Hole 15 green Cardinal Course

COUNTRY CLUB OF NORTH CAROLINA
​CARDINAL COURSE

RUNDOWN: Spending two days at the Country Club of North Carolina provided us a with a fantastic taste of what golf in Pinehurst is like. The Cardinal course has been around since 1970 and plays through rolling hills and mature trees. Some well placed water hazards will make you stay focused throughout your round as well. The conditioning of the course was top notch. The greens were unreal smooth for us too. We honestly couldn't tell you of a single putt in our time here that was bumped off line from impurities in the greens. I wish we could say that means we putted lights out, but we both need to work on our green reading abilities. 
The homes that line the fairways here do not distract from the experience. They sit far enough back to not make you feel like they are right on top of you. The facilities were fantastic as well. The restaurant on site was perfect for a quick bite and they had a halfway house where you could grab snacks and drinks. This was helpful for us as the humidity, even though it was fairly low, had us Idaho boy's sweating. The club doesn't lack for amenities and if you have the chance to enjoy the property then do not hesitate to show up.

COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS

Designed by William Byrd and Robert Trent Jones
Private Club. 
6 sets of tees to choose from. They range from 4,281 to 7,215 yards. 

https://www.ccofnc.com/public/home-597.html

910-692-6565  1600 Morganton Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374

REVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS

Hole 2 Par 5 - 525 Yards

Hole 2 tee box Cardinal Course

Hole 2 green Cardinal Course

The short par 4 1st hole was your warmup hole for the course. The second hole provides an open tee shot but the hole becomes progressively more difficult as you go along. The water that is behind and to the right of the green will test your abilities of your longer clubs if you want to attempt to get home in two. I myself couldn't keep from the bunkers on the left for some reason, so I never had the chance to risk it on this one. The layup shot will still make you think here as you want to avoid the bunker on the left and keep left of the water. I love a good risk/reward par 5 on a course and it is nice to set that tone early on in the round. Overall I feel like this par 5 is score-able and can start your round in the right direction if you can execute your shots and avoid the trouble. 

Hole 3 Par 3 - 192 Yards

Hole 3 tee box Cardinal Course

Hole 3 green Cardinal Course

No worries, just a near 200 yard par 3 that requires you to carry the drink the entire way to the green! Oh yeah, don't hit it left either or you will be reaching for another ball. The only bailout option you have is short right but don't expect an easy pitch shot from this position. You will be playing over a bunker to the a green that is sloping away from you. Those tight fairway lies will test your hands and mental focus. The large putting surface slopes from right to left and can give you some fits even if you happen to hit the green in one. Par is a fantastic score to walk away from this one with. 

Hole 9 Par 5 - 585 Yards

A solid par 5 to end the front nine on! 585 takes two very large pokes to get to the green in two. I'd imagine some big hitters and decently firm conditions could lead to some eagle opportunities but for us this was a true 3 shotter. The fairway is fairly large but the bunker on the left and the trees closer to the box make it feel smaller. If you can pipe your drive you can make it to the top of the hill and I'd imagine get enormous amounts of roll if you catch the hill. Laying up to a good distance is key because your wedge shot will be played to an elevated putting surface. Short on the approach shot is no good as you will be in one of the two bunkers that guard the front or you will hit the false front and leak back down the hill. The left pin placement feels accessible but the putts have some movement on this green. A confident stroke here and end with a birdie on the front!

Hole 10 Par 4 - 403 Yards

To me this was just a fun hole. You just finished 9 and can keep things going well or turn things around. Don't forget to stop at the halfway house and get some snacks and drinks for the back. The hole doglegs right and plays downhill from tee to green. Standing on the box I had confidence to swing away with the larger fairway and me playing a fade most of the time. There are some very strategically placed fairway bunkers that could cause some issues with your approach shot. The approach makes you think a little even with a wedge in your hand. The green slopes from left to right and on the right side there is a small pond that is waiting to snag any ball it can. It got me on one of the approach shots unfortunately. This can be a birdie hole and can jump start the back nine for you. 

Hole 11 Par 5 - 549 Yards

Hole 11 green Cardinal Course

Hole 11 behind green Cardinal Course

Now here is a hole where you feel like you can smash driver and give yourself a shot at getting on in two. The fairway is large and slopes from left to right and doglegs around to the right as well. A big ball will land on the backside of the hill and provide you with a significant amount of rollout. Getting into the fairway is the easier part of this hole however. With a long iron or wood into the green you will have to decide if the risk of the water is going to cause you to layup or try for the hero shot. You can play left of the water but there is not a lot of room for mistakes there either. Playing short of the water and getting a wedge in my hand was still the play I opted for. The green slopes from back to front but is more wide than it is deep. The putting surface is fairly easy to read and if you have a good look at birdie then you have a great chance at knocking it down.

Hole 17 Par 3 - 217 Yards

Hole 17 high above Cardinal Course

Hole 17 green Cardinal Course

This was one of the tougher par 3's we played during our entire trip to North Carolina. The distance itself lead us to needing to hit hybrid at times. With us being from Idaho and used to playing at elevation, we had to club up most times. As you can see, nothing short is good here either. We like to play some skins games during our rounds and this hole happened to be key to the round between me and Kevin. I had started hitting some great shots and brought the match close coming into 17. With hybrid in hand I pictured hitting a high draw and clearing the bunkers, ultimately running just past the pin for a chance at birdie. Man I wish that was what happened here. Instead I flared one so far right I ended up in the pine straw with an awful looking pitch into the green. Kevin stepped up with the perfect long iron to about 20 feet. I did hit one of the better pitches of my life to get on the green and give myself a go at par at least. However, missing the putt gave Kevin two putts to win yet another skin from me and he didn't mess it up. A tough par 3 but a lot of fun!

Hole 18 Par 4 - 431 Yards

Hole 18 green side Cardinal Course

Hole 18 lake Cardinal Course

Eighteen is a fairly tough finishing hole. Playing downhill from tee to green the hole doesn't play super long. Once again the large trees tend to make you feel like things are narrower than they are in the fairway. If you can get past the corner though then the fairway is actually quite large and allows you a shot into the green from most angles. Playing your tee ball down the right side will offer a shot into the green that has to cover less water, if any at all. The green is narrow and long though and the bunkers on the right are not cakewalk to hit from. The water will be a factor and hopefully you can avoid the pond on the last hole of the day. Kevin came into this hole with the chance to win another $10 off me here. His putt from below the hole was tracking nicely, but the dreaded lip out struck and I came away with $10 at least. Video evidence below.