NC Pinehurst and Sandhills Tips

Plan now for a trip to the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst #2. This should be a very special event, and if you enjoy golf tournaments, you'll love this one: the greatest golfers on the greatest Donald Ross course.

Remember that Pinehurst was originally designed as a winter resort. The temperatures can be mild, the days sunny and the rates for hotels and courses at their lowest in winter. If you're looking for a way to enjoy the Pinehurst area at a reduced price, it's worth taking a risk with the weather and going in the off-season. Most courses overseed the fairways and, thus, they remain in excellent shape throughout the winter.

Several private courses offer tee times in tandem with golf packages. These courses and their designers include: Pinehurst Plantation (Ed Seay and Arnold Palmer), Pinehurst National (Jack Nicklaus), Pinewild (Gene Hamm) and Southern Pines Elks Club (Donald Ross).

If you're going to play several golf courses and stay at a local hotel, go for the golf packages. This will save you the hassle of making telephone calls to several different courses and will often save you money off the advertised walk-up rates; plus you're more likely to get a preferred tee time. This strategy works best at many areas in the Carolinas, including Pinehurst and Myrtle Beach.

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