Dormie Club

This was my first time to the Pinehurst area and consisted of playing this and Tobacco Road as part of a package thru Tobacco Road Travel. This was my first Coore & Crenshaw course experience and it sure as heck lived up to the hype! I'll list a few of the details about the course/experience to let you decide for yourself.

First, the proshop/clubhouse was a trailer, yes really a trailer. Nothing wrong with that and actually I didn't mind it one bit. The proshop offered a nice selection though of Linksoul and Peter Millar products to make up for the poor clubhouse.
- The signage/yardage was basically non-existent on this course. They had sprinkler heads scattered about with spray painted numbers which one assumes to be middle of green. Maybe paint the back and front number as well since some of those greens appear to be 80+ yds long. Tough to gage distance if you don't have a range finder (which I did not and course was not offered on my partner's watch). Also, signage to next hole was almost non-existent except for #7/14 and no yardage markers on ANY of the tees. I understand not doing this maybe at a CC as the members/caddies should know this, but as a public course, c'mon and help cater to the public. Also, I don't see this course going Private as many do believe that this may happen soon, with that said no need to "run" to get here, but if in the Pinehurst area, get here at a reasonable rate. The range was very short and the putting green offered no "holes", so this place really is ALL about the golf course.
The course is quite fantastic considering we played the morning after they received 2" of rain and played on December 29th. When we arrived the manager mentioned it was walking only so me and my partner took the 8.5 mile journey thru the masterpiece that C&C scribed thru the wonderful sandhills. The first hole is a classic downhill par 4 that sets up perfectly for what you will experience throughout the rest of the round. The greens are quite large with many run-off areas and plenty of times requiring your bump and run shot. There were a few times where the bunkers don't bleed in to the green on areas making good shots that you thought you hit run right in the bunker as there was no rough or anything to save your ball. Other than that, this course was fair with generous landing areas for your drives and massive greens so if you hit the right shot, you were rewarded for it, no gimmicks. This course offered some of the best par-3 collection's that I have ever played with most of them having the sand waste areas surrounding them throughout. The 17th par 5 is one of the toughest 3-shot hole to get on that you will ever encounter in your life and something that one must experience! Rumor has it that they created the massive "bunkering" to replicate that of the famous Pine Valley 7th hole to that of the 17th and this is something your eyes have to witness. With the superb collection of holes on this course and the fact that you will have to use every club in your bag, I'd recommend this course to anybody if in the Pinehurst area.

A top ten course without a doubt. After as sort drive from the village to come to this C&C course that appears to be in the middle of nowhere. Your first expose to the course is interesting to say the least. Dormie hoas no real parking lot, the pro shop is very.underwhelming and limited and there are zero paved cart paths. Ok, so that I sit for anything negative that will be said about this course. As soon as you get to the range you are blown away and then off to the first tee where you are blown away again. The condition was impeccable from the tee boxes to the amazing fairways to the perfect greens, Dormie Club gives you everything you'd expect from this course as the hype isn't unwarranted. We have played a lot of golf in the Pinehurst area and other than #2 there is no other course that would be ranked higher than this one. For all of its quirks it is worth playing

Could it get any better? Being the first tee time at the Dormie Club, and walking 18 secluded holes of golf. Amazing! We felt like we were there only ones on the the course in the wilderness. The summer rate was $80, and the experience was so good, anything up to $200 would be a good value.

The greens were in pristine condition and rolled true and fast. There was some reviews from a few months ago that mentioned the greens were in not such good condition. They have since recovered.

The course itself reminded me of a slightly less diabolical version of Streamsong. I have played several courses in the Pinehurst Area (I have never played No. 2). I would recommend the following as must plays:
1. The Dormie Club
2. Tobacco Road
3. Pinehurst No. 8
4. Pinehurst No. 4

Great experience, conditioning, and staff. A must play...be sure to get here before the place goes private as planned.

This corse grabs you with its look. You'd think you had gone back in time to another era of golf. The layout is fabulous. Crenshaw brought the same look of number 2 to this track. Except for one crazy pat 5 that's unplayable for most of us the track is awesome. Too bad the greens were in such bad shape. They had lost several of them and many more were on their way out. Soft greens with little grass don't add up to a good experience. This was not what I expected from a course with Ben crenshaws name on it. Very disappointing.

Had been wanting to play here since it opened. Great deal with a 3 round package with Tobacco Road Travel. Fairways and tee boxes were in great shape. Many of the greens had bare spots and some were virtually bare. Still my foursome enjoyed the layout and overall positive experience. Don't see this track going private anytime soon regardless of their desire to do so.

Great course, design and in great shape. I did not feel rushed at all. The only down side is that some of the holes and locations are poorly marked. No hole diagram at the tee boxes either, makes it alittle confusing for the first time player.

This was the 1st round of 5 round at 5 courses in 4 days in the Pinehurst area. I had read the reviews and expected bad service but nice course. Everyone we dealt with ended up being extremely nice and helpful. The water coolers were obvious and easy to see. The starter talked to us for about 10 minutes before we teed off about the course.

The layout and the green design were spectacular. One in our group has played a number of top courses and said while this isn't the most manicured and pristine course ever he thinks it is his favorite. You really do hit every club in the bag and each hole feels like a signature hole. The 632 par 5 10th (from the blues ) was an absolute monster. The greens had been aerated recently and didn't look great because of it but everything rolled well and the designs were amazing. Number 3 was the nicest green complex I've ever played.

The signage was good. The 7th had a sign to go there and 14 which you pass over there had a sign saying "this ain't 7". I guess they saw those reviews. The halfway house is easy to see and you pass near it multiple times. There was a slow foursome in front of us holding things up part of the front nine. We were asked by the marshall about them around the 6th hole. Something was done because they were out of the way by the 8th and it ooked like we saw them playing as 2 2somes after that. After that we never saw anyone else before or after us.

