Life

Pinehurst is a golf mecca. I guess you could also call it a tennis destination or a croquet spot but golf pretty much takes center stage there. With 8 courses, including one of the best in the country, it is a spot I find hard to believe it took me so long to get to.

We (Mike, Sam and I) flew into Raleigh Durham leaving us an hour and a half drive to Pinehurst. When we arrived, we found out we weren't staying at the Carolina Hotel but had a condo on a course. It actually worked out better and probably saved us a bit on our bar bill. We met Dave at the condo, unpacked and had a few drinks and headed to one of the many restaurants in town for dinner. Dottie Pepper and Roger Maltbie sat at the table next to us. Then we went back to the condo for drinks on the deck and talked business late into the night.

Pinehurst is great because they have an extensive shuttle service. Once you park your car, you never have to drive the whole time you are there, including the village. In fact, someone said that the resort essentially owns the village. The other memory I'll take back from Pinehurst is that it was hot. I'm talking 95 degrees with steaming humidity. Man, you sweat down there.

We golfed #4 the first day. It will host the U.S. Amateur next year and was a beauty. Prior to golfing, we of course hit the driving range. There were a lot of young women there with beautiful swings. The U.S. Women's Open was starting the next day nearby and I think some of the pros were practicing at Pinehurst with their swing coaches. We also found out that there was some junior tournament going on at the time and the North South Championship was starting the following Monday. After our round, we ate in the village and then went back to the condo for naps. Dave and Sam went to the Carolina for massages, Mike and I went to the bar for some cocktails. That evening we went back to the Carolina for dinner, it was included in our package (that was picked up by Duke Energy by the way) and had a nice meal.

Thursday we golfed #8. It was actually probably the toughest of the three courses we golfed. Duke had a tab with the beer cart so we had a fun time. After golf, we headed over on the shuttle to the U.S. Open. As soon as we arrived, there was a weather delay so we went to the Duke hospitality tent and had a couple cold ones. Then we shuttled back and headed out to dinner again. Everyone was in bed by 9:15, anxious to golf #2 at 7:30 a.m.

#2 is a great golf course. But its not the toughest in the world. The rough was short and the fairways wide. Of course, I didn't play very well but that had everything to do with my iron play. We took caddies out and walked which was nice. We had to bug out a few holes early to head to the airport and get back to Cbus.

It was a great trip. I'll definitely go back to Pinehurst.