Tobacco Road, Coming Back for More

 The sand hills of North Carolina is a region of the country unlike any other when it comes to great golf courses. Courses that come to mind are Pinehurst and it's eight famed courses, Pine Needles, and Dormie. The top course list in North Carolina always starts and is carried throughout by this region. While Pinehurst is usually first off the lips of a golfer for this region, one course that gets brought up early in the conversation for this area sits just 25 miles northeast of the Pinehurst campus and may be one of the more unique golf courses anywhere in the continental United States is Tobacco Road.  

If you are in the area, Tobacco Road is a must play course. The course sits in the middle of nowhere.  Are you sold yet? While it's close to the Pinehurst area, you won’t find anything within several miles of the course.  A relatively new course established in 1998 by the late course architect Mike Strantz it has drawn some comparisons to Pine Valley by some in terms of design and play.  Tobacco Road lives up to the name as it was constructed land that was once used by Tobacco farmers and the course is shaped in the rolling sand hills of North Carolina.  Per Tobacco Road’s website it was Strantz’s goal to test ‘a player’s eye, determination, and wits. While no two shots in golf are unique, that statement really rings true at Tobacco Road. If I had to tell someone in one sentence what makes Tobacco Road unique, I would mention a combination of visual intimidation, deep bunkers to the tune of twenty feet, blind shots over massive dunes, and sprawling greens.

Early views from the Tobacco Road clubhouse provide the visual of a special place

Tobacco Road plays a very manageable 6,532 yards from the back tees with a slope rating of 144 with four unique tee names the Ripper (the tips) Disc, Plow, and the front tees are known as the Cultivator. While the tips do not sound like a long yardage, Mike Stranz’s goal and well thought out visual intimidation can make it seem much longer, particularly the first time playing. If you have a chance to play it more than once, try the course from different markers as it will provide a different view and outlook on some of your tee and approach shots.

The opening hole lets you know on first view that you are at a unique lay out. The opening hole really sets the tone for 18 holes of the roller coaster design of Stranz's gem. The tee boxes sits up looking down onto a fairway with rising hills slopping on both sides. While the landing zone looks tight from the tee, it’s actually very wide and if you clear the two hills, you are in good shape. Your approach shot requires a similar shot where you must clear an opening between two smaller hills and should be left with a manageable wedge shot to the green.  Like your opening tee shot, your approach shot is mostly blind, setting up a early theme that holds true for much of the course.

An opening hole tee shot the golfer will not soon forget

The second hole carries a similar theme to the opener, a visually intimidating tee shot where not much of the fairway is visible, but in reality, is a large fairway and plays forgiving to errant tee shots. Again, playing this course more than once is a huge benefit because you understand many of the landing areas and where you do or do not have room for error.

Stranz wants to distract the golfers eye early and often with bunkers even if they aren't necessarily in play

The third hold is a fun downhill par three. Trouble to either side of the hole, but a large tiered green and a short yardage make this a very manageable hole, just don’t leave yourself with too long of a put.

The fourth hole is a fun strategically designed par five. From the tees it looks like a straight forward hole, but once you arrive for your initial approach shot you are confronted with a large bunker the size of Michigan running the entire left side of the hole. Faced with a decision a long hitter may be able to cut distance off the hole and go for the green in two, however a miss means a somewhat treacherous sand shot. The safe play is up the right side of the fairway which curves back ninety degrees left to the hole. Stranz provides options.

The fourth hole fairway bunker can easily turn into a party if you are not careful

The fifth hole is another decision hole for a long hitter. A big drive carries you over a massive waste bunker area, the fairway plays up the right side of the hole, a decent tee shot should leave you no more than 130 yards. The hole doesn’t play long from the fairway, but again Stranz gives you options and for a good golfer makes you think on the tee shot.

For big hitters who are feeling aggressive, Stranz provides a way to the green off the tee all be it a high risk high reward decision

The sixth hole is a short par three which gives way to a downhill par four which requires a good tee shot and some carry over sand (imagine that) to another two-tiered green. 

Approach shot on six to one of Stranz's many two tier greens

The eighth and ninth holes are two challenging ones to close out the front nine. Number eight is a long par three with trouble pretty much everywhere except the tabletop green.

Number nine is a trademark Tobacco Road hole. A long par four with a green perched way up on top of a hill. The approach shot is one of the hardest you will take all day and requires precision to hit the green. To the right is a massive drop off with a bunker with a large built in stare case. Miss short of the green and you are probably rolling back down the hill and same with long. A miss to the left is in tall grass. Stranz closes the front nine just the way he started with visual intimation, though in the case of the ninth green and approach shot, there is not much room for error.

The back nine opens with a generous fairly open par four with large sand lining the entire length of the fairway as is the case of many Tobacco road holes. Number eleven is almost a replica of number four, just flipped.  A large open fairway with sand lining the entire right side, it’s important for the golfer to stay in the fairway on this hole. The green banks hard right (number four is hard left). 

4 and 11 are two of the most critical holes to stay on the fairway

Following the par four twelfth, the thirteenth brings you to a really fun stretch of golf holes. It starts with a dog right par five that works it’s way uphill throughout the hole. The approach shot is one of the most unique on the course as the green it almost completely blind (another blind shot imagine that) and the green rises above and then sinks into the sandy hills. Depending on the pin placement you might have a slight view of the top of the flag. Don’t forget to take the view in on this approach shot as it is a great golf hole.

One of my favorite approach shots on the course is on the par 5 13th hole

The fourteenth is the signature par three on the course. A downhill chole with water on the right with a two-tiered green. This happens to be the only water hazard on the entire course. The property guest cabin also sits on this hole, more to come on that later. Fourteen is a great golf hole.

While it may not get the visual accolades of some of the other holes, 14 is a well designed beautiful par 3

The fifteenth and sixteenth holes are great par fours with once again built-in blind approach shots followed by a short downhill par 3 before the closing hole on the course.

Much like the opening hole starting out with a very memorable tee shot, the 18th hole does much of the same. Standing on the tee box of 18, you may question if you are still on a golf course as visually you stare down a rising canyon with no view of the fairway. Your tee shot requires carry over the canyon between trees lining both sides of the slot. A good drive leaves you in an open fairway and your closing approach shot to a guarded slightly visible but guarded green, an appropriate finish at Tobacco Road.

Similar to 1, 18 provides a tee shot Stranz ensures you will not forget

An appropriate final approach shot requires a slightly hidden green with sand banking either side

The on site structure at Tobacco Road fit well with it's quiet location. A large cabin shaped clubhouse sits in the middle of the property along with a maintenance shed and a cabin for guests on thar par 3 17th hole. We stayed on the 17th hole cabin which was a great experience. Once the gates to Tobacco Road close, it’s all yours at night. Step out on to your back porch and get some night putting in on 17th green (which is lit) or better yet take up some night golf with light up balls and play closest to the pin.  

Tobacco Road by day and by night

Tobacco Road in summary, is a blast. Spend an entire day on the property, you will not regret it. You may not find as many blind approach shots of initial visual intimidation on a golf course anywhere out there but as you peal back the onion that is Tobacco Road during the course of a round you come to realize Mike Stranz gives you options as well as provides overall forgiveness in many areas and segments of his golf course. Don't miss out on this North Carolina gem.