Pinehurst on a Budget (<$350)

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

I get that attending a professional golf tournament in August in North Carolina isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but if you’ve enjoyed visits to Quail Hollow in the past, you should really try to get out to Sedgefield for the Wyndham Championship one year. Smaller crowds, easier to navigate, and more opportunity to see players up close. Highly recommend if you’re willing to sweat (or maybe not given this weekend’s cool forecast).

No - an “affordable Pinehurst trip” is not an oxymoron! We’ll show you how it’s done in this week’s newsletter, as we return with the latest installment in our near-flung travel series - Day Trips.

DAY TRIPS

45-Hole Trip to Pinehurst for Under $350

We’re back with another edition of Day Trips! This week, we’re serving up an affordable, tasty Pinehurst trip - one that could span 24-72 hours depending on your appetite. The menu includes a local favorite, a roadside gem, a household name, and a free round (?!) at one of the world’s top golf resorts. All rates are weekend rates for August 2025.

Hors d’oeuvre: Midland Country Club, $15 (walking)

The 9-hole course at Midland is the perfect warm-up round as you start your jaunt through the Sandhills. At $15, it’s almost too cheap and likely scares away most out-of-towners looking to sample the areas most prestigious offerings. Thus, the course has become a local favorite for it’s low-key setting and affordability.

Midland offers an opportunity to stretch your legs after a long journey and start getting acclimated to the Sandhills-style bunkering, sandy waste areas, and pine tree-lined fairways you’ll find throughout the area. The first couple holes simply get you away from the clubhouse, but the middle stretch really ramps up as the par 5 5th and drivable 6th move through more interesting terrain.

Our friends at Palmetto & Pine did a great video highlighting the course earlier this year - check it out here.

Appetizer: Hyland Golf Club, $95

If you’ve spent much time in the area, you’ve probably cruised past this course on the way to Tobacco Road from Southern Pines. I generally steer clear of courses with highway billboards, but Hyland made me rethink this approach.

Like most golf in the area, this course has seen rates rise in recent years but remains a solid value in a hard-to-find price bracket. The land at Hyland is shockingly good, with the main feature of the course being a lake in the center of the property. Many of the course’s best and most memorable holes twist and bank around this low area of the property, including the par 4 5th (dogleg left par 4 around the water with a hugely downhill tee shot) and the par 5 12th (down-and-up hole bisected by the lake, forcing a decision for your 2nd).

Main course: Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, $195

My favorite course of the Mid Pines/Pine Needles/Southern Pines trio happens to be the most affordably priced. If you’re going to splurge on a single round, this is where I’d do it, as Mid Pines remains one of the best value-for-money options in the Sandhills.

Ross’s routing creates an extremely diverse set of holes on a property that could feel homogenous for it’s consistently pine-lined fairways, and there is hardly a weak hole on the property. The green complexes and bunkering provide a strong test throughout, offering little let-up for those trying to post a number - a proper test of golf and a course worth shelling out for on this budget excursion.

Dessert: Thistle Dhu, $0

OK - we got a little click-bait-y with the intro above, but the Thistle Dhu putting course at Pinehurst Resort is a must-visit and won’t cost you anything more than the drinks you’ll certainly purchase from The Deuce. This wildly sloping putting green sits directly behind the main clubhouse and in close proximity to the first tee at Pinehurst No. 2, allowing visitors a chance to soak up the ambiance of the buzzing resort without breaking the bank on an additional round.

Any great Pinehurst-area deals that we missed? Let us know!

LOCAL RECS

24/7 Indoor Golf Franchise Expanding to Charlotte

Another Nine, a Cincinnati-based indoor golf franchise, is expanding to Charlotte, announced Co-founder Ethan Grob on LinkedIn last week. The announcement shared that they’ve awarded 5 new franchise territories across the city - a statement of intent from what is currently a single-location outfit in Ohio.

Big picture: Two weeks ago, we shared a story about a new driving range coming to Wesley Heights and posed a few questions about the proposed model. The 24/7, unmanned simulator facility is on the complete other end of the spectrum, so I’m extremely interested to see how thinks shake out between these disparate competitors.

STORIES TO TRACK

2025 Twilight Open Raises $10K for First Tee - Central Carolina: Our presenting sponsor’s flagship event had a record turnout and raised a big chunk of change! 130+ braved the heat at Reynolds Park for the 5th installment of what has become a Wyndham Championship-week tradition in Winston-Salem. Huge shoutout to everyone who made this event happen.

Bracket Set for North Carolina Match Play Championship at Rock Barn: Group play concluded on Thursday, with 16 players entering the final match play bracket. The remaining field includes multiple current college players and frequent CGA contenders, but no single contestant you’d call a prohibitive favorite. Combine this with a format known for randomness, and this event is truly up for grabs.

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