oh yeah, 100% agree its not close to the best in the OBX
the proximity to the grave digger shop and a winery though made it a lovely stop for a quick 9 with the ole lady though
the ladies room at the grave digger shop is very clean and enjoyable fwiw
Man I had grave digger hoodie I wore everyday from like 1-3rd grade
I think you got about a dozen of replies because there is a ton of good golf and really on you to decide what you want to hit. But also there are a bunch of us who would love to show you around a bunch of these courses.
Of course I am also going to throw in my opinions as well:
Man, I didnāt expect this much engagement but I appreciate it. As it seems you are all about the deets Iāll lay it out the best I know so far. Right now the the tentative plan (in order) is fly into DC, 4 nights in Leesburg, 3 nights in Colo, 4 nights in VA beach, 2 nights in Leesburg, depart via DC.
@RobertHunter informed me of Royal New Kent and I mapped that at 45 min from the VA beach area location Iāll be staying so that has been added to the itinerary. While in Colo we are staying with my wifeās friend and I have been given at least one free golf day so my throught is to drive up and play 36 at Mid Pines/Pine Needles. I likely only have one round left to spend somewhere and Iām thinking to try and make Tobacco Road work during one of the drives.
These four speak to me for sure. Fantastic variety and all of them are a blast! Just throw it in here when you have the dates nailed down, Iām sure folks would join on any of those.
If you have time to play while in Virginia Beach give me a shout - would be happy to host you at my course if timing works out
I-74 is a fake-ass interstate (in NC) and this is a major pet peeve of mine.
They keep saying certain areas are FUTURE I-74 though! Maybe in like 2050
I like your optimism thinking it will be completed by 2050. Those āfuture I-74 corridorā signs have been up since I was in high school nearly 30 years ago. I graduated in 1992! Itās funny though, as a civil engineering designer itās job security for me. 52/74 runs within a few miles of my house. All they did was build a few ingress/egress ramps and stamp Route 52 with signs for I-74. But itās still a pretty easy and straight shot to Pinehurst. We head in that direction several times a year.
āI-74ā is hilarious. It has 3 sections and doesnāt even cross a state line
Another one I often laugh at is āI-68ā in MD/WV. 112 miles total and only serves to connect I-79 with a short cut to the PA turnpike.
I have no idea why I care about these things but glad others are out there too.
big plus for the interstate designation is that it qualifies the road for federal highway funds
Iām pretty sure thatās the whole intent behind all the "interstates"popping up around NC, eastern NC has I-42 corridor, 795, and I-87 (out of Raleigh), among others.
Federal Highway funds most road projects not just interstates. They allocate funds to state DOTs and then they use it
If I had to pick 2 out of 3 of MP/PN/TR what should I go with? I think Aiken GC and Royal New Kent are set.
Itās really a coin toss, all 3 are A+ courses. Iād go with Mid Pines and TR, but could also justify any combo.
TR would be the most polarizing for sure. If you donāt care for blind shots, extreme undulations, and tend to spray it a bit, you may want to go w MP/PN.
If youāre playing Royal New Kent, youāll get the Strantz treatment, so if youre looking for a true Carolinas golf experience, MP/PN would be it.
Further, if youāre playing new Kent because you love the āmaximilismā architecture, you canāt skip TR.
I havenāt played Pine Needles, but Iād personally rather play Mid Pines than TR. No disrespect to TR, as I think Iād replay TR before Iād play #4, #8, etc.
Iām probably not helping, but try to think about what you want to experience. If itās a proper golf experience, youāve got two golden age classics in MP/PN. If you want to play golf on the surface of the moon and hit some of the most fun shots along with some of the biggest ejections, weave in TR.
Pinehurst experts - already have this lineup for a 4 day trip in late March:
Mid Pines, Southern Pines, Tobacco Road, #2
Turns out the whole group is getting in early enough the day before that we could get a late afternoon round in somewhere - my preference would be #3 as sort of a warmup round, is there any chance of getting an afternoon/evening rate or is it one price all day?
If not any of the resort courses, looks like Hyland or Longleaf would be the best cheaper choice?
Pine Needles an option?
Lineup looks great!
Donāt know if you can get a deal on late play at the resort, especially in March.
Hyland and Longleaf are the best of the budget options.
Probably not - I kind of want to keep it under $100 for this round. Seems like the contenders are Legacy, Longleaf, Hyland, Foxfire unless thereās some afternoon discounts.
