Sandhills NC Golf Vacation

[floggerrushmd]

My dad and I are making our first trip to the sandhills region of NC next weekend (7/25-7/27). Three days three rounds. We are playing Tallamore resort course, Legacy Golf Links, and Tobacco Road. I was wondering if anyone here had played any of these courses and if so had any advice.

[DrivetheGreen66]

I have played Legacy and it is a great golf course. The other two i am supposed to play at the beginning of August. Let me know how they are

[Eracer]

Please don't take this post the wrong way, but I'm curious why people ask about "advice" when they're going to play a new course. You go there, you pay money, you play golf.

What advice could someone possibly give? Stay out of the bunkers? Watch out for the alligator on #13? Don't eat the tuna salad?

I just don't get it...

[MCDavis]

Legacy is a reasonable course that should allow you to shoot around your handicap first time out if you play smart. Get a yardage book and use it.

Never played Talamore or Tobacco Road (and I live 15 miles from TR). Know squat about Talamore. TR will be tough your first time out. Take some extra balls and again, use the yardage book and play as it suggests. I would expect you to play 5-7 strokes higher than usual based strictly on what I've heard.

[floggerrushmd]

Originally Posted by DrivetheGreen66

I have played Legacy and it is a great golf course. The other two i am supposed to play at the beginning of August. Let me know how they are

I will post a full report on the courses. I am really looking forward to it.

Eracer - the reason I ask is because sometimes there are holes that even with a yardage book it is very easy to make a stupid play. Like Springfield in Charlotte there are two holes one a par 4 and one a par 5 that have huge ravines in front of the green. The yardage book shows the ravine but fails to mention that unless you lay up 50 yds short of where it says the ravine starts you will end up in the ravine. Just looking for that little tid bit of local knowledge that keeps you from getting frustrated at hitting a good shot and having it end up in trouble that you didn't know was there.

[MyBluC4]

I never been to the Sandhills, but noted you are playing Tobacco Road. Designed by one of my favorites, the late, great Mike Strantz who also designed Caledonia and True Blue in Myrtle Beach and was the designer director for Legend's Parkland course there as well. I'm sure this course will be stunning. The brochure says, "Best New Course in NC" by Golf Magazine, "2007 NGCOA Course of the Year", Top 10 Upscale Places You Can Play" by Golfweek and a 4.5 star rating from Golf Digest.
Let us know how you liked it.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by floggerrushmd

I will post a full report on the courses. I am really looking forward to it.

Eracer - the reason I ask is because sometimes there are holes that even with a yardage book it is very easy to make a stupid play. Like Springfield in Charlotte there are two holes one a par 4 and one a par 5 that have huge ravines in front of the green. The yardage book shows the ravine but fails to mention that unless you lay up 50 yds short of where it says the ravine starts you will end up in the ravine. Just looking for that little tid bit of local knowledge that keeps you from getting frustrated at hitting a good shot and having it end up in trouble that you didn't know was there.

That makes sense. I have to say that I can think of very few situations like that. One that comes to mind is a course in San Diego that plays around a mountain. My advice would be to remember that ALL PUTTS BREAK AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAIN, no matter what it looks like. I actually six-putted on one of them because my mind wouldn't accept that what my eyes were seeing was a damned lie, lol.

And you're right - it never hurts to ask.

[The Salt Vampire]

Have played Tobacco Road. It is crazy. Like one of those crazy golf dreams you have in the morning after you have had too much whiskey and need to hit the snooze alarm a half dozen times.

I loved it, but the guy I played with hated it. Really tough. For him it is about score and who wins the $5 at the end of the day.

My best advice about it would to try and ignore the trouble. There are a lot of visually intimidating looks and mounds and sand and water, that really should not be in play. Be patient. Play it twice if you can.

[floggerrushmd]

So I have returned from my golfing adventure to the sandhills region of NC. My dad and I had an absolute blast, and played the best golf of the year for ourselves. The first course we played was Tallamore Resort Course. Very pretty, no holes will jump out and stick in your memory as unbelievably beautiful or quirky but it leaves you feeling like you played a quality golf course afterwards. I recommend it but I am sure there are other courses in the area which you would be just as happy on.

The second course we played was Legacy Golf Links. This was my dad’s favorite, and will all of the beautiful holes spread evenly throughout the course I really enjoyed this one. It is an easy course, lots of wide fairways. If you miss the fairway here you have done something seriously wrong. There is only one quirky hole that I can think of (hole 15). If you play it I highly recommend that you take a ride in your cart up the hill to the fairway to see what you are dealing with. It is a short par 4 with a sharp dogleg left, and the last 100 or so yards of the fairway run away from you. One that if we had not been paired with two guys who had played the course before we would have hit into trouble on. Other than that this course was breathtaking, spectacular views, true golf holes. This was a must play, and with how forgiving the course is I recommend it as a first of the trip.

The last course we played was Tobacco Road. I have to preface this by saying that as a 5 handicap I absolutely loved this course. I think there are two tee shots all day that aren’t blind, and maybe as many greens. It is a shot makers course, if you do not hit your clubs consistently and know exactly how far you hit them in the air you will not have fun on this course. I also recommend that you play with people around your same skill level, playing with my dad and two other guys who were around 16-18 handicaps it was just not fun to watch the punishment that was doled out to them. If you enjoy a course that makes you think about every single shot for a few minutes before you hit it, and you have the ability to produce the shot you intended more often than not you will enjoy this course. If not I would recommend you bypass Tobacco Road. And if you are above a 18 handicap I would not even consider this course all it will do is frustrate you.

With all of the beautiful looking courses that my dad and I drove past during our stay in the sandhills region I can honestly say that this review of three courses does not even scratch the tip of the iceberg that is the beautiful golf courses in this area of NC.

[DrivetheGreen66]

so what did you shoot at the three courses???

[floggerrushmd]

I shot 83 at tallamore, 79 at legacy, and 80 at Tobacco Road. The worst part is I only missed 4 fairways on all three courses combined. My short game deserted me like a rat in a sinking ship.