Farmstead Golf Links (Calabash, NC on 02/25/18)

After I got done with my morning round at Crow Creek, I headed over to Farmstead which isn’t more than five minutes away. Close courses were part of my plan in case the morning round took longer than expected. Sometimes I’m brilliant!

When I arrived, the course was pretty busy and there was a group of ten carts getting ready to go out. I relaxed for a few minutes and got something to eat before the starter sent me off the back nine. He said that by the time I got to the front nine things would be all clear! I caught up to some foursomes halfway through my first nine as some other singles stacked up behind me. Unfortunately (for me), those foursomes made the turn and continued on in front of me. I joined with another single and eventually made it around in four hours.

Farmstead is a novelty course which has a 767 yard par 6 as its closing hole! When I think back through the courses that I’ve played over the years, I can only think of three other courses with a par 6. So the par 6 here definitely is unique, and I always am attracted to a course that offers something different!

Just for fun, when I got to the 18th I played it from the tips, wondering if I could make a par. The drive and second shot just need to avoid some bunkers, but those shots are fairly open. If you are a big hitter then you’ll want to avoid water to the left on the second shot. That water angles in for the third shot, but thankfully I was able to carry enough of it. I hit my fourth shot to the back edge and got up and down for a par! All in all I hit driver, 3 wood, hybrid, and lob wedge. The heavy ocean air sure kept the ball from going anywhere! But hey, I made a par so I’ll take it.

Oh, and the 18th isn’t just any par 6. It is one of four holes on the back nine at Farmstead to cross the NC/SC border! A par 6 is neat enough, but one that crosses state lines gives Farmstead bonus points. Playing a course with holes in two different states is a first for me! Heck, there are even little signs telling you what state you are in, just like you’d pass on I-95!

Besides the unusual features about Farmstead that I’ve already highlighted, I found the property to be beautiful! There are very few homes and tons of pine trees. For some reason, Farmstead looked like a flat Mattaponi Springs to me. Willard Byrd and David Johnson get credit for the design, but I’m not sure the extent of each individual’s work here.

Except for the last hole, I played Farmstead from the blue tees which are 72.1/134/6566. And, besides the 18th, there are some pretty good holes here! Personally, I liked the 2nd, 6th, and 12th. The 2nd is a 419 yard par 4 that crosses a small creek on the approach. Your drive can either take a more conservative line to the left leaving a longer approach, or a more uncomfortable line skirting some trees along the right side. It is the #1 handicap and the longest par 4 so you’ll want to be careful.

The 6th and 12th are 166 and 163 yard par 3’s, respectively. Both have water in play and require a good line and distance with whatever club you are hitting. The 6th has water to the right and bunkers left while the 12th has water short and bunkers long. Somehow I made a birdie on the 6th and a par on the 12th, which is about as good as I’m going to do on those holes! Sadly, those were about my only scoring highlights this round.

The conditions at Farmstead were fair. The tees were beautiful and shined bright in the sunlight, there were a lot of good golf course colors here. The fairways were overseeded, but more in line with your typical winter conditions – ever so slightly thin. But, it isn’t really fair to compare it to Crow Creek as I doubt many places could compare to them right now! I got a bit of roll in the fairways which was nice. The greens were mixed and I’m not sure what was going on with them. It was almost as if the overseed didn’t fully take, or like there were dirt patches on the greens. The parts of the greens with green grass were slower while the other spots were quick. Everything rolled smooth, but I struggled getting the distance right on my chips and putts. I was a bit disappointed with the greens for the $62 green fee.

Overall, I liked Farmstead because it is such a unique course! The part that I didn’t care for were all the expansive, and deep-lipped, bunkers. The bunkers here are all over the place and with breezy conditions my drives and approaches just got gobbled up by them. I’ll save you from my bunker rant, and just say that I got tired of raking bunkers! If you’ve never played a par 6 and are in the area for a golf trip, then I’d say come check out Farmstead. It makes for a great story and that’s one of the things I love about a course!

#1 (387 yard par 4):