Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club

Mid Pines is Donald Ross at a more intimate scale. The course was built in 1921 for the Tufts family as a companion to their growing Pinehurst operation, and it has retained the character of a neighbourhood course even as its reputation has grown. The 2013 restoration by Kyle Franz removed trees that had encroached on the original sight lines, reintroduced natural waste areas, and returned the green surrounds to closely mown turf. The result is a course that plays as Ross intended: along the ground, with the bounce and roll of approach shots as important as their flight.

At 6,515 yards from the tips, Mid Pines does not intimidate from the scorecard. The challenge is positional. Fairways tilt and pitch across gentle terrain, and the correct side of the fairway determines whether the approach shot can hold the green. The greens themselves are smaller and flatter than No. 2's but tilted at angles that reject approaches from the wrong position. The par 3s are particularly strong, with the 6th playing uphill to a green that slopes away from the player and the 13th dropping to a green framed by pines.

The property includes the Mid Pines Inn, a 1921 lodge that has been tastefully maintained without losing its period character. Stay-and-play packages represent genuine value compared to the resort properties, and the proximity to Pinehurst No. 2 (less than 10 minutes) makes it a practical base for a Sandhills trip.

The pace of play is typically faster than the Pinehurst Resort courses, and the atmosphere is less formal. Mid Pines is the kind of course that improves on repeated play, where the subtleties of Ross's green contours reveal themselves over multiple rounds rather than announcing themselves on first encounter.