Southern Pines, Mid Pines, Pine Needles rankings?

[jordanapel]

On 5/28/2024 at 9:09 AM, dcmidnight said:

 

I dont know where you are starting your trip but dont sleep on some of the options in the Raleigh area - if you're driving from the North. Its been a few years since I was there but I'd put the NC State course right up there with most of the non #2 options in PH. Fun layout, great food/bar upstairs - good way to ease into a trip.

I'm flying into Raleigh. Do you prefer the NC State course to UNC Finley? Was looking at both but not sure which to go for

[jordanapel]

17 hours ago, Walter Sobchak said:

I’d spend a full day at Tobacco.  As someone stated earlier, the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course time after time.  I can’t recall every hole from #2, #4, or any of the highly rated courses I’ve played in the US or abroad but can run through every hole at Tobacco.  Visual trickery but very playable for the low to mid cap after seeing it once.  If you are an “everything  in front of you” golfer it’s not the one.  Was lucky play a few dawn to dusk days there before the popularity fully exploded.

 

I enjoyed playing the Pinehurst courses my first trip to the area.  My second i played no Pinehurst courses and will be the same next trip.  Enjoyed Pine Needles and Talamore at the rates when I last visited.  

 

I would have to spend a full day at Tot after the renovations based on what I’ve scene.  Hope to play as many of the Strantz tracks as i can.

I think I've decided to play 2 rounds at Tobacco Road, hopefully it isn't too slammed in August. I assume they have a good restaurant on site as well?

 

I will be playing Tot also!

[Guest RobS]

6 hours ago, jordanapel said:

I'm flying into Raleigh. Do you prefer the NC State course to UNC Finley? Was looking at both but not sure which to go for

I'd be happy to play Lonnie Poole but given the choice, I'd play Finley.  Finley recently completed a renovation (2023) and the greens in particular are much improved and the overall condition of the golf course is superior at present time.

[Looper34]

10 hours ago, jordanapel said:

I think I've decided to play 2 rounds at Tobacco Road, hopefully it isn't too slammed in August. I assume they have a good restaurant on site as well?

 

I will be playing Tot also!

They have a snack bar at TR that has the basics, sandwiches, beer, couple benches and seats. There is merchandise in the pro shop area and a shower in the men's room. Rustic comes to mind when describing the facilities at TR. 

[eagle2838]

On 5/24/2024 at 11:11 AM, ALIF said:

Pineneedles was my favorite course in all of Pinehurst and I did play #2  also.

 

This. Pine Needles is my favorite experience in the area. It's a super fun, championship caliber course. 

[SilverBullets]

I freaking loved Pine Needles when I played it last year.  Mid Pines was closed so we couldn't play it.  We originally scheduled 36 at Tobacco Road.  However after walking off 18 we all decided 'meh' it was cool, fun and unique but didn't feel a burning desire to play it again. It was also in pretty poor condition.  Like bumpy a** greens, big burnt out spots in the middle of greens, etc... I can respect the waste areas being unkept so that's whatever (although many of the waste area are to the point where it's just hardpacked mud, it's def. penalizing).. but the grass wasn't good at all.. not for a $250 round or whatever it was. 

 

So we called Pine Needles and they were able to get us on.

 

We had so much fun that we went back the next day and snuck another afternoon round in.  

 

I'd love to get back there so I can play Mid Pines and Southern Pines.  If I recall, SP was full when we tried to make a last minute time so that's why we hit Pine Needles twice.  Really great spot.  Plus their fried green tomato sandwich was baller.  The ladies in the grill room were great and remember us the next day.  Just re-upped our order and gave us some crap lol. 

 

Pine Needles is full of great vibes, great people, and is just a cool spot.  I'd go back to the Southern Pines area and be perfectly happy skipping all of Pinehurst (it felt like Disney world and a factory) and just playing those 3.    

Edited May 31, 2024 by SilverBullets

[Argonne69]

I played Southern Pines, Pine Needles, and Mid Pines in the past couple of years. I'd rank them Southern Pines, Pine Needles, and Mid Pines. 

 

Pine Needles was a kick in the head. The course hosted the 2022 US Women's Open, and was simply tough. 

 

Mid Pines was a little more friendly to scoring. 

 

Southern Pines was fantastic. Tough, but scorable. Definitely had a more natural look, which was fine. 

