Magnolia Inn, Pinehurst, North Carolina

Magnolia Inn, Pinehurst, North Carolina

In early May, Mary and I had the opportunity to get away from Killington for a few days for a vacation of our own. This is the third installment of a 4 part article on our experiences.

As most of our friends and repeat guests know, Mary and I usually get away from Killington during early May. Killington in early May can be rather messy. Snow melt off the mountains is in full swing. Muddy soil conditions, combined with running water and sunshine cause the area to erupt in small insects of many different varieties. Many local golf courses are open, but the surrounding countryside is still devoid of color, as most trees are barely in the bud stage, still hibernating from the winter cold. With all this in mind, our vacation planning each year starts with 1 requirement....How far do we have to travel so that we encounter "Leaves on the Trees". On most even years we tend to limit our travel to North America. On odd years, we have been known to wander outside the country to see other parts of the world. This year we focused our vacation into parts of North Carolina in search of leaves on the trees (and green on the fairways).

In writing this series of articles, I have divided our trip into 4 parts: Heading South; Asheville NC - The Biltmore Estate; Pinehurst NC - A little golf; and Heading North via Washington DC.

As Mary is into flowers, I am really into golf. I started playing the game while I was 9. My father had this old set of random wooden shafted clubs in the basement. I would go to a local field and hit old golf balls around for hours. I was a pretty good player in high school. You may remember from prior blogs that I worked as a caddy for years at Belmont County Club just outside of Boston Ma. Because of that, I got a Francis Ouimet Golf Scholarship to go to college. By the time I met Mary later in life, my golf handicap had drifted up to 7. I had an unfortunate accident skiing years ago, resulting is a separated right shoulder. My handicap frustratingly ballooned up to the low 20's as I litterally had trouble holding the club in my hands for several years. But I worked through that. Now it's down to about a 15. There are still moments of brilliance...but when your swing mechanics are not quite right...well let's just say I mostly know where the ball is going these days. At any rate, my personal roots in the game go pretty deep. Hurt or healthy, golf to me is much more than just a walk in the woods.

As most golfers know, Pinehurst NC is a golf Mecca. From the championship Pinehurst Number 2 course, to the hundred or so other courses in the area, when you visit Pinehurst, you play golf. Needless to say, I was excited that we would have a chance to visit and play some of the courses in the area.

Pinehurst itself is a nice little village set in the sand hills of southern North Carolina. Most of the named accommodations in the area, other than chain hotels, are owned and operated by the Pinehurst Resort. Mary and I, preferring smaller, independently owned properties like our inn, choose to stay in Pinehurst Village at the Magnolia Inn. The Magnolia Inn is located in the center of Pinehurst Village. It has 11 guest rooms, a fine dining restaurant, and a nice bar/pub (sound familiar). It is owned and operated by Jackie and Dan Berry, refugees from the Northeast who fled to the south to get away from the snow. They, together with golf coordinator Maggie Sager and executive chef Ryan Payne delighted us during our weather shortened stay in Pinehurst.

The dizzying array of golf courses in Pinehurst presented a challenge for us in planning our trip. Fortunately, a fellow Killington innkeeper, Paul Steel of the Grey Bonnet Inn, provided us with course advice. Paul's brother recently sold an inn he operated in Aberdeen NC, just outside of Pinehurst. Paul recommended several courses including Legacy in Aberdeen, and Bayonett at Puppy Creek south of Pinehurst in Raeford NC.

Mary hitting a tee shot on Legacy (Click to enlarge.)

Legacy is a Jack Nicklaus designed course cut into the sand hills and pine forest of North Carolina. At a par 72, from the blue tees it's rating is similar to Killington's Green Mountain National Golf Course with a rating of 70.8 and a slope of 124. (Green Mountain for comparison purposes is rated at 70.2 with a slope of 133 from the blue tees.) I actually found Legacy to play a little easier than Green Mountain. The fairways were somewhat wider. The pine forest (I know..I am not supposed to hit it into the woods...) was reasonably forgiving as there was minimal vegetation underneath the pine trees.

The Legacy course was a good find, relatively inexpensive for a resort course, with a nice club house and practice range. If we travel back to Pinehurst in the future, I would definitely consider playing another round on Legacy.

The following day we decided to play Bayonet at Puppy Creek. It was a little bit of a ride from Pinehurst; about 45 minutes south around Fort Bragg (hence the name Bayonet). And yes there is a Puppy Creek which winds it's way around and through many of the holes. Unlike the resort courses in Pinehurst, Bayonet at Puppy Creak had a decidely local flavor. From the blue tees it checks in as a 6472 yard par 72 with a rating of 71.1 and a slope of 134. Because of the creek, the course was tighter than Legacy. You also did not want to chase your golf balls too hard either. On one shot, Mary failed to clear a small pond. When the ball hit the far bank, it triggered a very large snake to jump into the water and head towards the sound of the ball landing. Needless to say, Mary let the snake keep that ball.

Being a local course away from the resort, Bayonet was less expensive than Legacy. But while the drive through the North Carolina country side was interesting, if we travel to Pinehurst in the future, we would probably try a different course nearer to the center of town.

Mary on Bayonet at Puppy Creek (Click to enlarge.)

While Pinehurst in the day is all golf, in the evening it is still a lot of fun. One night we decided to "stay in" and ate at the Pub at the Magnolia Inn. We then wandered off to the legendary Pinecrest Inn a half a block from the Magnolia inn for a night cap. The Pinecrest Inn was wild with a bar full of golfers being entertained by a piano player. The following night, we went back with some friends who have a home in Pinehurst to the Pinecrest for dinner. It is a grand old dining room with nice food and excellent service.

On what turned out to be our final night in Pinehurst, although we did not know it at the time, we dined in the formal dining room of the Magnolia Inn. The meal was very nice. If you visit Pinehurst and don't stay at the Magnolia Inn, I do recommended that you try it one evening for dinner.

On what was supposed to be our fourth and final day in Pinehurst, we had tee times with some friends at the Forest Creek Golf Club. Basically a private course, we were looking forward to playing on the Tom Fazio designed loop. But it was not meant to be. Early in the morning a very heavy band of thunderstorms moved into the area. You may remember in the news about tornado's hitting parts of North Carolina...well that was the storm we were in. We wound up canceling the tee times, (we would not have been allowed to play anyway) and packing the car to head north a day early. Because we were still in vacation mode, and were not looking forward to the trek back to Vermont, we decided to stop in Washington DC for a couple of nights, which I will write about in the next installment about our vacation.

In the mean time, keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!