Pinehurst area
increasing
in golfing allure
This year's spring golf trip pro-
vided a valuable retirement plan-
ning lesson.
It is definitely possible to play
too much golf all at once.
Kevin Conlon invited Nick Del-
Cahapo and me to travel to Pine-
hurst, N.C. and sample the golf in
the popular Sandhills resort area,
along with nine other friends and
relatives. In five days we played
just over six and a-hal_f rounds, at
times during torrential down-
pours.
Considering that most of this
group is AARP-eligible, this level
of intensity led to some less-than-
stellar golfing performances, es-
pecially during the last round.
We had a good time just the
same.
Our first round began last Fri-
day in Vass, N.C., at the Woodlake
Resort & Golf Club (wood-
lakecc.com). We played The
Maples Course, one of two lay-
outs surrounding a huge lake and
resort/residential complex.
Scott Medlin, a former PGA
Tour player and currently an assis-
tant golf professional at the resort,
said Maples is more popular with
members and golfing tourists than
the companion Palmer Course, al-
though. Palmer drains better in wet
conditions.
We experienced the limitations
of the drainage system shortly af-
ter our early afternoon round be-
gan, when the rains came on the
third hole. As our foursome
slogged through the 11 th hole, the
two prior foursomes drove back to
our location and told us they were
quitting for the day. The resort
staff readily agreed to give us a
rain check for a ninehole round,
which we used in a mini-scramble
on Monday afternoon.
Despite the rain, the Maples
Course was challenging yet fair to
our group. The elevation changes
from tee to green were sometimes
startling for us flatlanders, and the
lake and other water hazards gath-
ered up a few errant drives, but
this course is well worth playing
again, although preferably on a
sunny day.
Saturday's round was at Tobac
co Road, a dramatic Mike Strantz
design in Sanford, north of Pine-
hurst (tobaccoroadgolf.com).
The unique elements of this
course begin on the par-5 first
hole, with a pair of high hills slop-
ing down to a tiny bit of fairway
opening through which the drives
must travel about 165 yards from
the main tee. A course staffer
stood on top of the fight side slope
and radioed back the results of the
attempts that landed beyond (or
on) the mounds. I used a five-
iron/six-iron/eight-iron combina-
tion to reach the green in regula-
tion, and it was all I could do to
make the two-putt for par.
Similarly daunting but reason-
able tests await intrepid golfers
elsewhere. The blind approach to
GOLF
Fritz Schranck
the green at the thirteenth hole
would be hard on a sunny day, for
example, but in a downpour it was
really tough. Our group was suit-
ably impressed.
Sunday morning's round took
place 30 miles south of Pinehurst
Village, at the Bayonet at Puppy
Creek course near Raeford (bayo-
netgolf.com).
This Willard Byrd design was
far milder than our first two expe-
riences, but by then we were fine
with that. Bayonet reminded me
of Cripple Creek Country Club,
only with significant elevation
changes. Replay privileges were
very reasonable, and we played a
9-hole scramble round after our
first 18.
We played The Legacy course
on Monday morning, in Aberdeen
(legacypinehurst.com). This is
the third time our group played
this Jack, Nicklaus II design, and
there's a good reason. The course
presents a fair and fun challenge
for a wide range of skills.
Our getaway round Tuesday
was at Little River Golf Club, in
Carthage (littleriver.com). By
then all the golf from the prior•
four days seemed to catch up to
most of us, with some very high
scores as a result. It also didn't
help that the course was what I
call member-friendly, with the
best way to play several holes on-
ly discernibIe after a few rounds.
After suitable commiserations,
however, the group agreed to an-
other five-day experience next
year. I doubt we'll play more than
18 holes per day next time,
though.
Some old dogs can learn new
tricks.
OPENING DAY - The Kings
Creek Country Club's Ladies Golf
Association held its opening day
tournament April 27 with 10
teams competing in a four-person
scramble format. The winning
teams included Diane Herndon,
Ruth Bender, Toni Mears and P.
Karapurkar (low gross); Debbie
Ward, Joan Harrison, Linda Mor-
ris and Sandy Mintz (low net).
Closest to the pin honors on the
17th hole went to Mardee Corbett.
LADY GOLFERS - The 18-
Hole • Lady Golfers at Sussex
Pines Country Club played a low
putts tournament April 29 with the
following winners listed in order
of finish: Janet Jones, Delthia
Hickman, Ruth Hudson, Anne
Continued on page 120
CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, May 2 - May 8, 2003 - 119
Fritz Schranck photo
Reaching the green on the par-5 second hole at The Maples Course at Woodlake Resort &
Golf Club near Pinehurst, N.C .requires some careful carries over water.
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