Pinehurst No. 8

Pinehurst is one of my favorite areas in North Carolina to play golf. On one of my most recent trips to the area, I played both Pinehurst no. 2 (review here) and no. 8. The resort has a total of eight courses, and more information on the overall features of the resort can be found in the no. 2 post linked above. 

Pinehurst 8 is located "off-site" and is a short five minute drive from the clubhouse and village. The course is a Tom Fazio design and was opened in 1996 to commemorate the centennial year of the Pinehurst resort. I find no. 8 to be one of the most enjoyable courses at the resort to play. It could be argued that no. 4 is a stronger golf course, but the two designs were built in different eras and have two completely different objectives. If you go into no. 8 expecting something to rival no. 2, you will be disappointed. Instead, go into the round looking forward to a perfectly manicured course and a different taste of Pinehurst golf. 

The Carolina Hotel

It is said that Fazio tried to channel certain features of Donald Ross in his design of no. 8. False fronts and swales surrounding the green do harken back to Ross, but the feel of the course is overwhelmingly Fazio. I am a fan of the utilization of natural wetlands on the course. The large wetland areas on the back nine cannot be found elsewhere at Pinehurst, and the course is strengthened because of their presence.

No. 8 re-did their greens this past off season, switching from bent grass to a hot climate-friendly bermuda grass. The greens had not quite settled when we played the course and although beautifully smooth, they were very bouncy and didn't hold approach shots well. 

Hole #1 - 338 yards

The course begins with a simple hole and blind tee shot. A long or mid iron down the fairway leaves a wedge into the green. While the hole may appear easy, when the greens are firm, a wayward approach can quickly lead to an opening bogey.

Hole #2 - 532 yards

The par 5 second has always been one of my favorite holes on the course. A draw is needed off the tee, a cut is needed for the layup, and a draw is needed for the approach. Longer hitters can hit two power draws, and any miss left is in grave danger.

Hole #3 - 377 yards

The third looks simple enough on the score card, but any wayward shot is magnified. Fairway bunkers guarding the left are well within play, and the optimal line into the green (if the pin is on the right) is on the left half of the fairway. A massive bunker guards short right of the green.

Hole #4 - 438 yards

The 5th hole is the golfer's first encounter of the waste bunkers for which Pinehurst is so well known. If possible, the play is to cut off a bit of the waste bunker on the left in order to catch the downhill slope towards the green. Playing down the center of the fairway leaves a long downhill shot the well guarded putting surface.

Hole #6 - 584 yards

This long par 5 is another one of Fazio's snaking holes requiring movement of the ball in multiple directions. A cut off the tee is followed by a draw into the green. Missing left at any point is deadly. Three great shots will result in a birdie putt. Anything short of three stellar shots and you have bogeyed the hole.

Hole #8 - 201 yards

The 8th hole is a typical Fazio par 3. It is similar to the second hole at Forest Creek's North Course (review here) with a safe side left and large bunker / hazard guarding the right. Aim for the center of the green and happily take the par.

Hole #9 - 418 yards

The 9th is an acute dogleg right. The picture above was taken where a well struck drive would end. The green is extremely large and has two peninsulas back left and right providing, for very tough pin positions. 

Hole #11 - 574 yards

The 11th is another long and difficult par 5. The left to right slope of the fairway doesn't fully come through in the photos. A draw off the tee (that avoids the left hand bunkers) is needed, followed by two more nice draws to reach the slightly elevated green. The correct miss is short of the green. A deep bunker off the right hand side can be seen in the photo above.

Hole #12 - 328 yards

The short yardage of this hole is not indicative of its difficulty. This is especially true depending on where the pin is located. A long iron to the bend of the dogleg leaves a short wedge down the hill to the green. A back right pin is very difficult. However, a front pin, like the one seen above, is fairly easy and the hole becomes very birdie-able.

