Tobacco Road.. crazy....

[FOOTJOY16]

We just returned from Pinehurst yesterday.  Played a few of the resort courses along with Mid Pines and Pine Needles and of course the Cradle... On our next to last day we played Tobacco Road. .everyone we mentioned this to before we played just rolled their eyes.. by far the wildest course I've ever played...

 

Just curious about other peoples thoughts that have played the course...

[mshills]

Playing it next weekend. 
 

Give you an idea, The Pit was open last time I was there, so it’s been a while. 

[tw422]

Was not a fan....but to each his own.  Too tricked up for my liking.  Respect the design elements but not for me.   Much more of a fan of #2 & #8.  

[sabram]

I love Tobacco Road. Click on the photo below to link to a photo tour of Tobacco Road

 

 

[TNwanabe]

That course looks HARD

[tjblue]

Loved it!

 

More room out there than you think,

[NDSwim]

Played it a few weeks ago, thought it was great.  You have to go in expecting it to be crazy and just accept it.  I thought it was interesting how you could look back down the fairway from the green and see how many holes had different ways to play it.  Well worth an afternoon.

[StoutKing]

I like this kind of course but I'm not playing it until the price comes down.  If it doesn't I'll pass.

[AZ_JHWK]

2 hours ago, sabram said:

I love Tobacco Road. Click on the photo below to link to a photo tour of Tobacco Road

 

 

Those are some stunning pictures, and I'd love to play it. Sometimes people's opinions are based on how they were playing that day. If you had less than your "B" game, it could be a long day. 

[Faucette]

Love it. Like The Pit   I call Tobacco Road a drinking golf course. Don't take it to serious just go out and  have fun. Keep an extra ball in your pocket and just enjoy the uniqueness. 

Edited June 6 by Faucette

[NCgolf135]

It's really not that hard. There are a few hard shots, and some look intimidating, but it's a big ball park. Lot of slopes that help you too. 

 

It is an awesome place to spend 4-5 hours. Recommend highly. 

[cassel191919]

14 hours ago, FOOTJOY16 said:

We just returned from Pinehurst yesterday.  Played a few of the resort courses along with Mid Pines and Pine Needles and of course the Cradle... On our next to last day we played Tobacco Road. .everyone we mentioned this to before we played just rolled their eyes.. by far the wildest course I've ever played...

 

Just curious about other peoples thoughts that have played the course...

I think its fun, but the price is outrageous for what it is. I get charge what the people will pay, but it is in no way even close to a $300 course.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I absolutely loved it. Awesome course and a super laid back clubhouse.

[Looper34]

It's nice but not worth the price they're charging. Dumpy range, hardpan "waste areas" just off a lot of the fairways that are full of deep ruts from rain run off and the clubhouse is as basic as it can get. 

[FOOTJOY16]

13 hours ago, tw422 said:

Was not a fan....but to each his own.  Too tricked up for my liking.  Respect the design elements but not for me.   Much more of a fan of #2 & #8.  

Agreed.. I really like #8....

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

17 minutes ago, Looper34 said:

It's nice but not worth the price they're charging. Dumpy range, hardpan "waste areas" just off a lot of the fairways that are full of deep ruts from rain run off and the clubhouse is as basic as it can get. 

I played on a beautiful early December day for $95 back in 2007. 60 degrees the whole time. It's probably triple that now! 

[Looper34]

3 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I played on a beautiful early December day for $95 back in 2007. 60 degrees the whole time. It's probably triple that now! 

I just looked it up and it's $120 in December. That's about my price point for TR so I'll keep an eye on the weather forecasts. LOL

[Rbsiedsc]

6 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I played on a beautiful early December day for $95 back in 2007. 60 degrees the whole time. It's probably triple that now! 

$301 with a cart for tomorrow morning

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

1 hour ago, Looper34 said:

I just looked it up and it's $120 in December. That's about my price point for TR so I'll keep an eye on the weather forecasts. LOL

I'd pay $120 to play it. I am stuck on only playiong "NEW" courses as I am trying to get to 1,000 played. Won't be playing there any time soon as I am only at 661.

[sabram]

Green fees are inflated everywhere. I understand that some players will balk at the current fees at TR, but there are many courses that are now charging as much or more for a lower quality course than TR. Perceived value is in the eye(or wallet) of the beholder.  Whether or not it's  in one's budget, TR is a very good and fun course IMO

[mshills]

12 minutes ago, sabram said:

Green fees are inflated everywhere. I understand that some players will balk at the current fees at TR, but there are many courses that are now charging as much or more for a lower quality course than TR. Perceived value is in the eye(or wallet) of the beholder.  Whether or not it's  in one's budget, TR is a very good and fun course IMO

I’ve heard lots of opinions.  In our group, one guy +2 hates it. One, a 5, likes it. Two of us have not played it. So, I’m looking forward to a unique experience. It’s in our package so I’m not sweating the a la carte daily fee charge. 
 

