Little River Golf & Resort (No Longer Exists)

Little River Golf & Resort – Played May 2012

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 500 Little River Farm Road, Carthage, North Carolina
• Year: 1996
• Architect: Dan Maples
• Course Access: Public
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Blue: 6,939 yards, Par 72, 73.4 Rating/135 Slope
• White: 6,258 yards, Par 72, 70.0 Rating/128 Slope
• Gold: 5,190 yards, Par 72, 64.8 Rating/111 Slope
• Red: 4,998 yards, Par 72, 68.7 Rating/122 Slope

Yet again we are coming to you from the Pinehurst area.  I played Little River Golf & Resort on one of the many trips up with my wife.  The course is a short drive from Pinehurst proper.

The setting is serene and the course is not overly difficult.  It is a great spot to try and make a score, but not get too beat up.

Thanks again to Brian for the photos.  Check him out on Instagram @virginiagolfguy and at his website.

Let’s get into the tour.  All yardages are from the white tees.

Hole 1 – 436 yards – Par 4

Hopefully, you got a chance to hit some balls because you don’t want to miss one from the first tee.  Once you clear the water the fairway rises up and over a hill.  It is pretty open.

A close up view of the green is below.

Hole 2 – 160 yards – Par 3

You don’t have to wait long for the first one-shotter.  The green is slightly elevated from the land around it.  Bunkers surround the green.  Note the large bunker on the right that serves as a visual hazard since it is well short of the green.

Hole 3 – 498 yards – Par 5

Due to the trees here the preferred shot is a fade starting at the bunker in the distance.  At this yardage getting home in two is a distinct possibility.

The hole bounds down a hill to the green. Running shots must avoid the front bunker that guards the middle of the green.

Hole 4 – 338 yards – Par 4

This hole is on the shorter side.  It doglegs to the left once you get past the trees.

Here is the view from the corner.  You can make out the green fronted by lots of sand.

Hole 5 – 406 yards – Par 4

The course opens up here on this tee.  There is long grass on the left that must be avoided.

This view from behind the green gives you a view of the entire hole.

Hole 6 – 494 yards – Par 5

The obvious trouble here is the pond on the right and the waste area on the left.  Depending on your length you can take less than driver here for direction.  A good drive though can put you in position A.

The photo below shows the extent of the waste area and the overall shape of the hole.  This is definitely a birdie opportunity.

Hole 7 – 377 yards – Par 4

The 7th is a flatter hole with trees up the left side.  The fairway is very wide and should free you up to swing away.

The pond seen below shouldn’t really be in play as it sits well back from the green.  A bunker guards the left side.

Hole 8 – 180 yards – Par 3

This hole is a brute.  Water is present almost everywhere.  You can see the first pond, but one also continues up to the green.

See below for the other pond that runs up to the green.  A precise tee shot is needed here to find dry land.

Hole 9 – 376 yards – Par 4

The front side closer edges back up the hill towards the green.  The fairway is open for whatever choice you make off the tee.

Hole 10 – 368 yards – Par 4

This is an interesting tee shot.  There is some room up the left and right, but the slightly discolored tree in the distance has a bunker around it.  More on that below.

You can see the bunker next to the tree I mentioned above.  Another large bunker guards the green.

Hole 11 – 546 yards – Par 5

It will be tough to reach this one in two, but the wide-open space allows you to wail on the driver.  Be sure to avoid the fairway bunkers on the right.

Once you get further down the hole you are treated to the view of the green.  The putting surface is framed by sand.  You will not want to miss over the back of the green.

Hole 12 – 301 yards – Par 4

From this tee, this hole is driveable for some.  It is a straightaway hole.

Below is a view of the green and the long grass around it.

Hole 13 – 119 yards – Par 3

I love a good short par three.  I’m not sure this is a great one, but it is fun.  With a short club, you need to carry the ball far enough to fly the large front bunker.

The green definitely has some slope to it as seen below.  With a short club, you will likely be flag hunting.

Hole 14 – 292 yards – Par 4

There are some tight corridors coming off of this tee.  I think it would be good if they cut down the two close trees on the left side to open this up.

Hole 15 – 352 yards – Par 4

The slight dogleg right plays back up a hill.  The green is next to the bunker you can see in the distance.

Hole 16 – 147 yards – Par 3

The water factors heavily on this shot.  While not a long hole, a good shot is needed to carry the water.

The green is not overly large and the water does come up pretty close to the green.  There is some good internal contouring on this green.

Hole 17 – 495 yards – Par 5

The water features prominently in your vision here, but only really bad drives should find it.  The hole doglegs to the right towards the latter part.

Below is the view of the approach.  There is plenty of sand including the close bunker here that can catch careless layups.  Missing long here is not advisable.

Hole 18 – 373 yards – Par 4

The final hole plays longer than the yardage on the card.  You are hitting back up the hill towards the clubhouse.  There is a good bit of room out there but keep it straight to avoid the trees.

Here is the view from behind the green looking back towards the tee.

Little River Golf is a fun round that won’t set your wallet back too much.  When I played the greens ran smooth and they looked to be the same in Brian’s pictures.  There is enough challenge with hazards to keep you honest, but it won’t beat you up.  My wife and I enjoyed the round and would recommend as a good place for couples visiting the area.