Hole #13 - 184 yards

The 13th hole has stuck in my mind since the first time I played the course. Bunkers and trees left and right of the green are intimidating, and while it looks like the slope on the right continues up the green, it actually ends about 30 yards short. It simply takes a very well struck iron to hit this green. No tricks or gimmicks.

Hole #14 - 363 yards

The 14th is another hole that stands out thinking back on the round. The natural marshland is featured in a forced carry to reach the fairway. The drive is risk / reward, and golfers can cut off as much as they dare. A good drive leaves around 135 yards into the green. While it doesn't come directly into play, the marsh on the left creates a subconscious worry during the approach shot. 

 Hole #16 - 381 yards

An uphill and fairly blind tee shot that avoids left hand bunkers leaves an approach shot from the point at which this photo was taken. A sloping green provides for many tough pins and a false front guards a front pin.

Hole #17 - 489 yards

The 17th is yet another strong par 5 on the course. A cut drive or a strong draw over the waste area leave the opportunity for longer hitters to reach the green in two shots. In the second photo, I am seen hitting my approach shot from 200 yards to a difficult pin placed just over the bunkers. It is one of those picturesque and challenging shots that you wish you could practice all day long.

Hole #18 - 426 yards

The 18th is a strong finishing hole capping off an enjoyable and challenging round of golf. The water feature and bunker in front of the tee are purely aesthetic and do little to add to the strength of the hole. The real challenge is the slope of the green. The second photo above is taken from the side of the green, and doesn't fully do the slopes justice. Approach shots can also vary greatly in distance depending on pin positions.

If you are taking a trip to Pinehurst, I would suggest playing numbers 2, 4, and 8 before playing any of the other courses at the resort. While no. 2 has been refurbished and has lost quite a bit of its "resort" feel, no. 8 has 100% of the resort feeling, but that is okay! The round will be very enjoyable, and I guarantee you'll savor the break from the punishing bunkers and slopes of numbers 2 and 4.

Forest Creek Golf Club (North Course)

I was fortunate enough to stay two nights in the clubhouse at Forest Creek. I played both their North and South courses with the owner and two founders of the club. Forest Creek is one of two private clubs in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. The vision for the club began in the early 90’s when the owner inherited 1,500 acres of land in Southern Pines. Over a decade later, that land contains two Fazio design courses, possibly the best facilities in the area, and around 500 members who are lucky enough to say they belong to Forest Creek.

The club was built on the exclusive private community model that commonly failed elsewhere during the 2008 financial crisis. One must be a property owner at Forest Creek in order to become a member. There is no unaccompanied guest play and the courses get fairly little play. One of the members with whom I spoke said, “Other than the golf and facilities, it is the privacy and ability to play a round without seeing another soul that I am paying for... Where else in Pinehurst could I get this?” The member has a point. Most people don’t even know Forest Creek exists and, on any given day, you most likely don’t even need a tee time to get out and play a round of golf.

The clubhouse at Forest Creek has everything a golfer could desire, from an extensive bar to beautiful accommodations upstairs. However, it is the locker room that cannot go unmentioned. Forest Creek’s locker room stands at the juncture of traditional old hardwood and leather locker rooms and the best of the modern. The locker room is a different building from the clubhouse and is built to resemble stables that would have originally been found on the property.

Forest Creek's clubhouse

Huge showers, a sauna, a steam room, and a bar with large sitting area and fireplace are all found in the locker room. Locker room attendants address members and guests by name. In the morning a table of breakfast foods had been laid out for members and, during lunch hours, hot wings and other snacks were waiting for members and guests. Ornate oiled leather riding saddles line one wall, in keeping with the stable house theme. Michael Jordan is a member at Forest Creek, and I was lucky enough to use his locker during my stay.

Forest Creek GC's stable style men's locker room building

The North Course:

A common complaint of Tom Fazio designs is that they seem to lack character. It is said a Fazio design could be “plopped down anywhere.” I have been able to play many Fazio designs and tend to somewhat agree. However, I found Forest Creek’s North Course to be unique from other Fazio courses that I have played. The course makes use of the local sandy terrain, with large “natural areas” that can also be found at Pinehurst #2, and now Mid-Pines, among other Sandhills/Southern Pines area courses. Parts of the course have a distinct Pine Valley feel, which I hope comes through in the photos.

