Dormie Club

I have played a fair amount of courses in the area and this is a Pinehurst area must play. The layout is sublime and at time you feel like you are the only one on the course.

I also got my first hole in one on the course on the 8th hole. Only negative is buddies and I went into the clubhouse to tell them and they couldn’t have been more indifferent about it.

Must play if you can get on.

Located in the Pine Needles/Pinehurst region, the place was amazing from teebox to cabin. Beautiful holes, challengely long par 3s, and tactical tee shots made it a golfer delight.

I’ve played all the Pinehurst area courses, with many memorable golf experiences.

Love all the Donald Ross courses, Tobacco Road magnificent, but DC is a contender for tops in area.

First of all, it’s never crowded. Everywhere else, at this time of year, is jammed.

The design is fantastic. Every hole a challenge of skill and strategy.

Zero real estate other than some cottages being built for members overnight stays.

Conditions are very good......I imagine in 6 weeks, it will be pristine.

Highly respected golf course lives up to its billing.

While #2 deservedly gets the accolades and both Pine Needles and Mid-Pines get their due, The Dormie Club is my preference in the Pinehurst area. The excellent setup which allows the course to be spread out and it's layout is diverse.

After hearing that this course would go private soon, we decided to make it part of our golf trip back in April. We thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it to be a good challenge. Pace of play was very good and found most fairways generous. I found them somewhat browned out and was expecting more green or lusher fairways. It didn't take away from the enjoyment of the course though. The course is off the beaten track and nothing around there which was fine because we just headed back into town for dinner. All in all a really nice course with wide fairways and generous greens and thoroughly enjoyed the round.

I was fortunate enough to get a round at Dormie Club as part of my recent Tobacco Road trip. This course is mostly private, and I think going fully private in 2020, so rounds will be harder to come by.

If there's one word I can use to describe Dormie Club, it's subtle. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this Coore/Crenshaw design, but it wasn't this. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that after playing Tobacco Road, I expected to be blown away by Dormie Club, and I wasn't. But once I had time to reflect on my round, I realized that Dormie Club is really really good!

Dormie Club greets you with wide fairways surrounded by waste areas and big greens with many subtle breaks. While the fairways are wide, there are definite advantages to playing to 1 side of the fairway, which you quickly discover.

They space tee times out 12 minutes, so pace of play is fantastic and you often feel like you have the course to yourself. There is plenty of elevation change and the routing moves all over the property, such that you have no idea where you really are in relation to the clubhouse.

My one complaint about Dormie Club is the course didn't play fast enough. It was raining on and off, but it was a very light rain, and leading up to this rain event, they had been very dry. One of our guys in our group talked to the clubhouse staff and learned they had been watering a lot. To truly play as Coore/Crenshaw envisioned, this course needs to play firmer and faster than it was.

Dormie Club does have, maybe my favorite set of par 3s I've ever played. I never used the same club twice on the par 3s, and there was one very short 3 (#12) which I love. So interesting and fun!

My favorite hole is the par 4 , 15th hole. The tee shot asks you to decide how much you want to cut off, then the approach is semi-blind to the green. If you err left on your approach, it will still feed onto the green.

I recommend playing Dormie Club if you get the chance. It's just a relaxing place for a fun round of golf.

Dormie Club a place to get to before it goes private in what sounds like a very cool national membership type thing.

Played Dormie on a package through Talamore which was great to work with I highly suggest using them if your in the area.

Course started off similar to most NC courses. Cut through the woods lots of waste bunkers and big fairways. Then you get a little farther into the course and man is it rugged and plays long. Group was 4 golfers of 4-8 handicappers and we moved an extra tee box at 9 because it was crazy tough.

No. 3 was a great short par 4 but with a bunch of tiers on the green and if you didnt hit the right one you were putting from 20 yards off. Finally 17 is an awesome par 5 you look back from green and go wow that was tough. Tee shot isnt to tough but if you miss the fairway your in trouble for your 2nd. There is a massive bunker 60 yards long in the middle of the fairway. So you can risk getting over it but it is drastically up hill. Smart play is to lay up butt still left with a 7 or 8 iron in to a tough green with a nasty green side bunker.

Dormie is place to get to and there is no way to describe it other than Rugged it just is tough shot after shot after shot. But still fun.

The Dormie Club is a course we felt we needed to play a second time since the first time we played it two years ago was the day after a tropical storm headed to The area. And boy are we glad we did, other than the recently aerated greens the course was real,y great to play. The layout here is really fantastic and a lot of the shots that you can make a pretty fair, especially after two. The greens were undulating and you really have to think your way around every green. As some of you know this course is going private in a year to a year and a half and I would highly recommend you get to it before it does. This should be on every itinerary when you’re going to the Pinehurst area.

If you love golf course architecture, you won't want to miss Dormie. There is tons of width to the fairways, but the only lulls you in. You really need to be on the correct angles to score well here. The greens dictate exactly where you need to place your ball. There also are some great risk/reward shots on the course. Overall, the course is extremely playable for all skill levels, and it is one of my favorite designs in the area.

