Sand Them Roads: Day Three @ MidPines

Much hullabaloo has been made in the golfing world about Pinehurst #2’s restoration. The renowned team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw returned the course (mainly the rough) to its roots of wire grass, pine needles and sand. Gone are the long and lush thickets of green grass that ensnared golf balls and made rounds torturous. Folks who visit the area often say, I tried and I tried, but I could not lose a ball. Wayward shots seem to hit the pine trees and drop straight down, always to be found.

On Day Three of Sand Them Roads, we played 12 holes at MidPines, then moved across the street to Pine Needles. There was a 2.5 hours frost delay at MidPines, necessitating an 11 am shotgun for all the golfers with tee times before then (genius!) The 14th hole was closed for repairs and we completed the 17th hole (having teed off on #5) before departing across the road to Pine Needles.

There’s nothing remotely close to experiencing a course during a restoration, unless you were there for the initial build. Seeing the bones laid bare is a remarkable awakening to what constitutes a golf course. I’ll leave the words behind and give you a sense of it from here out with images.