  Hole #1 - 370 yards

A short first hole eases golfers into the round with a slight dogleg left. Waste areas down the left are a small taste of the larger hazards lurking later in the round.

Hole #2 - 185 yards

While picturesque, the 2nd hole is a typical Fazio par 3, reminding me very strongly of the 8th hole on Pinehurst #8. The hole requires a strong and accurate shot with penal bunkers guarding the green.

Hole #3 - 522 yards

View from the tee

View from 200 yards out

The 3rd hole is the first taste of Pine Valley at Forest Creek's North Course. The par 5 is a double dog leg, first moving right off the tee before curving back left for the approach shot. A long and accurate drive makes the green reachable, but otherwise, the hole is a difficult 3-shotter.

 Hole #4 - 159 yards

The par 3 4th hole played tough during our round with a back left pin, which is guarded by the front left bunker.

Hole #6 - 360 yards

A number of holes at Forest Creek feature a semi-blind uphill tee shot followed by a downhill approach to a well guarded green. Hitting the fairway is a necessity on these holes. A driver isn't necessary on the 6th hole, and a long straight tee shot provides a short iron or wedge into the green.

 Hole #7 - 427 yards

The tee shot on the 7th is similar to the tee shot on the 6th, but the approach to the green is different altogether, and much longer. A good drive on this hole left me 165 yards into the green, which plays much more downhill than the picture leads one to believe.

Hole #10 - 532 yards

The par 5s on Forest Creek's North Course are very strong. The 10th hole was one of  my favorites. It is long enough to be just out of reach for some longer hitters, and placement of the layup is crucial, depending on the pin position. Bunkers and a large false front guard the green and shirk off any mediocre approach shots.

Hole #12 - 386 yards

The 12th hole is one of the strongest on the course. To quote my host for the round, "This is where the course really starts to take off." An uphill, dogleg left approach leaves another uphill shot to the devilishly guarded green. This was one of my favorite holes on the course. The bunkering is genius and I doubt you could find a similar hole to the 12th on another Fazio course.

Hole #13 - 350 yards

The short par 4 13th would initially appear easy, and if you hit the fairway with plenty of distance, the hole should be no problem at all. A straight drive over waste areas leaves a downhill dogleg left approach to the green. Laying up short of the dogleg bend or missing the fairway turns this otherwise easy hole into a quick bogey.

Hole #15 - 403 yards

Holes 15-17 all feature a man-made lake built while developing the property. The 15th requires a long and accurate drive to clear the lake. The water then borders the right side of the green, a potentially challenging hazard, depending on the pin position.

Hole #16 - 185 yards

The 16th hole is a long par 3. Scoring well on the hole is as simple as striking a mid to long iron into the center of the green. As with most Fazio designs, the hole is right out in front of you, but if you miss, a heavy price will be paid. Very few forced carries are to be found at Forest Creek's North Course.

Hole #17 - 386 yards

The 17th is one of the most picturesque holes on the course. A risk/reward aspect to the drive leaves golfers deciding how much of the lake they want to cut off. You can't necessarily relax once in the fairway because the lake hugs the right side of the green. While the lake may not directly come into play with a front pin, it subconsciously affects every approach shot.

Hole #18 - 495 yards

The round finishes on an uphill dogleg right par 5. The waste areas through the fairway are reachable for longer hitters. An uphill approach to a well bunkered green sloping back to front ends the round on a high note. 

If given the chance to play either course at Forest Creek, don’t turn down the opportunity. Park your car next to the Ferraris and Bentleys in the parking lot and make your way into the lavish clubhouse. Make the most of the Titleist Pro-V1 practice balls and 5 star locker room before you have to leave the property and crash back down to reality with the rest of us.