bermuda rough, created a brilliant test that plays firm and fast.  The movement in the land, tremendous green complexes, and general playability of the course make it a really fun day.  It really is the best bang-for-your-buck in the sand hills if you're looking for a classic Donald Ross design.  If money is no object, by all means, head to Number Two, but if you want to save a few bucks and have a similar golfing experience, save your money and check out Mid Pines.

Take a few more steps, and.....surprise!

When it comes to the major golf magazines' ratings, there are certainly plenty of courses included that stir debate.  However, there are also courses that have been excluded that raise eyebrows just as much.  In the case of Mid Pines, it's the fact that it's been excluded that is most surprising.  Mid Pines isn't on any list at Golf Magazine or Golf Digest, except for Golf Magazine calling it the 13th best public course in North Carolina.  Golf Digest doesn't even consider it in the top 25 golf courses in North Carolina.  GolfWeek is the only publication who gives any credit to Mid Pines, rating it #77 among classic courses.  So, what gives?  The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that Mid Pines completed a major renovation in August, 2013, and perhaps the major magazines haven't had enough of their raters check it out since it re-opened?


Perhaps some of the problem is that Mid Pines, and several other great courses in the North Carolina sand hills, sit in the broad shadow of the famous Pinehurst Number Two.  Many visitors flock to see Donald Ross's crown jewel, and spend their vacation time at the Pinehurst Resort, missing out on some other tracks that would give Number Two a good run for its money, and surpass the other courses at the Resort.  Knowing that the Pinehurst Resort is the 800-pound gorilla in the area, and the primary competition, the owners of Mid Pines were bold, but also brilliant, in completing a similar renovation to the famous course down the round.  The Pinehurst Resort hired Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to oversee the renovation of their championship course.  Coore and Crenshaw were able to come up with decades-old aerial photographs, and restored the course to its look from around the 1930s.  In doing so, all rough was eliminated, exposing the raw sandy soil that encompasses the region.  Two lines of irrigation were eliminated, leaving a single line in the middle of the wide fairways.  They restored Number Two to a firm and fast test with width and countless strategic options.  When Mid Pines starting thinking about restoring its own Donald Ross gem, they made a smart decision--avoid the high price fees of Coore and Crenshaw, and hire the shaper from the Number Two project who actually did much of the work!  Enter Kyle Franz.  Luckily for Mr. Franz, he was able to locate aerial photographs of the Mid Pines course from the famous Tufts Archives, just like what had been done down the road.  When the course re-opened in 2013, rough had been stripped, bunkers had been removed or re-built, and greens had been restored to their original size and stature.  What is now available for public play is what I would call a "Poor Man's Number Two."   In many ways, it's actually a more interesting test.  It's certainly on more interesting land, with more elevation changes and natural movement.  Of course, it doesn't have the history and aura of its big brother, but for a few hundred dollars less, you can play a similar course that attempts to re-visit the look and feel of a golf course from the 30's.  


Taking a step back, and to draw a further connection between Mid Pines and Pinehurst, let's talk quickly about how and why Mid Pines is here in the first place.  The origin of Mid Pines goes back to 1921, when it opened as something of an "Expansion team."  The Pinehurst Resort had become so popular that it wasn't able to fulfill the demand for tee times its four courses, turning away thousands of players each year.  As the game continued to grow, Richard Tufts grabbed Donald Ross, and started to hunt for property in the area to build another course.  Five miles down Midland Road, they found a wonderful hilly property with a fantastic sandy base, and Mid Pines was born.  Once Mid Pines opened, there was a need for even more golf in Moore County, and Ross went across the street to begin work on Pine Needles.  Pine Needles is build on a larger piece of land and is though to be more of a championship test, but I'd argue that Mid Pines is much more fun, much more interesting, and a course I'd prefer to play to the somewhat more well known sister course across Midland Road.  Of course, Pinehurst's desire to keep building and/or acquiring still hasn't stopped to this day.  Nine courses bear the Pinehurst brand name, with a tenth rumored to be not far down the line.


The Mid Pines course, which stands right at the base of the stately Inn at Mid Pines, has four sets of tees from which to choose.  I'd imagine most players with single digit handicaps will choose to play from the tips, which measure a very playable 6,723 yards, and play to a rating and slope of 71.0 and 126 with a par of 72.  Moving up from those Blue Tees to the White Tees takes almost 600 yards off of the course, which then measures 6,163 yards.  Green and Red Tees exist in front of the Blue and White, which extend to 5,669 yards and 4,913 yards respectively.  I'll quote the Blue Tees below, as I expect they get the most play from people who will read this blog:

#15, Par 5, 542 Yards


The last three-shotter on the course features a narrow landing area off the tee with a fairway bunker on the right side.  The hole is tightly lined by trees the whole way, so keeping the ball in front of you is critical to scoring.