Perhaps one of the most visually eye opening and talked about courses in the country, Tobacco Road has turned heads since opening in 1998. There isn’t much we can add that hasn’t been said about this one of a kind track, but it would be remiss of us to play it and not share our experience with you.
Set upon land that was once used for tobacco farming before mining and sand excavation, Mike Strantz’s vision and artistry turned a barren sand quarry into the unmistakable Tobacco Road.
Once an associate working alongside Tom Fazio, Mike Strantz’s career was cut far too short as a result of passing away from cancer at the age of 50. It’s truly unfortunate that Strantz’s solo work was limited to 8 courses, but Tobacco Road represents a project that will keep his legacy strong forever.
The Course
Design: Mike Strantz
Year Built: 1998
Yardage: 6532 (Ripper), 6297 (Disc), 5886 (Plow), 4946 (Cultivator)
Rating: 71.7(Ripper), 70.3 (Disc), 68.6 (Plow), 69.8 (Cultivator)
Accessibility: Public
Cost: $180 (February weekday afternoon)
First Impressions
Just 30 minutes from Pinehurst, the drive into Tobacco Road is filled with essentially nothing but Carolina signature longleaf pine trees. With minimal civilization and signage with the exception of the entrance, it’s hard to believe a top 100 nationally acclaimed public golf course resides in Sanford, once known as a brick production mecca. We can’t imagine trying to find the course before the days of GPS.
The drive up the road through pines to the red roofed cabin style clubhouse nestled in the woods is one of a kind, just one of several experiences here that we’ve never come across in the world of golf.
After a quick warmup it was time to buckle up for this wild ride on a cold, very windy February morning.
The Front 9
The front starts with one of the most publicized first tee shots in American golf.
The infamous field goal tee shot kicks off the round in memorable fashion, forcing a shot between two enormous dunes. We were fortunate to both make it through the goal posts with the spotter signaling the drives were good!
Beyond the hills is an inviting fairway, but a blind second shot awaits. Whacking a 3 wood from here is more than enough, with the gap to the left a solid aim point as bunkers guard the right side of the green.
A visually imposing but fair start to the round if you’re familiar with the course, Strantz wastes no time in introducing you to what’s ahead on this ride.
The 2nd is a puzzle to figure out from the tee box, but offers plenty of safety needing no more 3 wood.
Clearing the waste bunkers in front to a large fairway offers a great birdie opportunity as the hole only plays 357 yards. The green is small and protected by bunkers, but a well placed wedge shot leaves a stress free par or birdie in your future.
The first par 3 comes on the 3rd hole playing 152 yards from the back tees. However, having your yardage dialed in is key as the green is over 60 yards deep! The trouble is obvious as sand surrounds the green (shocker), but distance control is the main test on this hole.
The 4th is another par 5 and a great design that allows you to make decisions.
There’s plenty of room off the tee as long as you don’t pull it too hard in either direction, and strategy comes into play on the 2nd shot.
The hole bends hard to the left after the tee shot, with either a forced carry over sand or the conservative play to the fairways on the right side. An aggressive first shot to the left of the fairway makes the green reachable in 2 while the right side of the fairway leaves a wood in. I unfortunately sent my tee shot right and had to lay up while Shayne put himself in great position just short of the green with his 2nd shot.
A fun par 5 that is as thought provoking as intimidating.
The 5th is a short par 5 that is drivable for longer hitters, albeit with plenty of risk going for the green. It’s a touch over 300 yards to the green entirely over sand. Neither of us had the confidence to get there so we played hybrids to the generous fairway on the right side and put ourselves in good position to score.
The 6th is a short par 3 that can play extremely difficult depending on pin position. Just 148 yards from the back tees, the green runs diagonal and is almost hourglass shaped, with the middle of the green just a handful of yards deep. Unfortunately for us the pin was right in the middle of that narrow stretch making the tee shot quite challenging.
Even more unfortunate was sending my tee shot into the bunker long, making getting up and down nearly impossible with the pin placement. I walked to the 7th with a piece of me missing as I collected a painful double. A deceptively challenging par 3 made harder by the wind, it’s a great hole, but I can see players loathing it with that middle pin. Spoken from experience!
The 7th features one of the more forgiving tee shots I’ve ever played, with the fairway as wide as you could imagine. I did my best to miss it on a day my driver just wasn’t cooperating in the slightest, but a ball I thought was gone off the tee ended up on the left side of the fairway.
The green’s shaping is wild and represents the course, but the front left pin placement is by far the friendliest. A backstop funnels anything in the middle of the green to a very manageable distance. We actually forgot to get any proper photos of this hole, so here’s one of the green from an outstanding fellow course reviewer Sean over at Breaking Eighty.
The 8th and 9th are a brutal stretch to end the front, and we’d stake claim that the 9th is the hardest hole on the course by far.
The 8th is a longer par 3 playing 178 yards, with a bunker protecting both sides and the front. I caught an unfortunate break as my ball caught the right side of the green and ran into an absolutely brutal lie on the front lip of the bunker. Par feels like a great score here (not that I’d know it!), and it doesn’t get any easier on the 9th.
