North Carolina Has It All

by BRUCE VITTNER

This past June the Greater Raleigh CVB invited a few golf writers from Germany, Canada and the United States to visit North Carolina, tour parts of the state and view the U.S. Women’s Open Championship that was being competed at Pine Needles in Pinehurst, N.C.

We flew into Raleigh Airport (easy flight from Providence with stop in Philadelphia) and went to the Umstead Hotel and Spa. It had just opened and was given a five-star rating—the first in North Carolina. The stars are deserved. The rooms, dining rooms, pool and spa are truly first class.

Raleigh is currently undertaking a $3 billion renaissance and we were given a tour of some of the projects. A new convention center is being built and the ‘Technology Triangle’ as the area is called is booming. The Umstead is only five minutes from the airport and next to the SAS Institute, whose owners, the Goodnights, built the hotel and preserved the beautiful grounds surrounding it.

The Umstead offers its guests golfing privileges at the nearby Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. Prestonwood hosts a Champions Tour event and has three 18-hole courses and a huge practice area. The course we played had a gentle routing with very large, fast greens and quite a few streams running through the holes to provide for more strategy. All the courses were superbly maintained and the large southern mansion-style clubhouse offered fine food.

Next on our trip was a visit to Brunswick County in the southeastern corner of the state. Brunswick County is where the town of Calabash serves some of the best southern fried seafood in the country and also home to dozens of great golf courses. This is the county that sits adjacent to North Myrtle Beach, S.C. and most of its courses are incorporated into the Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday packages.

We stayed and played at Brunswick Plantation and Golf Resort that has 27 holes of golf. The nines are surrounded by condominiums, but the layout is fair and not too long. That afternoon we ventured to Thistle Golf Club in Sunset Beach. What a gem. They also have 27 holes with water coming into play on a great many holes. It is a shot makers course. Hopefully you will get to play the nine holes that has a par 3 for the last. It has the most unique bunker sitting up in front of the green. Measuring 200 yards and over water, it is challenging for sure.

Our next stop was Fayetteville. Having been stationed at Fort Bragg during the Vietnam era, it was interesting to go back and see the city with more mature eyes. We played a course just outside of Fayetteville called Bayonet at Puppy Creek G.C. Yes, the Puppy Creek comes into play on a few holes, and some started calling it a dog or worse. The course had an interesting layout with greens that were tucked in tough spots. It was a fun round.

Our next stop was Pinehurst. Pinehurst rightfully claimed the title of Home of American Golf. With its rolling hills, stately pines and sandy soil that is ideal for building golf courses, Pinehurst is home to some of the best golf courses in the world. Donald Ross, the dean of American golf architecture, emigrated from Scotland and settled in this central part of North Carolina to devote his life’s work to building courses. Although Ross summered in Little Compton, R.I. for 22 years, he made his home in Pinehurst. Pinehurst #2 Golf Course is considered Ross’ masterpiece and it turned 100 this year. There are currently eight courses as part of the Pinehurst complex and three of them are in the Top 100 in the country.

The accommodations in Pinehurst are wonderful. The quaint town and the historic hotel bring you back in time. It is truly a town for golf. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club was the site of this year’s U.S. Women’s Open won by Christie Kerr. The rolling fairways and large greens have challenged the best women in the world at this Open three times in the last 11 years.

We played a much newer course the next day in Sanford, about 15 miles from Pinehurst. It is called Tobacco Road, and I find it one of the most unusual and fun courses to play anywhere. The late Mike Strantz, who also designed Caledonia and True Blue in the Myrtle Beach area, designed it. High sand dunes, gigantic bunkers and waste areas, blind shots and forced carries might make some purists cringe, but you will surely remember the course and the old-style clubhouse that looks like they might have been brewing moonshine in it decades ago.

North Carolina has great golf, great food and interesting tourist attractions. We were accompanied on the trip by folks from all the regional tourist bureaus as well as North Carolina tourism staff. They worked well together and all believe that they have a lot to offer tourists.
 

Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assn. of America.

Useful numbers and websites:
North Carolina Tourism

919-733-7420 / www.visitnc.com
Greater Raleigh CVB  

800-849-8499  / www.VisitRaleigh.com
Brunswick County Tourism

910-755-5517 / www.ncbrunswick.com
Fayetteville CVB

800-255-8217 / www.VisitFayettevilleNC.com
Pinehurst

910-235-8710 /  www.pinehurstmedia.com
Umstead Hotel 

919-447-4000 /  www.theumstead.com