 

[Walter Sobchak]

On 5/30/2024 at 12:23 AM, jordanapel said:

I think I've decided to play 2 rounds at Tobacco Road, hopefully it isn't too slammed in August. I assume they have a good restaurant on site as well?

 

I will be playing Tot also!

 

As  someone mentioned Tobacco has a small sandwich and snack bar in the clubhouse.  Back porch of club house (cabin style) has rocking chairs and a nice view of 18.  It’s the opposite feel of Pinehurst.  Laid back and rustic, music at the crappy range type vibe (more bourbon than wine).  Please share how your trip to Tot goes.

[SilverBullets]

On 5/29/2024 at 9:23 PM, jordanapel said:

I think I've decided to play 2 rounds at Tobacco Road, hopefully it isn't too slammed in August. I assume they have a good restaurant on site as well?

 

I will be playing Tot also!

Honestly... I think it's a mistake to play TR twice instead of playing Pine Needles or Mid Pines.  You'll have fun either way but Pinehurst, Tobacco Road and Pine Needles all have distinctly different experiences.  In the golf, the pro-shop, the grill and just the overall vibe.

 

The lower handicappers of my group absolutely loved the simplicity and nostalgia of Pine Needles.  That was our favorite track (we played #2, #4, TR and Pine Needles).  The high handicappers in the group absolutely loved Tobacco Road.  

[JMiller2130]

I’m truly baffled by this post and the Mid Pines hype. Maybe a lot had changed in a year, but I’ve played Pine Needles and Southern Pines a few times each and was blown away. Finally got around to playing Mid Pines and I’ve never been more disappointed in a course in my life. Paid $265 to play peak season in May and the course wasn’t worth $70. Worst driving range I’ve ever been on, including your local goat track, boring landscape, and greens and fairways in mediocre condition at best. I don’t know how to post pictures here so I copied the link to the review I left that has a couple for reference. I don’t like to leave negative reviews but people could spend their money at much better courses and not be disappointed like I was. 
 

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=e2a660d80d6ce184&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS871US871&hl=en-US&sxsrf=AE3TifMXfLh_BItgFtvNWDttj53LdjRaeA:1749244627031&q=mid+pines+inn+and+golf+club+reviews&uds=AOm0WdHh_EPM_CVsy8LxIBE_zSaSkeSZ5rtpo4KhBhtUCZLrQ_zRSmTB8R9k1Uj5LiZgzfb0UeeeXi8vxTYVn32H8zO12PWGAwBJ7BJH_8xpnSimFOmFh8k4GkNcPwvZ4jDfa2bUf4aSKF0hOqLacvOUe9DvMwQDWCkD4xYtsyk1VDjxcqHA4CfpDt3K3PfC1DDErVnfnNh6Jo7a6l0-_67yONxeHEKYJZ6xoq7SNnlgsbjT29jm8h2lIfFCCRLgXIIF_WS9Psc7M4qeMwXWlxte4cOj0jg7fk80ycxkBpADcByP0Jc4pvCWUcIaXLd8Nr2xH9ynwlNrUbsHAgaJBxxyd3dree6kk_gNgzGZzQbtUR-H_LIfITTEdhE3unRusfld8k2Yp8SPmUZesU_HZqaq_muEN4o5fhco_pLK-q6W5FW_Q6UyYG9BykAL1h5p2fUNfdNYy6Dq3_sEmCXAWcqQQieVurJNOA&si=AMgyJEsVtO7Zu9YEyquic0WJtZiamUti8WlVIiHVse8gMEYCleVN6vpqFpbND-c8fDvTmfiOivxPlliN0bxa8Apk0vZ4ve--pgnKn02b73teTocntjkFzRIHVabXUwgm62DHkQsRQWLb0Rc6Gn5tnTWAFILN6a4IYw%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAhPqE3N2NAxX1fjABHTk3IkYQk8gLegQIJRAB&ictx=1&stq=1&cs=1&lei=01pDaIDPAfX9wbkPue6IsQQ#ebo=2

[dcmidnight]

I was accosted by a couple of members in my trip report thread for saying the same about MP - and that was back in late March. Very mediocre conditions that we were not impressed with. And yeah the driving range, honestly its maybe the worst range I've *ever* hit on. It wasn't in winter condition or March condition - it honestly looked like the club hadn't bothered to spend $1 on upkeep in months or years. The mats were actually lumpy with a big ridge running down the middle. And its honestly impossible to state how bad the grass looked. Lets be clear, it was completely unusable but it just looked pathetic. Our group would never go back but thats fine, they seem to get plenty of play, they wont miss our group.

