Talamore Golf Resort

Everything was great, but tee times were stacked up to the point of 4+ hours of playing with a lot of waiting behind multiple groups still on the tee box. We barely finished before dark and the last two holes were impossible to see.

In 1991, the owners of Talamore Golf Club handpicked Rees Jones to design the golf course. They were looking for a one-of-a-kind golf course in the Sandhills, and Jones solidly delivered!

Talamore features over 150 ft. of elevation change, lakes, wetlands, massive bunkers including waste bunkers, and towering longleaf pine trees. Jones created Talamore to be more of a thinking man’s golf course, one which requires position and control over brute strength. You’ll have to manufacture shots if you want to score well.

In 2017, Talamore made some monumental changes to the green complexes. They were restored to their original 1991 dimensions and the putting surface was changed from Bentgrass to Champion Bermuda. They now have a truer roll and a lot more speed. In addition, 5-foot TifEagle Bermuda green collars were also added around each green. Many bunkers were removed, and several areas were re-contoured to blend in with the surrounding terrain, providing more forgiveness in the landing zones and around the greens.

Talamore is also home to the only sod wall bunkers in the Sandhills area. Talamore worked with Ecobunkers USA to create these wonderful sand traps because they are a lot easier to maintain. On average, 3-5% of any well-designed golf course is occupied by bunkers, yet they typically eat up 25-35% of the maintenance budget. Ecobunkers used layer upon layer of recycled AstroTurf to create the sod-wall effect - as many as 5,200 pieces – per bunker. This eliminates soil erosion, edging, plugged lies, and burrowing animals and makes maintenance of each bunker a lot less time-consuming.

Talamore starts with a classic golf hole. It’s a long par 5 that plays 564 yards from the White Tees. Longball hitters need to be aware of the marshy area on the right side that can come into play off the tee if you don't keep it far enough left. You’ll get some extra distance off the tee as the fairway plays downhill, Play your layup out to the left to get around the bend. Your approach shot plays uphill onto a large green with a bunker that sits about 5 feet below it. Be sure to take enough club on your approach to compensate for the uphill.

The 2nd hole is a 164-yard par three that for many golfers, will be their first introduction to sod-walled bunkers. There are two of them that sit directly between the tee and green; they also sit about 6 feet below the putting surface. Get up against them and you might have to chip out sideways or backward to hit your next shot. Fly your tee shot onto the green for best results; bump-and-run is not advised!

When packaged together, the Mid South Club and Talamore are a formidable pair that will rival any two-course combination in the area. Throw in a few other local courses and you’ve got a golf vacation that will produce lifelong memories.

The golf course is awesome. Fantastic layout. It had rained a lot leading up to our round so was cart path only. So the course was pretty wet. Greens rolled really nice. They had mats for the par 3 tee boxes which I did not mind due to the wet ground. The staff was working on some of the bunkers. Some did not have any sand just gravel in them. The ones that were completed were exceptionally done. Cannot wait to play here when it dries up and all the bunkers are completed.

They are redoing the majority of the bunkers to make them steep faced walled bunkers. You can count on an extra shot if you're up close. This will totally change this course.

The course was in great shape following heavy rains.

I’ve played a lot of the Pinehurst area courses and this one is right up there with the best of them. Outstanding off-season value vs the more expensive tracks. Greens were perfect, course was super unique with pot bunkers spread throughout and overall interesting layout that was very playable. Will definitely be playing again soon

Course was in good shape for winter golf. Greens, tees, and bunkers all were playable - they have mats on the Par 3 tees, understandable to protect the tees, but makes playing a long iron an extra challenge. A couple of the Par 3's are quite long. The llamas are a special treat to see. Choose your tee box wisely, the cold weather really lengthens the course.

This course is fantastic! The layout is great with some unusual holes that require strategic shots. Greens have multiple levels which makes for tough putts if your approach shot isn't accurate. The course is in great shape and the greens are true and relatively fast. And whatever you do, stay away from the pot bunkers that are all around the greens! Will definitely play again in the future. One of my favorite courses!

Awesome day of golf. Had never played this course before but was very impressed with the course, staff, layout, bar area. Had a great day, will definitely be back.

Had an early morning time so I could get home for a family gathering for the holidays. It was cold but no delay, the bar was open and ready. Course was in good shape like always and it’s always good to see Tag Leon in the golf shop.