Pinehurst, North Carolina - golf destinations

                                                  Pinehurst, North Carolina

We've mentioned Pinehurst as a buddies golf destination in the past but wanted to give it special attention today. It is a great place to go for a buddies golf trip or just to go visit. There are eight courses at this special place that has been around since the late 1800's.

Pinehurst #2 is the most famous  of the eight and has hosted several US Open's including the 2014 Men's and Women's US Open. It's expensive to play #2 but if you book one of the packages through the resort, the price is less intimidating but still not exactly inexpensive. When playing #2, we recommend getting your own caddie to enhance the experience. #8 is my favorite of the Pinehurst courses and we got a four caddie that was plenty of help for my group.

We strongly suggest picking one of the resorts "Stay and Play" packages and if it fits your budget, stay in the Carolina Hotel. It does feel like a step back in time but with modern conveniences. They have a very friendly and helpful staff and nice restaurants and Bar. If you have a day where you don't play 36 holes, spend some time at the pool and enjoy a good old fashioned afternoon tea. Pinehurst resort also offers a spa and if you play as much golf as we did, mixing in an afternoon massage at the halfway point of the stay is a very good idea.

Rates drop in June and you may want to consider playing #2 early in the trip because if you wait to the end and get rained out, with no days left to reschedule, it would be a shame not to play that classic course. Also, be aware that #1 & #3 are also, very old school and not anywhere near the same or even close to #2. Our group played #1 & #3 as an optional afternoon round. They are fun but #2 & 4 through #8 are better option's in our opinion.

Pinehurst Resort & Spa will not disappoint. It is a fantastic choice for your next buddies golf trip!  

Golf trips - ideas of where the friends might enjoy most!

Buddies Golf Trip-favorite places to go with friends

With so many great places in the country and the world for that matter, how do you choose where to bring your buddies on an annul golf trip? Obviously, price factors in, but also weather and for my friends, diversity of the places to play.

Our buddies group has taken trips to Pinehurst, Pebble Beach, Bandon, Kohler, Jacksonville, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Scotland and several other places. Pinehurst provides 8 courses on property but also Pine Needles and Tobacco Road are near by and should also be part of the itinerary due to their proximity. In some cases, more options might not be the best thing because you may have a rain out and miss the day you were scheduled to play #2. The other courses at Pinehurst don't have the same history so missing out on #2 could be devastating to an expensive golf trip.  Every golf destination for us involves searching for other places in the area that might be part of a "top 100" list from a certain golf publication. There is something to be said for the feeling of checking off one of the top 100 courses. Hopefully, you get to have that feeling over & over. And, by the way, Pinehurst #8 is one of my favorite courses I've ever played.

When it comes to value for your buck, look into the Robert Trent Jones trail in Alabama. They have several different courses throughout the state that are part of the RTJ and the service they provide at each location is excellent. The RTJ is not as inexpensive as the local Muni but compared to some other destination golf locations, the RTJ is downright cheap. All of the RTJ locations I've been to have multiple courses so you can easily get in 36 holes per day. Play 18, eat lunch and head back out and play a different, excellent golf course. Some of the locations on the trail are somewhat isolated so if the after golf action is a priority for your group, you may want to pick the ones located nearer the bigger cities or near a major college.

My favorite RTJ destination is Capitol Hill in Prattville, AL. It offers three 18 hole championship courses and all three are distinctly different. The Judge is one of the more challenging layouts I've ever played so bring your "A" game and lot's of extra golf balls. The Senator course is links style and a completely different type of challenge. The Senator is the most relaxing of the three but it's huge greens offer up some difficult, lengthy putts so make sure you have your putting touch to avoid numerous three putts.

I go on an annual trip to Opelika/Auburn, Alabama and we play both the 18 hole championship courses at Grand National. The staff there is very friendly and helpful and both courses are so different from each other that it feels like you've traveled to another location when you switch from the Links course to the Lake course.

When pricing out your next buddies golf trip, please keep the RTJ Trail in your thoughts. There is something special about playing a "Famous" golf resort, I agree. Sometimes though, people who would like to go, are priced out of being able to attend. You may find that everyone in your group will be able to afford the RTJ prices and the group could get a little bigger which allows for more "action" on the course and not leaving anyone at home feels good.

RTJ has packages available and will work with you in setting everything up. Give it a try sometime. I know you'll be pleased with the RTJ.