Overall, if you go to a golf course to be pampered and enjoy magnificent clubhouses etc go to the resort courses here. If you love golf and enjoy a course for the challenge and excitement of the play, you will love Dormie.

Played this course on back to back days on 2/10/15 and 2/11/15. Greens had been aerated and sanded, but we were made aware of that when we scheduled our tee times. Finely ground sand did not effect our putting much at all. It really helped since we played on back to back days so we were familiar with green and fairway contours. If you played this course enough it could be really fun playing shots off side hills to greens. You truly do use every club in your bag. Long and short par 3's, 4's and 5's. Would be nice course to play during the summer when course is green. As with other reviews, I believe it is overpriced at times during the year. I would never pay more than $80.00 to play this course. My group lives approximately 1.5 hours away from Pinehurst and we usually take a overnight trip one a month for 2 rounds. Checked this off the list. Supposedly going private in 2016.

This was my 1st time playing in the NC Sand Hills, and also my 1st time playing a Coore/Crenshaw "minimalistic" design. I was excited to get to play it after watching the US Open last year and knowing it was designed in somewhat the same fashion. The course was in great shape, greens were smooth and moderately quick considering the amount of moisture they were holding due to it being overcast, cool, and damp out. They would be really fun if it had been sunny and dried them out. Lots of undulation in them. Really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back. The fairways were perfect in the center and got thinner as you got to the edges of them due to the single row irrigation, of course that is the intent. The bunkers are all waste areas so you can ground your club in them and there are no rakes so you have to smooth it with your foot(they are intended to be hazards) and the "rough" of natural sandy areas/wire grass/and native vegetation was sometimes playable off of hardpan, and sometimes very penile as intended. If you are a architectural nut like me you will love this course. I would like to go back and walk the course with a caddy because I think I would appreciate it much more. The $70 winter rate is a steal and the course looks awesome with everything dormant but the greens. A must play if you are in the area.

Really great golf course. If you are going to dormie for just a great round of golf this is your place. The clubhouse is primitive at best. Not a lot of yardage markers and no ball washers but the layout and design of the course we're awesome. Great elevation changes and a fair amount of undulation on greens.

One quick tip. Hole #7 is confusing to find. Signs are lacking so ask club house before teeing off about which way to go after leaving hole 6....

FUN COURSE TO PLAY. WE FELT LIKE WERE THE ONLY ONES ON COURSE. HAVE TO USE EVERY CLUB IN BAG. THE SCENERY WAS GREAT.

We chose this course to be the end of our annual guys trip and we were very excited to have the opportunity to play it this past weekend. Boy were we disappointed! Don't get me wrong, this course is nice and has great potential BUT for $175 I would expect it to compete with the best in the US for overall customer experience. To start the clubhouse and grill is closer to a trailer-shed than a Top Tier Facility. I understand the stance on a minimalist approach, but this was laughable. 2nd there was no starter or any kind of greeting that assisted in the experience. The pro inside said they try to support the $80+Tip Caddy program so their is no yardage book, no distances on tees, and no signs giving direction through the whole course. If they designed it to be supported by caddies and then were forced to be public then change a little and add signs/yardage/a yardage book. Just a quick tip to make this place live another year. If not, I don't see it sticking around much longer. 3rd there is basically no facilities on the course, restrooms, water jugs, etc. There is a halfway house that is hidden better than a duck blind and free water bottles hidden in secret coolers somewhere on the course I was told. Bottom line is the course looks great and could play great but $175 experience was less than to be desired. Note to management: Save the course by investing in some customer experience consulting.

I've played Dormie over half dozen times. Loved the layout and overall experience. However, something has changed in the last two years. Course conditions have deteriorated and the experience that was is no longer.

I will NOT be heading back until some changes take place. We paid $175 to play which allows you to walk or ride. The course was far from fast and firm. While some rain 4-5days prior to our round impacted this it was consistent with previous time I played it. Not very Coore/Crenshaw like.

The greens were horrible. #9 looked like it was on the edge of being mostly sand. They had aerated 3weeks prior and greens were not back yet. Bumpy and rolling around an 8...maybe a 9. Again normally not that big a deal but we paid $175. When booking a specifically asked about this and was told they had healed up and were in great shape. When we arrived they said the course was in great shape. If thats what they consider great I would hate to see poor.

The other negative was that during our round they had maintence folks on the course on a wide variety of holes. Now I get that this happens but the constant sound of equipment took away from the fact that you are in the middle of nature. We experienced the crew on holes 3, 5, 7, 8, 9. Again based on the rate it was dissapointing.

When the round concluded we stayed for a beer. Good selection, no glasses or even plastic cups. The staff did not recognize us. No communication, like "how did it go?"..."did you have any fun?" ..."what did you think of the course?" The experience at the end of the round says it all. We paid full rate and the experience did not match it....never even came close.

A little off the beaten path of Pinehurst village - but well worth the 10 minute drive out of town. I cannot understand why this place doesn't get more play. Dramatic holes, excellent condition, and demanding on multiple fronts. Definetely designed for the walker - so grab your bag (or a caddie) and go. I make 2 trips a year down to Pinehurst and now always make sure to have the Dormie Club part of the plan. Have enjoyed it so much, that last 2x have played 36 - replay rates are very reasonable. Would highly recommend.

Absolutely beautiful layout. Conditions were perfect. This place is definitely set up for premium players and premium prices. Four dollars a beer three dollar Gatorade seems a little high. Still wouldn't keep me from going back