TALAMORE & MID SOUTH A SOUTHERN PINES SPECIAL

THE MISTWOOD GOLF CLUB in Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook is open daily until 10 PM. So why not stop in to practice, get a lesson, or tuned up with a club fitting. It’s never too early or too late to order new golf clubs. Mistwood Golf Dome is home to McWethy’s sports bar where you catch all the sports action. See More at Mistwoodgolfdome.com.

The Mid South Club an Arnold Palmer Design, in Southern Pines NC. Part of the Talamore resort.

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation.

Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or connect with him on LinkedIn and or Facebook.

IF YOUR IN the golf capital of America the Sandhills of the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area, there plenty of courses to play.

But one facility that can slide a little under the radar, but is as good as the major players in town, is the Talamore-Mid South resort. 36 holes, with great places to practice, play, eat, drink and yes sleep. Because when it comes to having a place to stay, the Talamore-Mid South villas are about as good as it gets anywhere.

Talamore under the lights.

But first on the tee is the “New Course” at Talamore. The Rees Jones design is fun to play and has the the true flavor of sandhills country golf.

But the name “new course” is fitting. Because there are so many new things that golfers will find on the golf course, that were not there a few years ago.

So what’s new ! There has been tree work done, bunker work done, tee work done. The cart paths have been fixed. The clubhouse has been redone inside, with a new grille. But if you don’t have time to go inside, there is a new halfway house at the turn. Plus new bathrooms out on the golf course, real ones that have eliminated the need to find a portable toilet.

The par 3, 2nd hole at Talamore. Complete with some of the courses pot bunkers.

Talamore has some traditional sandhill style bunkers. But it also has some pot bunkers on a few of the holes. Land in the wrong spot in a few of them and getting out is no fun.

But one of things that is fun about Talamore, is room to hit the driver. You won’t get squeezed when hitting you driver, plus some tee boxes have a little elevation to them.

Water is not found all over the golf course, in fact it really doesn’t come into play until you need to hit your drive on the 18th hole.

Talamore’s 18th hole a par 4 with water.

The 18th hole at Talamore is the true definition  of risk-reward. If your a big hitter and you want to cross the water, you can try and go over it. But if not, take a shorter crossing and out into the center of the fairway. It is a great finishing hole.

If Talamore is a place you have not been to in a while, the news on the Llama’s is this. They are still there, and you can visit them at their pen to the left of the 14th tee. But their days as caddies are over. In the meantime, enjoy the walk and everything off the course. But if your ready for 36 holes in one day, just pull out and rive down the road a mile to the Mid-South Club, another great choice.

Talamore gives yo the option of play here, stay here and now move here. Because there are more home sites being built around the course, and near the main drive coming into the clubhouse. So visit TalamoreGolfResort.com or call (800)-552-6292.

The sun rises on the course Arnie built- The Mid South Club.

Mid-South an Arnold Palmer design, (previously known as Pinehurst Plantation) is part of the Talamore resort.

The two courses make-up a great 1-2 punch. After taking the driveway in to the clubhouse, that runs between holes 10-11,12 and 13. You immediately start to see the challenge you are in for that day.

But after arriving at the stately clubhouse, complete with a new bar and dining area, the grace and charm of the property start to set it. Because some of the best villa’s you can ever stay in, flank the clubhouse on both sides. Then behind the clubhouse are practice facilities that include a large putting green and driving range.

The par 3 6th hole at Mid South

Mid South starts out with two good opening holes that gives one a chance to settle in to their game. Even though the tee shot over water on the second has some challenge to it.

But the real kick-in of great holes start on the third hole, a well bunkered par 3 that plays 180 from the tips.

The fourth hole is a great uphill dogleg right, to an elevated green. You will see some elevation change here. Then the par 4, 5th hole requires a strategic tee shot, and an even better approach to this guarded green.  But the par 3, sixth hole is a shot over water and rocks that guard the front of the green, bunkers await back of the green.

The Mid South villa’s complete with two bedrooms, fireplaces, big screen TV’s and more, are outstanding.

But the closing holes on each nine leave the golfers a challenge.

The front nine finishes with a 542 yard par 5, with an approach shot over water. The back nine offers a par 3, 17th hole from 205 yards, and the par 4/5, 435 yard 18th hole.

The 18th is more often played as a par 5, even at 435 yards due to the rsik reward involved. Because it has a water all down the right side, that curves in front of the green. To the left are trees above the mounds and the cart path. After your round the new bar is a great place to go buy one. It has views of the golf course and practice area’s. The villa’s are only a short walk back from the dining area or the pro shop.

Talamore-Mid South  resort have two great golf course, and two even better places to stay. For more information visit TalamoreGolfresort.com (800)-552-6292. New housing options are available around the golf course.

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About Rory Spears

Rory spent over 8 years growing up working at Rob Roy Golf Club in Prospect Hts.IL, then two years at Chevy Chase in Wheeling. He has covered golf in Chicago since 1986. Rory was one of the initial members of WSCR all-sports radio Chicago and covered golf there for 5 seasons, before moving on to work for ESPN/Sportsticker and ESPN Radio. In addition to hosting Golfers on Golf Radio on WCPT AM820 Chicago, he writes for both the Chicago District (CDGA) Magazine, and formerly Chicagoland Golf. Rory has played over 525 courses in 39 states, and rates golf courses. He does golf course management and communications consulting, within the golf industry.