I don’t hit it very far these days and not far enough to uncork any real foul balls. Hoping that helps me. 🙂

[SheriffBooth]

2 hours ago, NCgolf135 said:

It's really not that hard. There are a few hard shots, and some look intimidating, but it's a big ball park. Lot of slopes that help you too. 

 

It is an awesome place to spend 4-5 hours. Recommend highly. 

 

Yes, if you've got a book and know where to hit it on each hole it can actually play kind of easy.  And it's certainly visually stunning.  It's been a minute since I've been out there but as the Southern Pines area has become a more popular national tourist golf destination, Tobacco Road has been gaining prominence.  It's really such a crying shame that Strantz died so young - if he'd had the opportunity to proliferate the way Pete Dye did, I bet we'd have some really incredible courses, including maybe an exciting Tour stop.

[Gdane]

I've mentioned this on the board before, but in 2017 I paid $279 to play Tobacco Road, Dormie Club, Talamore, and stay a night at the Springhill Suites right by Talamore during a late August golf trip.  

 

The rates that TR is charging now is insane, given they've done basically nothing to improve the experience there since then.   Then again, TR is THE Instagram Course™ .

 

Very polarizing course, and of the 4 Strantz courses I've played it slots easily as my least favorite behind True Blue, Caledonia and Tot Hill (which I played in '21 for about $60 IIRC).

[golfday]

12 hours ago, TNwanabe said:

That course looks HARD

It LOOKS hard, but a lot of the shots that are more visually intimidating than they actually are. Huge mounds make it look like there's no room, but then you get out into the hole and realize that the mounds stop shorter than you thought and there is a ton of room beyond them. It's much easier the second time you play because you know where the space is. Pretty typical of Strantz IMO.

 

That said, there are a few shots where you can't mess up. So it's definitely not easy.

[dcmidnight]

So first, I dont think you can compare greens fees from a couple years ago let alone 5-10-15 years ago, everything is more expensive. And everything in Pinehurst is WAY more expensive. TR and Pine Needles are both $300 courses in the summer which is quite mad, and I really love PN. But $300? No way. Such is life in the golf world now and if they keep filling the spots, rates arent going to go down.

 

Personally I had a great time out there, we played 36 one day and certainly the second 18 was better because you know how much room was out there. But there are some really, really fun holes out there and some beautiful green complexes. 

 

I know people who hate it and think its too tricked up and I'm OK with that too. I think there was only one hole I hated the layout of and thought was too tricked out - but honestly thats about par for me with most courses.

 

After Royal New Kent its probably my favorite Strantz layout. True Blue/Caledonia also great.

[cassel191919]

2 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I played on a beautiful early December day for $95 back in 2007. 60 degrees the whole time. It's probably triple that now! 

It is indeed triple.  I would be thrilled to pay $100, but $300 has to be a no thank you.

[mumbles236]

If you play the set of tees that is right for you based on your ability and get a yardage book to see where you can and can't miss on each hole you can have an absolute blast out there. I've played there a handful of times and have loved it every time. It's a shame green fees have exploded so much, but it doesn't look like they're having trouble filling out the tee sheet.

I have some friends that went down there and tried to play from ~6500 just because they can play easy courses around here from that length and they hated it. When I was with them a couple years later at Tot Hill I convinced them to play up a little bit cause it was cold and I showed them what the set of tees they were talking about would make their course handicap that day.  They would up loving Tot Hill and still talk about how fun it was years later. 

[ChrisSP]

5 hours ago, mshills said:

I’ve heard lots of opinions.  In our group, one guy +2 hates it. One, a 5, likes it. Two of us have not played it.

 

The golf course splintered our annual trip. We had a group of 16 that would go to Pinehurst every year. I think it was 2006 when we first played TR. Most of us, myself included, didn't like it all, but a handful of guys did, so we played it again in 2007. Those of us who didn't like it originally liked it even less the second time. So our group of 16 kind of split and in 2008 there were 12 of us who continued going together and we never considered playing there. The other four guys started a new trip with four other guys and would play it every time. There wasn't bad blood or hard feelings about it. We all still played together in a group at our home club most every weekend.

 

And I've actually never been back despite ultimately moving to Pinehurst in 2014 and living there for three years and having visited at least once every year since with the wife of a group of guys. That people pay $300 to play there just boggles my mind. I wouldn't go back if they paid me $300, and when I lived in Pinehurst passed on a handful of opportunities to play there for free in various outings. Just a hard pass.

 

But different points of view are what make the world go round!

[glm]

never again!!!!!

[teejaywhy]

9 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I played on a beautiful early December day for $95 back in 2007. 60 degrees the whole time. It's probably triple that now! 

180 degrees??? !!!