March 008
 Virginia Golf Report
March 008
This SUV is Going to the Sandhills of NC!
By ED LiOnEL
W
hen it comes to booking the Spring
Golf Trip, I like to have the power.
Yes, I’m a control freak. I have to put up
with Frank not wanting to room with Bill,
and Larry never getting his payment in on
time, I have to put up with the whining that
goes on when the “group leader” wins one
measly bet. And with exception of these
few minor headaches, I get to dictate to 24
guys where they will play their golf trip.
Yes, a dictatorship might not be the best way
to run a government, but it definitely is the
way to go when planning a golf trip. If
you’re willing to submit to my “iron fist”
rule, you’re going to the Sandhills of North
Carolina.
I’ve been planning trips for 9 years.
Sometimes we go three times a year,
sometimes we go once. I’ve booked
package deals in Myrtle Beach, Hilton
Head, Virginia Beach, the NC Mountains
and Pinehurst. For the last 3 years, the
beautiful Sandhills of Pinehurst NC has
been the ticket.
It was sometime around the 2005 U.S. I went back to the boys with a new plan for
Open that I started looking at the Sandhills. the spring trip.
We had just gotten back from another fun Our initial thoughts were that we had to
trip to Myrtle, but my guys were looking for play Pinehurst Resort, but our first trip to the
something a little less hectic. Plus, we were Sandhills was to be on a tighter budget. In
getting to the age when taking in the Myrtle Beach, our group had a fondness for
nightlife until hours before our morning tee clubs like Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and
time, fighting traffic and riding a skylift Pawleys Plantation on the south end and
from the parking lot to the first tee didn’t The King’s North at Myrtle Beach National
thrill us any longer. And lo and behold, on the north end. Upon reviewing some of
through my TV set in June of 05 appeared the selections on line I noticed the Sandhills
the US Open held in what looked like had some of the same architects and then
Mayberry, NC. Yes, my guys wanted less some. It was settled. On our first trip to the
“hustle and bustle” and I began imagining Sandhills we were going to play Tobacco
booking a trip where Sheriff Andy Taylor is Road, Mid Pines and The Country Club of
the club pro, Opie is loading up my clubs Whispering Pines.
and Helen Crump is the beautiful beverage Filled with anticipation, we loaded up on a
cart attendant. I had always heard about very cold day and left northern Virginia for
Pinehurst, but its reputation of being too the Sandhills. Much to our liking, the trip
pricey superseded my interest in the area. was a good two hours shorter in the car
Although my internet ability is a which meant we might have time to sneak in
little suspect, I did have enough sense to do an emergency nine if we had more bets to
a search on the Pinehurst Area and found settle. An easy drive into the Pinehurst area Top Photo: Aerial view of 16th hole
out that little ole “Mayberry” had a ton of left us with plenty of energy to tackle the at Tobacco Road Golf Club.
great golf courses. And, the pricing was not great courses we had been reading about. Above: 8th hole at Tobacco Road Golf
bad at all. I commenced to sign up on the Day One – Tobacco Road- Holy Smokes,
mailing list of the Convention and Visitors this is not the “country club” down the were driving onto the family farm of Jed
Bureau and got a wealth of information on street. Having played Caledonia down in Clampett (before he moved to California).
the Pinehurst Resort, Pine Needles Resort Myrtle Beach, I thought this would be Now we were looking for a “laid back” golf
and a host of other courses. Some of these somewhat the same since it was designed by destination, but we didn’t want to fall
courses were designed by the same guys as the same man. Not even close. When we asleep. Well, when we set foot on that first
some of our favorite Myrtle Beach tracks, so drove up to the clubhouse, we thought tee, our hearts started pounding and our eyes
continued on page 15
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