Hole-by-Hole at National Golf Club

By Shane Sharp,
Contributor

SOUTHERN PINES, NC - Most golf directors will shy away from naming a signature hole, typically citing all 18 of them as the course's best.

National Golf Club Director of Golf Tom Parsons doesn't completely take the easy way out when picking the best hole at his Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, but he does say that four holes make compelling arguments for the moniker.

"I think we have four signature holes out here," he says. "Two is a beautiful hole, and No.'s 5, 10 and 18, those holes are very fair tests and very pretty to play."

The par 3 2nd hole, with its carry over water and location at the base of a hill would make it an easy choice. That is until you make your way around the rest of the golf course. The par 4 fifth hole seems to blend in with the rest of the course, with the exception of an approach shot over a rambling creek. But the par 5 10th and the par 4 18th are easily two of the most beautiful golf holes in the area.

No. 10 is all about the water, as one of the property's four lakes comes into play on the second shot and the approach to the green. The green complex juts out into the water, transforming this 510-yard hole into one of the most difficult on the course.

Runners Up

Parsons signature hole selections are right on the money. But you could make a strong case for a couple of other holes that really bring out National's Sandhills flavor: The par 4 11th hole, which swing left to a green that is tucked away in a grove of long leaf pine trees, and protected by a signature Sandhills waste bunker to the right.

The 383-yard par 4 16th hole, a short, tough, two shotter with waste bunkers built around the pine trees, plenty of love grass, and a huge waste area that juts out from the left that keeps long hitters from going for the green.

Not easy on the Big Boys, either

National Club plays to a slope of 137 from the back tees. But with the severely undulating greens, pin placement can easily tack five to ten digits onto that rating. National hosted a round of the PGA Tour's qualifying school in October, and had the highest scores in relation to par of any golf course in that round of competition.

Options O'Plenty

In another unique twist, National Golf Club has a series of holes with grassy collection areas surrounding the greens. Parsons says this allows players to be creative with their short games. Some lies are better for wedge shots, while others favor eight irons or even fairways woods.

";You have to take what the golf course gives you, and you have to use your imagination around the greens to make par," Parsons says.

Shane Sharp is vice president of Buffalo Communications, a golf and lifestyle media agency. He was a writer, senior writer and managing editor of TravelGolf.com from 1997 to 2003.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.