Our afternoon round was nearby at The Pointe Golf Club, which is actually the “sister” course to The Carolina Club. We got to The Pointe plenty early and the putting green was dotted with players getting ready to tee off. Apparently, there was a larger group that had the tee times before ours so we weren’t able to get out early. Instead, we enjoyed a relaxed lunch at the course’s grill and used the short game area.
Our time finally rolled around and we tailed the large group around the course in 4 hours and 15 minutes. That felt like an eternity, but the starter did a good job setting expectations and offered to let us play the front nine twice.
I’m not sure the exact affiliation between The Carolina Club and The Pointe, but they share a common architect! Russell Breeden is responsible (in some form) for both courses and since I mentioned a bit about his work in my previous post, I won’t go into much detail here. I did find that Breeden had ties to Central Virginia, not far from where I live in Charlottesville!
When it comes to reviewing The Pointe, there isn’t a ton to highlight. From the tees I played (the gold) the course is 70.0/126/6276. It is a par 71 with with five par-3’s and four par-5’s, so on paper it is pretty easy. Most of the holes are parallel and feature generous fairways with as much space as you’ll need before getting into trouble. And, I think all the short and open holes are the best thing about the course. It certainly has a “hackers” feel to it! If you play a decent variety of courses, The Pointe might be your easiest driving course of the year! The only drives you need to pay attention to are the on the 1st and the 15th, as water guards the right sides of those holes.
However, where you could find trouble is around the greens. Hazards lurk around the backs and sides of the green complexes. If you happen to kick off the side of a green or get a firm bounce then luck might not be on your side! Generally speaking, missing short of the greens is better than long.
Where I walked away disappointed with The Pointe was the routing, at least given the course’s location. The course isn’t far from the Wright Memorial Bridge and it is tucked between the main road and the Currituck Sound. There aren’t any homes nearby and it seems that more could have been done to incorporate the nearby wetlands, or at least give each hole a more natural feel to it. I’m sure local ordinances and Breeden’s budget had something to do with the routing, but only two holes on each nine offered the wooded views that you’d expect from the area. Those holes are the 7th and the 8th on the front nine and the 11th and 12th on the back nine.
Even though none of the holes are super exciting, my favorite hole was the par-3 11th. That is one of the holes that plays into the woods and it has an interesting green. It is 179 yards from the gold tees and plays to a long, narrow green that snakes it way between three bunkers. My iron bounced into the woods and I had to take a drop. Then, I faced a near impossible chip over a bunker. On this hole make sure to take that advice I gave earlier about missing short of the green! There is also a neat looking cart bridge on the 16th hole. Halfway across the bridge, there is a small gazebo. Of course, I made sure to take a couple pictures!
It might just be the transition time of year, but everything was firm and fast at The Pointe, like it was at The Carolina Club. The grass had perked up but tee shots rolled out and the greens didn’t hold well at all. The only iron that would stop was a moonshot into the wind. I ended up with decent lies in the fairways but things tended to be on the thin side. The greens were smooth and just as fast as The Carolina Club. A bit too speedy for my taste, but I know some people love glass greens! The only spots on the course that were questionable were some edges on the greens and on the tees.
After thinking it over for a bit, I believe the Pointe is one of those courses that I would enjoy having in my regular rotation here around Charlottesville. I think The Pointe is a good course and wish there were more courses like it, as it is a great spot to bring the casual golfer. But, I don’t think The Pointe fits the bill for a memorable beach vacation course.
#1 (528 yard par 5):
#2 (429 yard par 4):
#3 (194 yard par 3):
#4 (347 yard par 4):
#5 (339 yard par 4):
#6 (387 yard par 4):
#7 (151 yard par 3):
#8 (459 yard par 5):
#9 (361 yard par 4):
#10 (537 yard par 5):
#11 (179 yard par 3):
#12 (348 yard par 4):
#13 (372 yard par 4):
#14 (152 yard par 3):
#15 (353 yard par 4):
#16 (377 yard par 4):
#17 (144 yard par 3):
#18 (619 yard par 5):
