Pinehurst Resort | Forest Creek | Pine Needles/Mid Pines | The National
Legacy | Hyland Hills | Foxfire | Woodlake | Pine Crest Inn

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Forest Creek is the Pinehurst Area's Private Gem

An outstanding Tom Fazio golf course (with a second to open in late 2001) and home sites offering spectacular views of the rolling forested countryside are being offered by Forest Creek Golf Club, a nationally acclaimed exclusive private equity golf club and gated community in Southern Pines.

Located off Airport Road within minutes of Pinehurst Circle, the club was the product of a collaboration between Barton Tuck and Buck Mickel of GolfSouth and the family of C. Louis Meyer, an equestrian who came with his golfing wife to Pinehurst regularly to get away from the cold winters in Chicago. Meyer bought a 300-acre parcel in 1942, and the holdings have grown ever since through three generations of Meyers.

In the 1980’s Terry Brown, his brother Louis and cousin Heidi Hall Jones decided to explore putting a golf course and residential community on the property, but instead of launching the project precipitously, they took their time, recruiting a group of 65 founding members before one shovelful of dirt was moved.

In 1994, ground was broken on the first course on this spectacular 1265-acre property. The course, the centerpiece of the 1265-acre club site, opened in 1996 to rave reviews. Recently, the club was named among the top 50 private golf clubs in the U.S.

The rolling landscape, thickly populated with loblolly and longleaf pines, has provided the architect with a spectacular canvas on which to work his magic. "It is a designer’s dream," said Fazio, who also designed three practice holes west of the first course which will be incorporated into the second 18. According to club Director of Golf Waddy Stokes, Forest Creek #2 "will have more of an Augusta-like feel because of the bunkering."

For the original course, Fazio weaved a beautiful and challenging but fair mix of holes through the pines and over created lakes. The result was a par-72 masterpiece stretching from 5047 to 7067 yards.

As is typical of all Fazio designs, the course has no tricks. The landing areas are more than ample and everything is out there directly in front of you. Fazio places bunkers in strategic places, always leaving you with alternate routes to the green. On the par 3’s, including the 2nd and 17th -- a pair of 190-yarders over water--he provides room for errant shots. The par 5’s are also a strength of the course and include one of the best holes you can play, the 559-yard 12th which has several elevation changes over the rolling terrain to a large green that has a serious back to front slope. Among an outstanding set of par 4’s is perhaps the best, the 429-yard 9th which starts from an elevated tee box and winds perilously close to a wetland/lake and around a set of pines to a wide but narrow green fronted by a portion of the same water hazard and guarded in back by bunkers. This hole is visually stunning, worthy of placement among the state's top designs.

"The golf course gets your attention, but it doesn’t beat you up" the former U.S. amateur champion Harvie Ward, a long-time area resident and a club founding member was quoted in the Sept/Oct 1999 issue of Pinehurst Magazine. "It's got a nice mix of holes. It’s a good test, but you don’t feel like you have been in a fistfight. And it's got the best greens I think I've seen."

Forest Creek may be the best private golf club and residential community you’ve ever seen, and when you visit Pinehurst, it would be worth your while to go over and visit it. Owning property at Forest Creek is a prerequisite of membership in the golf club. There are a variety of lots still available but the supply is diminishing fast. For those considering a second home in the Pinehurst area or perhaps moving permanently to the Sandhills, Forest Creek may be a viable choice, especially if privacy and high quality living are your priorities. The golf club accepts no outside play.

The club’s next phases of development include an expanded main clubhouse overlooking the 9th and 18th greens, a business center, an Olympic-size swimming pool and tennis courts, and the completion of hiking and biking trails. The club has set a limit on membership of 750, ensuring an uncrowded, unhurried atmosphere both on and off the courses. 

For more information, call 1-910-295-9000.

Click On A Course Below To Continue:

Pinehurst Resort | Forest Creek | Pine Needles/ Mid Pines | The National
Legacy | Hyland Hills | Foxfire | Woodlake | Pine Crest Inn
Pinehurst Area Introduction 

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Alan B. Nichols is a professional golf-travel writer residing in Bethesda, MD.
He is the featured golf-travel writer for GolfLink. Alan appreciates your
comments on his features and the courses he has written about. 
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