Tobacco Road Golf Club – Played August 2020
- Rankings: Golf Digest Public #87, Golf Magazine Public #95
- Location: 442 Tobacco Road, Sanford, North Carolina
- Year: 1998
- Architect: Mike Strantz
- Course Access: Public
- Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available
Score Card Information:
- Ripper: 6,557 yards, Par 71, 72.5 Rating/145 Slope
- Disc: 6,317 yards, Par 71, 71.3 Rating/143 Slope
- Plow: 5,886 yards, Par 71, 69.4 Rating/132 Slope (Men’s), 75.7 Rating/145 Slope (Women’s)
- Points: 5,302 yards, Par 71, 66.9 Rating/125 Slope (Men’s), 71.7 Rating/136 Slope (Women’s)
- Cultivator: 4,296 yards, Par 71, 62.6 Rating, 117 Slope (Men’s), 67.0 Rating/118 Slope (Women’s)
I was very excited to get back to Tobacco Road Golf Club. I’ve played the course multiple times on trips to the Pinehurst area with my wife. She and I both love the course, where it feels like you are playing on the moon.
All of our trips were prior to me starting my site, so I had never gotten pictures of the course. I was ready this time though. An added bonus on the day was that two buddies were playing with me and seeing the course for the first time.
Tobacco Road was designed by the incomparable Mike Strantz. With flowing hair and a full mustache, he would survey sites on horseback before drawing out designs. His personality was evident when he named his company Maverick Golf Design.
He only got to design nine courses in his short career, dying too young from cancer. I’ve played five of them including Tobacco Road. Each has a slightly different style, exemplifying Mike’s versatility. If you want to check them out, you can see Caledonia and Monterey Peninsula (Shore) from my site.
I’m excited to give you all this course tour. Let’s jump right in. We played the Disc tees, so all yardages are from those markers.
Hole 1 – 547 yards – Par 5
The visual intimidation starts from the very beginning at Tobacco Road. Many shots look nearly impossible when in actuality there is much more room to land the ball. The first tee shot is no different. The fairway opens up pretty wide over the massive sand dunes.
The second shot plays over a smaller set of dunes to a hidden green. Tobacco Road has a yardage book in the pro shop and an app detailing the holes. If it’s your first time playing the course, I highly recommend one or the other.
Hole 2 – 377 yards – Par 4
You can’t see all of the fairway out there but it is a pretty big target. The large bunker on the right is in play.
The green is surrounded by sand and not the biggest target. With the heaving fairway, you might not get a level lie for your approach shot.
Hole 3 – 147 yards – Par 3
As you’ll see throughout the tour, Tobacco Road has some wild greens. The third hole is no exception. This green complex features multiple tiers and varying width. It is imperative you end up on the correct level.
Hole 4 – 507 yards – Par 5
The yardage on the card can be misleading for this dogleg left. The goal is to play up the left side of the fairway. If you execute, your second shot will be well under 200 yards.
If you don’t pull off the tee shot, there is the safe option up the fairway along the right side.
Hole 5 – 322 yards – Par 4
Players face a decision on this tee. There is a bit of fairway on the left, over the massive waste area, that leaves you with a short pitch. I like to play to the right and leave myself with a short wedge shot. The green is very shallow and has a false front. It goes without saying that you need to be precise here.
Hole 6 – 143 yards – Par 3
Tobacco Road makes you search for the green grass among the vast swaths of sand. Thankfully this hole is short. The green is super wide but shallow.
Hole 7 – 401 yards – Par 4
The landing area is blind here. There is a hazard that crosses the fairway and must be planned around. The fairway slants downhill sharply and gives drives a lot of roll.
The green is huge, as you see below. Pin placement makes all the difference for this approach shot.
Hole 8 – 173 yards – Par 3
The wild greens continue with this one-shotter. The front pin we were faced with is the most generous. When you get it in the back right, good luck.
Hole 9 – 415 yards – Par 4
I mentioned earlier that playing Tobacco Road feels like you are playing golf on the moon. The ninth is the epitome of that, in my opinion. You have to fit your drive into the fairway and then play a severely uphill approach to a super-narrow green. This is the only hole that I think is quite difficult.
This view is from the front of the green.
Hole 10 – 421 yards – Par 4
This dogleg right features a wide fairway and a massive waste bunker. Strantz dares you to challenge the right side to shorten the second shot.
Bunkers lie in wait around the green for wayward shots.
Hole 11 – 511 yards – Par 5
The first of the back nine par fives dares you to go for glory. Personally, I aim at the tree and go from there when making a decision on the second shot.
Going for the green usually means carrying at least some of this massive waste area. Failure to do so results in your ball ending up well below the green in shifty sand.
Hole 12 – 412 yards – Par 4
Tobacco Road is all about precision. Your tee shot needs to fit between the bunkers, so distance and direction must be calculated.
There is a drop off to the right of this green that leads to a grassy area. Getting up and down from there is a tall order.
Hole 13 – 536 yards – Par 5
Where do you go from here, you may ask. The truly daring will aim over the right trees attempting to shorten the hole. More conservative players will shoot for the visible fairway and play a blind second to a comfortable wedge distance.
The green sits above the fairway surrounded by dunes. I’ve always had trouble hitting it.
The green is a tiny target.
Hole 14 – 178 yards – Par 3
I don’t think I’ve ever played this hole from the listed yardage. With the back pin, it was playing about 20 yards shorter than the card. The green narrows the farther you go.
I like the look with the water extending into the bunker.
Hole 15 – 358 yards – Par 4
This tee shot and the next one are two of the tightest. I like to hit a long iron here.
This is a wild green that you can barely see from here.
Hole 16 – 321 yards – Par 4
As you’ve probably figured out, Tobacco Road really needs to be experienced. The photos are fun but they can’t convey the scale and feel of the shots. This tee shot is a good example. It is a totally blind fairway but it is a generous landing area.
The second shot is very tough. You have to be on top of your distance control because long is dead and anything short will be rolling back to you.
Hole 17 – 134 yards – Par 3
This green is similar to 15 with the bunkers cutting into the putting surface and nearly splitting it in two. I shudder at missing the direction on the wrong side of the middle.
Hole 18 – 414 yards – Par 4
The final hole is one of the most intimidating. You face another blind tee shot with a smokestack to guide you.
I really liked this photo of my buddy because it shows you the scale of what you’re facing.
In the photo below you can see how the green is obscured by the dunes. They hide a green complex that is elevated and cannot be missed right.
Tobacco Road is a rollercoaster from the opening tee shot. It is a golf course that engenders love or hate with very little in between. I am on the love side of that spectrum. Mike Strantz was an architecture madman in the best ways. I’ve enjoyed each of the courses I’ve played featuring his design. If you take a trip to Pinehurst, Tobacco Road needs to be on your itinerary. It must be played by all golfers at least once!