Southern Hospitality and Classic Layouts Define Pinehurst Golf

There remains a sense of awe in playing golf in the Pinehurst area. The area’s tradition of elegance and Southern hospitality is as strong as ever. But perhaps the most endearing feature is the variety of golf courses available.

Chambersburg, PA (PRWEB) January 22, 2006 -- For a practical, hands-on study in the art of golf architecture -- past and present -- look no further than the 40 courses in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina, where the designers are legendary names like Palmer, Nicklaus, Ross, Fazio, and Jones.

Some holes are nearly a century old. Some have small greens rounded off on the corners – the “upside-down saucer” type that Scotsman Donald Ross used so frequently. Others have huge greens that might require a 7-iron approach if the pin is in the front and a 4-iron if it’s in the rear. Some holes require heroic carries over water or pits of sand. Others are open in front allowing for the bump-and-run shot.

The Sandhills, as the area is affectionately called, is located in south-central North Carolina, about a one-hour drive south of Raleigh/Durham and two hours east of Charlotte. The core area of Moore County comprised of Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen contains more than 25 courses. If you branch out within a 15-minute drive to include communities such as Vass, Whispering Pines, Seven Lakes and Pine Bluff you’ll find another dozen or so. The concentration of courses is so dense that locals often joke, “whatever fairway my first drive lands in is the course I play that day.”

The first 18-hole layout opened in Pinehurst in 1899. It was designed by Dr. D. LeRoy Culver of New York. It featured small, square putting surfaces made of a sand and clay mixture with cross bunkers on nearly every hole. Since then, a who’s who list of architects including Ellis and Dan Maples, Robert Trent Jones, Peter Tufts, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Jackson, Tom Fazio, Gene Hamm, P.B. Dye and Mike Strantz have added their name to the area’s golf heritage. In short, whoever has been the hottest architect at any given time has a golf course here.

There remains a sense of awe in playing golf in the Pinehurst area, where the ghosts of such legends as Bobby Jones, Babe Zaharias and more recently Payne Stewart are said to still stroll the fairways. The area’s tradition of elegance and Southern hospitality is as strong as ever. But perhaps the most endearing feature is the variety of golf courses available. While there are those like Pinehurst #2 capable of challenging the game’s greatest players, there are also layouts that make the weekend golfer feel right at home.

There simply are no weak “links” to be found. And while the older courses like Mid Pines and Pine Needles boast their own venerable histories, those built in recent decades offer their own brand of unique challenges – layouts like The Pit which was carved from a sand quarry; Talamore with its llama caddies; and Tobacco Road which has been described by many as “golf on steroids.” And then there are the tried-and-true courses that epitomize great golf played between the pines. It’s courses like Deercroft, Whispering Woods, Foxfire and Quail Ridge that solidify Pinehurst’s claim as the country’s Mecca of Golf.

The area offers a wide variety of accommodations and golf packages. In fact, golfers will find everything they could want in terms of challenge, scenery and enjoyment. It truly is a destination that caters to anyone who loves the game – scratch golfer or not.

Clubhousegolfguide.net features information on select courses in the Mid Atlantic and other regions. For more information on golf in the Pinehurst area visit:

http://www.clubhousegolfguide.net/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=28&bid=33&btitle=Feature%20Article&meid=38

Bud Key is a golf writer and publisher with 20 years experience. He makes an annual visit to Pinehurst with a group of golf buddies.

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