Dormie Club- hole 18 

Dormie Club is located in the Sandhills of North Carolina, near Pinehurst.

The course opened in 2010 and was designed by Coore + Crenshaw, who are generally regarded amongst the best in the business. 

Coore + Crenshaw courses are known for their minimalist designs and Dormie Club is no exception.

 

The course looks like it has always been there and simply been discovered and carved out of the sandy, wooded, hilly terrain.

There is little in the form of a formal rough- the fairways are surrounded by sandy scrub then framed by trees- it has a genuine rustic feel.

 

In general fairways are wide, and the emphasis is on the second shot.

It is reminscent of Royal Melbourne at times with the width off the tee providing players choices with the angles of approach. The greens definitely reward the thinking golfer and challenge the golfer approaching from the wrong spot!!!

 

When I played in 2016 the infrastructure was still a little rough- cart paths were rough dirt paths. Perhaps things were tight financially?

 

Overall I though the course was outstanding.

The first four holes were superb, and really grabbed our attention with strong, boldly bunkered holes which looked natural in the setting.

 

 

Dormie Club- hole 3 green

 

 

The collection of par 3's at Dormie Club are exceptional with each of holes 7, 9, 12, & 16 real gems, but also quite different from each other.

Hole 7 requires a carry over swampy ground with a longer iron or rescue to a green which slopes left to right and is heavily bunkered front and right

Hole 9 also requires a swamp carry with a short accurate iron shot to a green with a sharp drop off at the front. You need to be up!

 

 

Hole 12 is the prettiest of the par 3's, and the shortest- requiring only a wedge or 9 iron at most to negotiate the sandy waste and bunkers which cover the entire journey to the smallish green. Accuracy is the key..

 

 

Dormie Club- hole 12 

Hole 16 is a downhill par 3 requiring a middle iron to a large squarish shaped green surrounded by bunkers.

It reminds me strongly of McDonald/Raynor holes and would not have been out of place at Chicago golf Club.

 

Dormie Club- hole 16

 

Hole 14 is a top hole as well. A very short par 4 with a severe left to right sloping fairway, the green is defended by 3 factors:

- a solitary greenside bunker front right

- a large tree on the left side of the fairway, and

- the slope of the fairway

Inevitably a decent drive will find most people hitting a short elevated shot over the bunker to hit the green.

 

 

 

Then there is the amazing par 5 seventeenth hole which requires a long and accurate drive to thread between the waiting bunkers each side of the fairway as it turns to the left and climbs.

The green sits on top of the hill requiring a long strong strike to get home in two.

It will be too much for most as the last 80 metres before the green traverse a spectacular quarry- and that quarry face is a daunting prospect to carry....

Many will  be better off to lay up and try to hit the green in three, I would suggest. 

 

Dormie Club- hole 17 approach 

 

Overall I rate Dormie Club highly.

There is nice variation in the holes, with a good mix of short and long par 4's, and some great par 3's.

However, while there are no bad holes I thought the start of the back nine was a little quieter than the rest of the course, with little bunkering...

I am not sure why?

 

Dormie Club should be on the itinerary for every golf trip to Pinehurst & The Sandhills of Nth Carolina

 

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