Mid Pines Golf Club

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Mid Pines Golf Club is a local tradition that reaches out to touch the past. Mid Pines Inn and golf club is so special and rare among golf clubs in that it has 18 holes that are in exactly the same positions, with the same numbers, as when Donald Ross opened it in 1921.

That doesn't mean that the layout of the course has been neglected or overlooked. When the current owners took over the property in the mid-1990s, an effort was made to polish this classic gem: Tees were leveled, a pond was rebuilt and cleaned up. Irrigation and drainage were improved.

Many people have characterized the course as “pure Donald Ross” because of how it fits the land where it was built. It has few forced carries or artificial or contrived holes. Says Lee Pace, writing about the course in Pinehurst magazine: “Mid Pines Golf Club was never conceived as a daunting task to the finest players competing under championship conditions … Mid Pines was intended simply as a fun course with adequate challenge for members and guests of a private club and resort.” Even so, this course does play home to many national competitions including the 2002 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship.

Slightly different soil composition and vegetation give the Mid Pines golf course a distinguishing look and feel from its brother Pine Needles across the road. It is also relatively short, but every bit as good as Pine Needles.

Mid Pines Golf Club pulls no punches. It is a golf course equivalent of the girl next door. She isn't the glamour queen of the neighborhood, but the more you get to know her, the more she grows on you. There is no single hole where you will say, "Boy, I will never forget that one!" Rather, you will be subtley impressed by the overall experience of playing a course of great artistic integrity. It exhibits a flow and rhythm that will have you wanting to play it over and over, especially when you think of how simple it is to play but recall all the "needless" extra strokes you made on it.

The course features some fine par 3s, notably the fairly short 2nd from an Mid Pines Par 3 #2 elevated tee box to an elevated green and the 230-yard 13th that calls for both power and accuracy to a green bunkered and narrow front to back. The par 5's are all relatively short, with at least three reachable in two. Mid Pines' par 4's are largely short but one in particular is as good a par 4 as you will play. It is the 470-yard straight 5th from an elevated tee down hill to landing area from where the hole continues downhill over a hollow to a green on a rise on the other side. This one is a dandy. So is the 400-plus yard 16th, a slight dogleg around the trees.

Speaking of trees, the forest in and around Mid Pines, like Pine Needles, is not very dense and you can hit your ball into the trees and have a reasonable chance of extricating it. But the course has an infinite number of slight and severe slopes that can cause wayward shots to keep on moving further away from your target. It behooves you to bring your best game.

You're going to find hillier terrain on this course than Pine Needles and Mid Pines is also slightly shorter.

Your round at Mid Pines will start with a 380-yard par-4 (350 from the forward tees). From the elevated tee, you'll be looking out at a broad fairway that is framed by mature longleaf pine trees.

The par-3s are among the most popular holes on this course, and perhaps the most photographed hole on the course, according to Graham Gilmore Director of Golf at both Mid Pines and Pine Needles, is the par-3 No.2. You'll need an uphill shot from elevated tee boxes to an elevated green that makes for a tough target to hit. There's a distance of 178 yards from the back tees and 116 from the front.

Gilmore is especially fond of the fourth hole, a par-4 that measures 330 from the back tees and 249 from the forward. “It's classic Donald Ross,” he says. “It's a par 4 with a fairway that slopes from left to right and has a well-guarded green. It's not challenging due to distance but you can either make a three on that hole or a seven.” Your approach shot with a short iron must be very precise and your ball can easily hit onto the green only to roll off again.

It helps on the Mid Pines Golf Club course to be able to work a ball from left-to-right and from right-to-left on various holes. A good example is the dogleg right 9th hole, a par-4 that measures 340 yards from the back and 294 from the front.

The par-5 10th hole is among the most beautiful on the course, calling for a Mid Pines 10th Hole drive up and over a ridge. Along the way, you have to deal with a number of ball-trapping bunkers. Hit it long and you have a chance to reach the green but beware of the bunkers.

The 13th is one of the most difficult par-3s anywhere, 223 yards from the back tees and 150 from the front. The green is well-bunkered and narrow.

The greens often seem small, particularly in comparison with the large-sized monster putting surfaces of modern courses. That's especially true on the 14th, a par-4 that measures 361 from the back tees and 273 from the front. The green here undulates up and down and is surrounded by bunkers.

“The hole at Mid Pines Golf Club that people usually remember most is No. 18,” says Gilmore, “That's because of the beautiful hotel in the background. It's a slight dogleg left par-4 (411 from the back tees and 319 from the forward). The approach to the green is uphill.”

Mid Pines Golf Club is definitely a reminder of the times when life was simpler and golf was golf. If you get a chance to stay at the Mid Pines Inn, it’s really a joy. Nice comfortable rooms with period pieces and décor. Regardless of where you stay, you’ve got to play this course while you’re here. And if you get a little shiver up your spine, while you’re walking around the course or the inn, just smile. You never know what spirits of golf greats may be watching you.

Set Up Your Golf Getaway or Vacation Package Today, and Come Play Mid Pines Golf Club With Us. It's A Great Way to Network with Business Associates or Just get away with friends or family.

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