The clubhouse is very spartan. This isn't a club that put a ton of dollars there. It is all about the golf only. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Treated us like we were members of the club.

Course conditions were very solid when I played. I know there were some that experienced sub-par conditions in previous years. It seems the new ownership/management team has turned this around completely.

The Dormie Club is a premium course you can't miss while in the Pinehurst area. With its transition to a private course in the next two years, you will want to get that public round in while you can.

Course was in absolutely perfect condition, and the scenic feel is great. I enjoyed the natural aspect of it with the sand cart paths, no houses, etc. Very scenic and natural course, with absolutely perfect fairways and greens on which to play. Anyone who gives less than a favorable review to this course must only play top 20 courses....and I still don't see how they would not provide a good review. A few of the par 4s are short (especially if play from whites) but that is where strategy comes into play obviously!

Very nice golf. All natural look if that's what you like. ? but if you stray to far you will be in trouble. Dirt cart paths and parking.

Friends - this course was awesome. Been traveling to play golf in the Sandhills region for 15 years now. By far my favorite course down there (we have not played at the Pinehurst Resort), with Mid-Pines a close second.

A few things about the course:

First, it was in absolute spectacular condition. Everything was perfect. And oh my, what a wonderful piece of property. Just beautiful. On many holes, you feel isolated like you're on your own course. On a few others you can see other groups so you know you're not out there by yourself. It was fun to watch guys hit into the 9 green from the 10 tee box.

The clubhouse is nothing special. We were there for golf and a meal in between our two rounds at Dormie. What they had was fine by us. Food was good, beers were cold. For our afternoon round, the halfway house was closed. They told us we could call the clubhouse if we wanted food, drinks, ice, whatever and they would run it out to us. That was a touch of class, especially since we were the only 3 groups on the course in the afternoon.

Speaking of the course, be prepared for a complete challenge on the greens. The complexes were very firm and fast and many of them had multiple levels/tiers/slopes. This presented both advantages and challenges. Being able to play chip/pitch shots away from the hole and use the slopes to get it close was fun. Hitting a green in regulation and being 30 feet away with no chance to keep it inside of 10 feet was not so much fun.

For our first round, we played on our ball from the split blue/white tees and that was about perfect for our group. Low man shot 74 (scratch player), high score was 108 (15 handicap). Our players were mostly mid/high handicappers (12 players). We played 4 man scramble in afternoon from white tees and that was super fun with a few drivable par 4's and reachable par 5's in the mix.

The only hole that didn't make sense was the par 4 15th. It didn't seem like a very fair hole, especially with as firm as the greens were. The blind second shot if landed short to account for the firm green bounded over the green because of the severe mound in front of the green. Over the green = dead. Carried too far onto the green to avoid the downslope = same thing, over the green and dead. That was our group's only complaint.

This is definitely a course you want to play once or twice. There are a couple of blind tee shots and knowing the green complexes will help you better understand where to hit it/miss it.

*note: the yardage book provides zero information on the greens, nor was there a guide as to where the pins were located. That was a bit of a bummer.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. Coore/Crenshaw really did an excellent job creating a "golf" experience. We hope we'll have a chance to play there again on a future trip.

This golf course is underrated. If you’re looking for a high end clubhouse for you and your 20 handicappers to enjoy a vodka tonic after the round, don’t come. But if you’re a golf junkie who appreciates the art of course design, come. That’s what I love the most about this place, it’s minimalistic design. From the clubhouse, the putting green, and driving range to the parking lot in between the pines w/ no pavement. It’s all so simple, yet so perfect. This is one of my favorite golf courses I’ve ever played and I’ve played some good ones.

The first 3 holes start you off on a nice loop out from the clubhouse and back. Then you work your way down the fourth and in my opinion, you get lost. The course works it’s way back into the North Carolina beauty that so many people love about the Pinehurst area (Rolling hills, natural waste areas/bunkering). If you think 6 is blind tee shot, just look at the trees working their way in closer and closer and that’s the path you should take, right in the middle of that. Same goes with 13. In my opinion the course ramps up on hole 10. A 650 yard beast that requires 3 good shots to get there. After this hole, take a second and try to think where you are. I get a feeling of being lost, or having no sense of direction which is in my opinion one of the greatest feelings you can have on a golf course. It’s just you and the course. Coore and crenshaw did a great job of making This course as natural as they come. After a great hole 10 you work your way through a fantastic 8 More holes of golf in which no 2 are in the same ballpark of being similar. The closing stretch of 15-18 is eye opening. You have to see it to believe it.

The course was in very good shape and I will be back, many times. The dormie club is one of the most unique, beautiful, and natural golf courses you will ever play. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This was supposed to be a private club when it was created. It is semi-private but was just bought with the idea of making it private again. Therefore, come here while you can.

You will get the Coore/Crenshaw treatment of wide fairways, speed slots in fairways, excellent bunkering and interesting greens. Although the fairways are wide, the closer you flirt with hazards, the more you are rewarded with the ideal approach.