Have a look at what awaits from the tee box on the 9th.
The green is perched way uphill to the right of the furthermost right tree in the middle of the fairway, making any tee shot to the left impossible to get anywhere close on your approach.
A great tee shot is no guarantee of success on this hole. The hill leading up to the green is narrow and severe with a very small landing area to lay up if you’re precise. Missing long is treacherous with long rough, and right is, well….
I overcame the odds and managed to save par from that bunker and escaped the hole laughing. A brute of a hole to end the front.
The Back 9
The 10th is a gentler par 4 albeit with some length at 421 yards. A bunker runs down the entirety of the fairway on the right side. There’s more trouble on the right and in front of the green for the approach.
The 11th features the most well known of the countless bunkers on the course. A par 5 with a similar layout to the 4th but bending to the right, taking on the right side of the fairway and the bordering bunker gives an opportunity to go for it in 2. However, missing to the right leaves the bunker shot of a lifetime. I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to give it a go and managed to get out on my first attempt!
The 12th is bland in comparison to a lot of the holes here, a straightforward dogleg left par 4 that doesn’t require driver off the tee. The green is uphill but not as fiercely defended as most. Avoid the fairway bunker on the left and there shouldn’t be any worries on the hole.
On the other hand, the 13th is far from pedestrian. The aggressive play carrying the trees about 265-270 yards to the right side makes the hole reachable in two, but the danger is evident. We both took hybrid and comfortably positioned ourselves in the fairway.
From there, the majority of players will lay up with an iron to a generous landing area followed by a wedge into the green. The second shot is blind so you have to trust your yardage and line. Laying up to the right offers the best sightline of the green for your 3rd shot as a large hill blocks the majority of the left side of the green.
The green is small and heavily guarded by junk on all sides. The 3rd shot is the most difficult on this hole in our opinion as getting up and down from a missed green is extremely difficult here.
Featuring the only water hazard on the course, the 14th is a scenic yet nerve racking par 3. Playing 194 yards and downhill, precision and distance control are musts. The green is deep, and back pin placements are the most difficult.
Another short par 4 awaits on the 15th, with a blind tee shot carrying waste bunkers. Driver isn’t needed off the tee, setting up a short approach to a wide green protected on all sides by bunkers. Missing long is especially penal.
The 16th is in my opinion the most visually complex tee shot on the course (although a case could be made for almost any hole).
The picture doesn’t really do it justice as the canyon style fairway winds in an S shape, leading to a blind hybrid shot of about 200-220 yards. The green is severely uphill but not a long distance from the fairway. In actuality this is an easy birdie opportunity if you know the course and can hit your targets, but I loved the intimidating visual of the this tee shot.
The final par 3 on the course is the 17th, a very short par 3 playing downhill and carrying over a vast array of waste bunker terrain.
Finishing off the round is a 432 yard par 4 with a daunting tee shot. Clearing the “wall” is a challenge, but reveals a pretty forgiving fairway. The right side of the fairway is preferred as it gives a better look at the green at the end of the slight dogleg left.
It’s a stern finishing hole that becomes outright treacherous if you don’t clear the hazard off the tee. We were both fortunate enough to find the fairway and finished with solid pars.
Final Thoughts
Where to start when summarizing a day at Tobacco Road?
Having seen plenty of pictures of Pine Valley as a New Jersey resident, Tobacco Road is the closest I’ve experienced to that style of course thus far. While it’s no Pine Valley, Strantz’s signature course undoubtedly does what it sets out to. Intimidate, but be wildly fun.
Most people we spoke to about the course shared that they found it way easier the second time they played it, and we can see why.
While the visual intimidation factor is undeniable, the course is actually very playable. It’s not long, and players capable of hitting their spots should have no issue scoring really well. In addition, the course is softened by local rules such as no out of bounds and allowing players to pick their ball up and fluff the lie in any bunker. If you think the course is impossible based on pictures, don’t be worried as it’s more approachable than it seems.
That being said, the back tees would provide a challenge neither of us were looking to take on (especially in February conditions) that can test top players as well.
If you’re within a few hours on a golf trip like we were, we think Tobacco Road is absolutely worth the trip to experience at least once. It’s a polarizing course that can rub traditional architecture enthusiasts the wrong way as gimmicky, but at the end of the day golf is supposed to be fun, and it’s pretty much impossible not to have fun at Tobacco Road. It’s a must see course.
Play it, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life.
Pros
-One of a kind terrain, unforgettable holes are common here
-Refreshingly playable despite visual intimidation
-Competitive price point for a top 100 course with the novelty Tobacco Road has
Cons
-Have heard of 6 hour rounds during busier times, so prepare accordingly
-Conditions were average, tough to fairly gauge considering the weather but many greens had green paint sprayed on them
Favorite Holes
Mike: 11
Shayne: 1
What Would We Pay?
$250-300
Final Score
8
See how we score here
Have you taken on Tobacco Road? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!