Pinehurst Resort & Country Club - No. 5

Wow, what a great experience. On our way back down to Tampa from the Northeast, we stopped a a friends house in Pinehurst Village for a couple days for my wife's birthday. We did have any expectations of playing on such short notice. The Pinehurst staff member at golf registration was exceptional. He got us out at 4:30 pm at the twilight rate (1/2 price). The course is plenty tough from the back tees. The pace of play was excellent and the course conditions were magnificent; moreover, the water and ice machines around the course were fantastic. We finished in plenty of time to enjoy the Pinehurst area restaurants.

We played No. 9 in the morning and loved it. We played No. 5 in the afternoon and were disappointed. The course was in fair to poor condition and the pace of play was poor. There were 2 groups on the tee at each hole and we waited on every shot from the tee and fairway. The amenities at Pinehurst are 2nd to none though. We played the 18 hole putting course that was a blast and we wish we would've played The Cradle instead of No. 5 now. The Cradle looks like a blast and they had music playing all afternoon. We ate lunch at The Deuce. Sit at the right-side of the bar and you'll have a perfect view of the 18 Green for No. 2.

No. 5 doesn't have the reputation of No. 2 or 8, but should be incorporated into any trip to Pinehurst. If you play one of the championship courses, you can play 1, 3 or 5 for cart fee only. Challenging holes over rolling hills with several dog-legs and forced carries over water. Pay attention to the grain of the greens. With the grain, putts can be very fast. Against the grain, velcro. Played 18 holes in 2hrs and 15 minutes on a weekend. Awesome!
Look for the bale of turtles on the 12th tee.

Played #5 twice in a 3 day stretch and it was awesome both times. It is Pinehurst for goodness sake so the course is naturally in excellent shape. The staff is the best I've experienced from Kapalua in Maui to Couer'Dalene Resort in Idaho to any course in the Myrtle Beach area. There are plenty of scoring holes and some that are harder than they look. If they ever decide to reduce the rough and let it go natural like they have on 2,3 and now 7 it will add some difficulty. Worth the play if you are staying at the resort or just passing through.

Having had the opportunities to play #'s 2-4-5-6-7 I would put #5 right in the middle of that pack. One of the true joys of playing it was that my best friend and I split a caddie for the day. Having that feel of being a "pro" for the day upgraded my experience on #5. If you do decide to go with a caddie on any of the resort courses ask for Mark Rice, great guy and a really good caddie. As for the course, it had it's moments, with a lot of out of bounds you MUST hit the ball straight off of the tee. The course also had some scenic holes including the par 3 downhill #15 which had a carry over a greenfront pond. I would recommend this course as an "affordable" alternative to 2-4-6-7 or 8. At half the price it still gives you a GREAT Pinehurst experience.