The Carolina Golf Club Pinehurst

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The Carolina Golf Club Pinehurst features eighteen holes of finely crafted tradition in the gorgeous Sandhills of NC. It’s design is woven into the fabric of the area's native sandy soil, longleaf pines and natural habitat, creating an exciting, new golf experience for players of all skill levels. Dramatic elevation changes of over 100 feet produce a dynamic, cascading landscape. Preserved The Carolina Golf Club's #9 hole natural wetlands meander through this picturesque setting, offering majestic green sites and breathtaking views. Skillfully created, undulating fairways and greens complete the challenge, one unlike any other.

Designed by Arnold Palmer and listed as a #1 East Coast Golf Destination by Golf Digest for 2000, a round at The Carolina Golf Club Pinehurst will bring you back in time to the traditions of leisure for which Sandhills resorts have been noted for over a century. The classic layout and routing creates many memorable holes on this championship course. Host to state and local amateur tournaments, The Carolina retains some stature as a hidden gem in the Pinehurst area as it lays adjacent to the Moore County airport approximately 3 miles north of Pinehurst Village. This Arnold Palmer designed layout on the outskirts of the Home of American golf attracts golfers from up and down the east coast, with its pristine conditions and text book Sandhills layout.

"Character-wise, the Sandhills area offers great topography and great turf conditions," says Tom Graber, general manager for The Carolina. "One thing I feel is different here is the use of natural wetlands. It creates a different look while players are out there because there are no homes out there right now. Because of the lack of residential development, you have the pleasure of being out there au-natural."

But The Carolina Golf Club Pinehurst is more than just a home-free golf excursion that won't set you back three bills. On the score card, there is a nice little quote from Arnie himself, touting the course's traditional virtues. “While it isn't exactly Donald Ross, you won't find the excessive mounding, bulk heading, or tricky gimmicks that characterize many of today's modern layouts.”

"When I think of a modern golf course, I think of a lot of mounds, railroad ties in bunkers and such," says Graber. "I think this course is borderline. It is right in front of you, and uses the natural contours of the land. Palmer did a great job of just using the land that he was given."

The only exception to Palmer's deference to the God-given talents of the land is the course's greens. If the enormous, severely undulating putting surfaces are a natural part of the landscape, then the all-mighty must be a deadeye putter in the fashion of Brad Faxon.

Three putting is not just a possibility on most holes, it is almost desirable. The 18th at Carolina golf Club There is not one flat putt on the entire course, and even two and three-footers aren't gimmies. Graber says that the severity of the greens is something you might expect to see out of 1980's Jack Nicklaus, instead of a 1990's Palmer.

"The owners had input with the Palmer design group about how they wanted the greens contoured," Graber says. "If you go right up the road and play (Palmer's) Mid South Golf Club course, the greens are flat. We try and have our starters explain some of these things to the players, to be very descriptive about the things they will see on the golf course."

What you will see on the golf course is a collection of memorable holes that are visually pleasing, and as challenging as you want to make them. The course starts out with a blind, downhill par 4 that will test your ability to aim, right from the get-go.

The Carolina wastes little time in flexing its muscle, as it serves up a 575-yard par 5 second hole that is simply not reachable in two shots from the tips. The entire front nine makes use of marshlands and natural grasses to give the course a true sand hills feel.

Graber says there are a number of holes on the course that best exemplify what Palmer was trying to accomplish with his traditional routing.

"They say that the sixth hole is kind of the signature hole," he says. "The golfer has to cross the wetlands twice on the same hole. There are several holes that give me the flavor of The Carolina. I think about six, the 10th, the 13th and the 17th. These are good driving holes and the next iron shots are really important."

The par 4, 441-yard sixth hole may be considered the signature hole, but the par 4, 420-yard 17th hole can challenge that title any day. This scenic and challenging two-shotter has everything a sand hills golf hole is supposed to have: a gorgeous view from the tee box, a flat landing area with subtly mounded bunkers flanking the fairway, and a sandy waste bunker protecting the green.

While a couple of par 4's may vie for signature hole rights, Graber says it's the par 5's that really make the course.

"They each have their own character, Graber says."From the gold tees, three of the four are accessible in two for a low handicap player. They don't beat the players to death, but if you want to back up and play them from the back tees, they will give you all you want."

Average players, however, will appreciate The Carolina’s par 3's, all of which enable you to pull a mid to high iron from the middle tees, and simply enjoy the hole. "Another thing I really like about the course are the par 3's," says Graber. "They are all medium length holes with a lot of character. You don't have to pull out a three wood to play them."

What’s the most important club in the bag for The Carolina Golf Club Pinehurst? "You gotta drive it in the right places, so the driver is big". "The putter is second I would say, and you’re going to miss some greens, so I would say the short irons are important too." Driver, Iron, Putter. Hmmm. You better know where it’s going when you contact the ball.

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

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