Golf Course Review: Tobacco Road, Sanford, North Carolina


TOBACCO ROAD

Sanford, North Carolina

April 4, 2023


OVERVIEW

FACILITY TYPE: Public

YEAR OPENED: 1998

ARCHITECT: Mike Strantz

PAR: 71

LENGTH: 4,296 - 6,557

USGA RATING: 62.6 - 72.5

USGA SLOPE: 117 - 145

TEE OPTIONS: 6

WEBSITE: www.TobaccoRoadGolf.com

PHONE: (877) 284-3762

 

The first time I played a Mike Strantz golf course was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I can’t remember which came first, True Blue, or Caledonia, but they’re still to this day two of my favorite courses on the east. When you play a Mike Strantz golf course, you’re in for a different experience. Like Stonehouse, between Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia, Mike Strantz courses often feature massive fairways, long blind carries over hills, rolling terrain, and the most fun greens you can play. 


Tobacco Road is a course that’s been on my bucket list since I first heard about it. It was shortly after playing True Blue and Caledonia that my interest peaked. Looking back on it, Sanford, NC isn’t too far from Myrtle Beach, SC but at the time, it was a world away.


I knew since I was moving to Texas that I may not have as many opportunities to play Tobacco Road in the future so I made the most of it and planned the round into my route, taking the Blue Ridge Parkway down from Maryland, sleeping in my car in Pinehurst, and getting the first time in the morning before making my way to the beach to play Morehead City Country Club and go offroading on Cape Lookout National Seashore.



COURSE CONDITIONS RATINGS

TEES: 4.25

FAIRWAYS: 4.25

GREENS: 4.5

BUNKERS: 4.25

SCENERY: 4

LAYOUT: 5

–

OVERALL: 4.38


From tee to green, the course was a treat to play. The course is rough and raw around the edges but pure and tamable if you can keep it in play. The course is firm and fast. You can throw the ball in the air or play it on the ground. There’s options for creativity every shot you hit and no one way to play any hole.


The conditions of the course allow you to get rewarded when you hit a good shot but won’t tolerate poorly struck shots. There technically aren’t any bunkers at Tobacco Road. On the scorecard, it states, “There are no bunkers on the course. In all sand areas (enclosed or not) you may ground your club, smooth your lie, and remove stones, sticks, or other foreign objects. You can improve your lie not your position.”


This is necessary because the course was built on an old sand mine. The course reminded me of a theme park. Quirky yet beautiful and over the top holes, no two the same. A pure joy to play and easily one of my favorite courses I’ve ever played.



ACCESSIBILITY

COURSE DIFFICULTY: 4

WALKABILITY: 3


How easy or hard the course plays is entirely dependent on your skill level and what tees you play from. I know that sounds obvious but this course is different. I would suggest looking at the slope rating of the set of tees you’re considering instead of simply the yardage on the card.


A course Rating is the expected score a scratch golfer with a handicap index of 0.0 would be expected to shoot from those tees. Slope on the other hand is the estimate of how difficult a set of tees will be for a higher handicap golfer. The higher the number, the more a higher handicap will struggle from those tees. 131 is considered average difficulty and the maximum is 155.



AMENITIES

GOLF SHOP: 4.5

PRACTICE FACILITIES: 3.5

COMFORT STATIONS: 4


Tobacco Road is a no frills, come play some world-class golf, kind of place. The clubhouse is modest yet quaint and feels like it blends into the property. The shop is stocked full of great gear. The range is small but it gives you what you need. There’s a little shortgame area near the range then a massive putting green between the first and tenth tees to get you prepared for what’s to come.



SUMMARY


Pinehurst is referred to as the cradle of American golf. The Pinehurst Resort and courses in the surrounding areas of the central North Carolina sandhills are truly some of the best courses in the country and worth visiting at least once in your lifetime. And if you do make that trip, be sure to include Tobacco Road on your itinerary. It’s unlike anything else. The vision of a man who saw the game differently and who pursued his vision to the fullest. He didn’t make many courses, but of those he made, they are surely some of the best in the world.



MOVE BETTER - PLAY BETTER

COACH BLAINE ⛳🏌️‍♂️


For more, visit www.TourShotGolf.com
Location: 442 Tobacco Rd, Sanford, NC 27332, USA

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