This layout is hillier and has some water hazards when compared to Pinehurst. There are short par 4s and variety in all par holes. The 17th hole might be the only question as there is a large cross bunker at the base of a hill. Unless you had a massive drive, going over it in two might not be possible and a lay up/long third is inevitable. Didn’t seem like their design ethos, but it is only one hole.

If in the Pinehurst area, I recommend this; however, call ahead as there are outings here. This caused a pace of play issue on the day I was there. The people I played with say that can be a problem so check first. The course is definitely a good one.

Played Dormie a couple years ago and wanted to get back. Our group played on a perfect late November day and found Great course conditions and a Very friendly staff. Another great Coore/Crenshaw design that blends in with the lay of the land and is a real challenge.

After reading previous reviews, I got what I expected. Course conditions were good. Nothing spectacular. We got a good rate. Wouldn't go back to pay the premium rate. Pet peeve, don't charge for range balls. Build it into the price.

Let's just say the "hype machine" was in full effect and the main draw to play Dormie Club. My golf group played there in early October this year. We had booked the course on our package to the Pinehurst area twice previously and both times got rained out so our eagerness and anticipation to play there had increased over the past few years. Unfortunately … the experience didn't live up to the hype. Although its a good course, it certainly didn’t live up to the rankings I’ve seen it receive as one of the top courses in all of North Carolina. I’ve played many courses from central Carolina to the coast that were as good or better with as good or more interesting layouts and much more worth the value.

Visually the course is very pleasing to the eye with its rustic appearance but not as playable to all levels from start to finish as one might think. There a few holes that don’t seem to fit the rest of the golf course. Although I respect the course architects, Coore & Crenshaw, there were definitely some head scratchers in the layout depending upon the tee boxes played particularly #8, #15 & #17. I’m a single digit handicap but myself and a few other good players played the white tees with the rest of the group for pace of play. I probably would have had a better appreciation for the layout had I played from the blue or black tees and rally enjoyed the way it was meant to be played. The up tees just seemed more of an afterthought than at some other courses that offer great challenge and enjoyment regardless of the tees played. And, although the greens were in very good shape with most of the fairways as well, the tee boxes were no better than a basic muni course … pretty rough. Let’s not get started about the lack luster clubhouse and the snack “shed” between nines … not what I would call top notch. I guess for the money and the hype, I was expecting much more from the overall experience. We played Mid Pines (recently renovated in 2013) the next day and there was no comparison in the experience, especially for the value. Interestingly, Kyle Franz, the designer responsible for the renovations at Mid Pines, teamed with Coore & Creenshaw on the renovation of Pinehurst #2 and really gave Mid Pines a dramatically new appeal.

Again, don’t get me wrong, it is still a good course and without any pre-conceived expectations, would have been a more enjoyable round. I understand that when the course was first built that the "hype machine" was implemented in order to create the buzz about this new facility and generate immediate interest to golf enthusiasts and potential property owners as they were slated to build a significant hi-end community associated with the course. Well … over 7 years since it opened, that hasn’t happened. Originally opened in 2010 as a private facility, they were driven to open up to outside play in 2011 http://www.thepilot.com/news/out-of-necessity-dormie-club-opens-to-nonmember-play/article_dd6a8653-96a0-5bfc-9a15-6a3638502a4d.html . The hype is still there but the community hasn’t developed and the course (from what a little birdie told me) is in financial trouble. We played on a holiday in the peak time of the fall package season and there was barely anyone else on the course.

My group doesn’t have a budget suitable for playing at Pinehurst Resort, but if you’re coming to the area for a week-long golf trip there a number of very good courses that can round out your package and add a lot of variety to your experience without breaking the bank. If they brought the costs down at Dormie Club, then I would suggest adding it to your package but I rather doubt that will happen since that would undermine the “hype” and mystique that has been established. Its just my opinion, but I believe we where we were certainly oversold and a little underwhelmed.

Have played this course twice now - it is a terrific and challenging layout. I am a walker and enjoy that - I was the 1st t-time off and never saw another person. Play this great layout now before they try to ruin it by building houses nearby. Some holes are long and hard, but then there are some short and easier holes to balance them out. Greens were just aerated last week, but still roll nicely. Scenery is great, watched hawks soaring overhead, love the primitive/isolated feel you get playing here. Don't go here expecting resort-style off-course amenities - just go for a great round of golf out in the woods.

Always a pleasure playing Dormie Club. Just a short drive from the main resort of Pinehurst. Tee boxes and fairways were perfect and the unique design made for a great day. Would definitely recommend playing this course outside of the summer months to get the best potential of the greens. With the NC summers, bent grass is hard to get firm and fast. Hopefully they'll transition to bermuda at some point in the future to keep up with the rest of the courses in the area.

Cannot wait to visit in a couple more months.

Had high hopes for the course and was not pleased. Staff was helpful to get my partner and I out early and we played quickly but some greens were watered and others were not leaving inconsistent conditions. Lots of blind shots with no yardage book made for a long day. Would not go back.