The best part of my job is when someone asks me where to play, I tell them, and then they go and have a great time. My sportscaster buddy Steve Czaban – a man who knows a thing or two about golf – asked me what course I should add to his Pinehurst getaway weekend. I told him simply, “if you miss Tobacco Road, you’ll be missing the best course in the entire state period. Hands down.’
He thought it was mere enthusiasm at first, but now he believes.
Remember people, Tobacco Road was voted “most adventurous course in the country” by Golf Magazine readers.
Steve took my advice. One day later, I get the call as he gushed for a good forty minutes with me about the minutiae. He loved it so much, its his feature of the week on his website. And as my friend Rafi says, “let me tell you something,” he wrote a whiz-bang review.
Here’s a great three-day itinerary – The Pit, Tobacco Road, Pine Needles. I would recommend going in this order: The Pit is the first round, the appetizer. Everybody gets the kinks out of their swings and plays an interesting, challenging and historically important course. Remember, before Tobacco Road was Tobacco Road, The Pit was the town fire-breather. It’s still in its heyday now as its creative design and inspired routing in the quarry. It may be Dan Maples best course period, although I also like The Wizard and the Witch as afternoon rounds when playing 36 a day in Myrtle Beach. Dan’s a terrific guy and has had quite a few man-sized hits, so when in his town, pay a little homage. It’s a nice homespun story. Watch out for the rise of his son Brad as a designer too.
Next, go to relaxing, comfortable Pine Needles. With all the excitement that precedes and follows, it’s a nice, quiet, soothing round in familiar digs. Stay late, enjoy dinner and nightfall before that nightcap and curfew.
Then play Tobacco Road – the main course – for day 3. play 36…45 if you can stand it. Stay for a while. You’ll hate leaving the place, so be sure you schedule the red eye home. I mean it, you’ll regret it if you have to leave before sunset. It’s that special.
Great golf course architecture…the word is spreading.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.