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

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National Golf Club Offers Convenience
And Pinehurst's Only Nicklaus Layout

Want some insight on what the National Golf Club is like? Just ask Tom Parsons, director of golf at the semi-private golf club located near the Village off Pinehurst off Midland Road.

"We’re here for the purist who wants a challenge," Parsons says of the course, the centerpiece of a club that has had a series of owners. "Our greens are so large that just changing the pin locations changes the golf course substantially.

"It’s not severe off the tees. There’s plenty of room for your drive. It’s the green complexes that make this course a real challenge. From the back tees, it’s a real tester for top players, but from the right tees it a very fair course. People love it."

"If you can manage to get through the first five holes all right, you should do well here."

National Golf Club features a signature Jack Nicklaus design that can be devilishly tricky. The first five holes are very hard no matter where you tee it up. The opener is 390 yards from the whites. The green elongates diagonally from left to right and is very long. It sits on a rise and is guarded by steep bunkers, a common characteristic of the course. A long par 3 second over water is followed by a demanding 380 yard (415 from the tips) dogleg right par 4 through the pines that plays much longer than the yardage. The 547-yard 4th (570 yards from the back) bends right around a lake and then climbs dramatically up to the green and is one of the most demanding par 5’s I have ever played. The 5th is 439 yards from the back, and it takes a good wallop to reach the top of a crest from where you can see the green. The huge and undulating green sits directly over a creek and is fortified by a brick wall front.

Phew! I’ve now gotten through those opening five holes Parsons referred to. Now I can relax and really score well. Not so fast. The next three holes are par 4’s of nearly 400 yards each (all are well over 400 from the back) and play longer than they look. The 8th is only 505 yards (535) but the green complex is typical of this course. A left back pin position is guarded by a super deep bunker with a gigantic mound. With the exception of right front, there is no other pin position on this green that is accessible, even with a masterful approach.

Like the front, the back 9 winds through sparsely developed rustic terrain of pines and other native trees and features a terrific dogleg right 10th hole around another lake (there is a fair amount of water on the course). The fairway is dissected by water but the hole can be reached with two excellent shots. The hole is scenically arresting.

Equally scenic is the other par 5 on the back that wends over the rolling terrain and at 501 (530) yards can also be reached in two. The 383-yard 16th is named "Castle Pines" for good reason, as it has the look and feel of a mountain hole (the reference is to Nicklaus course, Castle Pines, outside Denver) although the land is not hilly. The green is guarded by yet another deep and large bunker. The finishing hole is a monster featuring more water, a dogleg and a huge green. It is 434 yards (460 from the back).

With all due respect to Tom Parsons, I think the course is too hard for the average golfer. It is definitely interesting from a design perspective but the greens are treacherous, the bunkers many with some extremely deep, and the course is long. But that’s my opinion. When I asked a twosome putting out on the 5th hole what they thought of the course, they said, "It’s hard but we like it."

The National plays to a par of 72 and ranges from 5378 yards to 7122 yards. The slopes from the whites and tips are 132 and 137, respectively.

The private gated community and golf club was owned by a Japanese entrepreneur before he sold it to local developer Claude Smith. He sold it to the members who held it for a time before selling it back to Smith, who still owns it. The real estate operation on the wooded property is managed by Northgate Properties out of New Jersey. According to Parsons, there were only 125 lots to be sold as of July 2000.

Guests under a stay-and-play plan stay at privately owned villas outfitted with all the conveniences. They are situated along the 6th fairway next to the large pool and tennis courts.

When the club, which is served by a handsome clubhouse, reaches its membership goals, National will go entirely private, Parsons says.

For more information, call 1-800-471-4339. 

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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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