Mid South Club, Southern Pines, NC

Golfers who are planning a golf vacation to the Pinehurst area have a myriad of golf courses and accommodations to choose from. There are countless golf packaging companies ready to voice their opinion. And, depending on your budget, you can play some pretty historic golf courses if you’re willing to fork out some dough.

As for me, I head to the Southern Pines area and two of the area’s finest golf courses with accommodations that are second to none: Mid South Club and Talamore. Both are part of the Talamore Golf Resort.

Mid South Club is one of the most attractive private residential golf communities in the Carolinas. With 545 acres of longleaf pine forests, lakes and gently rolling hillsides, it is scenery that you can appreciate. The golf course is not without its fair share of accolades. They’ve hosted just about any qualifier you can think of: U.S. Open qualifiers, Senior Open qualifiers, U.S. Amateur qualifiers, U.S. Amateur qualifiers, and a PGA Club Professional qualifier. Golf Digest considers them one of North Carolina’s 20 Best Courses. Golf Magazine listed them as one of the Top 100 Courses to Play in 1996, and the list goes on.

Mid South is an Arnold Palmer Signature design with some of the best greens in the Pinehurst area. They roll true and are fast! The course is highlighted by its challenging par 5s yet is best known for its finishing hole, a 368-yard par 4. On the front nine, you’ll find a lot of movement and undulation in the fairways. The holes are shaped so you cannot see the green from any of the par 4 and 5 tee boxes unless you are “Playing it Forward.”

Number 18 at Mid South is regarded by many visitors to the Sandhills as the best finishing hole in the area. From the White Tees, the hole plays 368 yards and is handicapped #3. It’s a dogleg right around the other side of the lake that you crossed on the 9th hole. Most players will want to hit their driver off the tee, but a quick survey reveals a very narrow landing area, and the water on the right side isn’t going anywhere. The fairway slopes left to right towards the water so aiming out high on the left side will usually bring your ball back down to the middle of the fairway. Success of the tee will leave a manageable approach shot over water, onto a large green protected by sand on the left. Like many courses across the pond, the 9th and 18th holes use the same green! It’s a fitting finish to a great round of golf!

Depending on your needs and desires, Talamore has several lodging options. Talamore’s Golf Villas offer wonderful amenities and panoramic views of Talamore’s signature holes. Inside, you’ll find plush and well-appointed accommodations including spacious living and dining rooms, bedrooms with two full-size beds, and full kitchens. Each living room and bedroom has cable TV and wireless Internet access. There’s also a washer and dryer in each unit if necessary. Other on-property amenities include a gracious southern style Clubhouse, a pool with cabanas, and a guest hospitality suite complete with an outdoor BBQ.

The accommodations and lodging at Mid South are second to none — three-bedroom units with 1,800 sq. ft of total comfort. Everything in the condos is top-shelf and they need to be seen to be appreciated!

Recently, new accommodations were unveiled. The Brooks and Palmer Cottages are spacious and amenity-laden, conveniently located just minutes from Talamore and Mid South. Both feature 4 bedrooms with 4 queen-sized beds, 4 full-size beds, and 4 baths, and comfortably sleeps 8! Each has a full kitchen, TVs in every bedroom, and big-screen TVs in the game room and living room. There’s outdoor dining for 8 on the old-school brick patios, a Weber grill, cornhole, and a separate firepit. Area with additional seating. What more could you want?

Talamore offers some incredible golf packages that include golf, accommodations, breakfast delivered to your door, and a pig roast on Mondays and Thursdays. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another golf resort in the area that offers so much!

When packaged together, the Mid South Club and Talamore are a formidable pair that will rival any two-course combination in the area. Throw in a few other local courses and you’ve got a golf vacation that will produce lifelong memories.

OK course but they treat outside visitors like crap. Will never go back