Pinewild Country Club: Magnolia Course (Pinehurst, NC on 10/22/16)

After some lunch in the restaurant, we headed over to the Magnolia course. The Magnolia course, designed by Gene Hamm, can stretch over 7,400 yards with a rating of 76.4 and a slope of 135. Compared to the Holly course (which wasn’t exactly easy), the Magnolia course is a beast and the “championship” course on the property!

The course opened in 1989 and it is clear that it was designed for high level play. If you browse the course website you’ll see it has hosted the LPGA Tour and a US Amateur Championship. What you’ll find is a good looking, modern style golf course with generous driving areas and features that make it difficult to score. I tried out the blue tees which are 73.4/129/6835. That’s typically a bit much for my game, but it felt like a better match than the white tees at 6,200 yards. That much of a gap between tees seems odd, which would make the course an ideal candidate for some combo tees!

Speaking of the distance, I’d say that is probably going to be the biggest challenge on Magnolia. Magnolia is just a big course, as it sprawls around the property with large greens, oversize bunkers and lengthy par 4’s. The par 4’s are where the bulk of the length is at. There are four of them that are 424 or more yards, and they all are on the back nine! That includes the 10th, which is a whopping 456 yards. The good news is that the par 5’s are shorter and can be reached.

One of those reachable par 5’s is the 13th, where I had a rare eagle putt! The tee shot plays massively downhill and I was left with around 200 yards to the green. No matter if you layup or go for it, you’ll need to avoid some water on the second shot. I think the 13th is the best hole on the course, because who doesn’t love a chance at a birdie?! Besides the 13th, none of the other holes were super memorable, in either a good or bad way.

Another difficulty that you’ll face on the Magnolia course are the green complexes. It is a little tough to tell from my pictures that the greens have plenty of contour and false edges. I ended up having to try some low percentage short game shots, as that was the only way I thought I could get it close! For example, the 15th hole has a valley in the green, which made it tough to get close to a front or back pin location. I hit what I thought was a good shot in there and ended up three putting from the valley!

If you ask me, the best thing about the Magnolia course has to be its quintessential Pinehurst look! Visually, everything about the course is stunning. Pine trees line the holes and there is a bit of elevation change. If you scroll through my pictures you’ll see what I’m talking about, the 3rd and the 17th holes look absolutely brilliant! If you hit it into the pines, my advice is to just get it back in play or you could be playing with the squirrels for a long time. There are some homes around, but they shouldn’t be a bother.

Like the Holly course, the conditions on the Magnolia were great. The greens were smooth, quick and receptive while the fairways were firmer and allowed for some roll. I used the word “impeccable” to describe the maintenance on Holly and the same goes for Magnolia. You are in for a treat if you play here with similar conditions.

In the end, to me Magnolia was one of those courses that would be better to look at than to play. We had a great weather day and the round was relaxing in the sense that there weren’t many people out. But after playing Magnolia, my game felt so beat up and insufficient as I felt forced to hit the “perfect” shot all afternoon just to make a par. I didn’t feel like I could fire at flags with short irons and I was baffled around the greens, having to play shots that I just don’t have time to practice. To do over again, I would have tried to enjoy the setting without worrying about where my shots ended up. Easier said than done, though! If you can separate your score from the toughness of a course, then by all means check out the Magnolia course as it sure is beautiful to look at!

#1 (532 yard par 5):