 

Frankly if I was a member, rather than post on WRX trying to defend my club, I'd be writing letters about how embarrassing that driving range is.

[LongNwrong27]

Personally think SP is a level above PN and then that is a level or two above MP. Layout at SP is way better than PN in my opinion. 

 

stuff like the driving range mats at MP is just embarrassing when they could spend like 5k and have new ones that are actually flat and not like concrete 

 

if I went back to PN the only one of the 3 I would replay for full $$ is SP. 

Edited June 7 by LongNwrong27

[LongNwrong27]

Lodging at MP looks so bad and honestly would guess PN to be very dated as well. With near infinite airbnb available that should def be the move instead of saying at either place 

[dcmidnight]

48 minutes ago, LongNwrong27 said:

Lodging at MP looks so bad and honestly would guess PN to be very dated as well. With near infinite airbnb available that should def be the move instead of saying at either place 

 

The lodging at PN - at least at the lodge, not the private houses - is awful. The floors and walls are paper thin. Not sure what they could do to either though - they'd literally have to gut the whole thing and start from scratch.

[snickersdog]

Did the Pines Trio a few weeks ago in May. 

 

Concur with the disappointment in Mid Pines from a facilities perspective, that range is atrocious and course conditions were notably beneath Southern Pines and Pine Needles. What people describe on here as flaws with Southern Pines’ facilities/conditions would be more accurate criticisms of Mid Pines’s. That being said, where I will give Mid Pines flowers is the flow of the course and routing, we played a late afternoon round as the sun and shadows crawled over the course, and it felt like one of the most connected and smoothly flowing courses I had ever played. Hole 18 in front of the inn is cool as well.

 

My Rankings:

 

#1 Pine Needles

Conditions 10/10, perfect, fast, and firm

Layout 8/10, tighter off the tee

 

#2 Southern Pines

Conditions 9/10

Layout 8.5/10, long and hilly, great variety. 

 

#3 Mid Pines

Conditions 6/10

Layout 9/10, crescendos as the round goes. 
 

If Mid Pines had less hype and was described as the hidden gem” with the lovable rough-around-the-edges aspect of the three, that may have walked me into the experience with better expectations.

 

All in all great trip though and would go back, but Mid Pines felt beneath the online hype it receives and beneath the other two in the trio - which were fantastic. 

Edited June 7 by snickersdog

[mshills]

On 6/7/2025 at 6:43 PM, dcmidnight said:

 

The lodging at PN - at least at the lodge, not the private houses - is awful. The floors and walls are paper thin. Not sure what they could do to either though - they'd literally have to gut the whole thing and start from scratch.

I was just there this weekend, true statement. We played Southern Pines, Pine Needles, Tobacco Road. Here is my perspective.

 

Southern Pines is a GREAT golf course. The rest feels sort of like a muni and that is fine, but know that going in — you aren’t getting a range and clubhouse like you’re at Shadow Creek or something. The golf course is wonderful after the restoration. I’m glad the greens were pretty slow — if they were fast like my home club they would be unplayable with the extreme contours and level changes. We got Noah, biblical level rain on Friday afternoon and had to abandon play on 15 tee. Real bummer but there was no chance of the course being playable any more that day. 
 

Pine Needles is my idea of golf perfection. I’m on record many times here disliking over manicured, terrarium style golf….a lot of players seem to expect Augusta National conditions. That’s not my thing and that’s why I love everything about Pine Needles. The course to my mind is perfect — the only change I’d make is putting my name on the deed to one of the houses on the property 🙂 Nothing silly in the design but you have to play good golf to score there and your lag putting better be on point.
 

The sharp-tongued veteran Southern ladies waitressing at breakfast, the decidedly not-modern feel of the whole building, that’s the atmosphere that I like. We played right before the summer greens aeration and other than the bunkers (understandably washed out from the prior afternoon / evening deluge), the course was magnificent. Fairways and tee boxes were beautiful and the greens were Pure. It was not firm and fast due to the weather but it sure was a case study in effective drainage. 

That said, I would not stay at the lodge. Get a nice air B&B. The above post is correct, you’d have to tear down the building and start over, and that would be a shame as then it would be like every other golf lodge. 
 

Did not play Mid Pines. Next trip.