Dormie Club

Played 27 holes at Dormie today. Very positive experience. Apparently ranked #2 in NC in 2013. Great property in great shape. Greens roll perfectly. Would have given 5 stars but the only negative is the Blue Tees slope 130 @ 6576yds are way to hard for any golfer who doesn’t drive 250yds consistently. Lots of carries over water or ravines. Seems the slope is too low. White Tees slope 124 @ 5910yds has several par 4s over 400yds and therefore 5 par 4s under 300yds. Too quirky. They have tried to make a hybrid blue/​white but it doesn’t really work. What they need is another set of tees… and I think they know it. A number of blind tee shots and a lot of severe uphills. No two holes are the same. Very few amenities but friendly staff. Small rustic clubhouse. Interesting and challenging!
I would definitely go back.

I have played the best golf courses in North Carolina, and this isn’t one of them. It shouldn’t be considered in the same category as #2 and Linville Golf Club. Don’t believe the hype.
Dormie is a great golf course with a fun layout. The greens are funky and not in the best shape, but still rolled ok. The rest of the course is in great shape. The course is visually intimidating off the tee with the landing areas framed by waste areas.
This course is severally lacking in amenities and shouldn’t be considered upscale. No towels, scorecards or tees in the carts. The range balls weren’t stacked, nor were they free ($ 5 for a small bag). The clubhouse has minimal food and drinks. The turnhouse has no food and only snacks and drinks. The bathrooms were porta-​johns.
This was a golf course. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want a fun, hard layout, definitely give it a try. But don’t expect anything more than that. And don’t buy in to the hype.

Played back in February and loved it for a first try. Loved the creative shot options. Definitely better to miss left on approach as most shots feed right. You can draw or fade off the tee, better land on the runway, waste areas if you miss No rough to speak of but like #2 the fun starts when you get to the green. Not as severe. Several sets of tees to pick so get the right one because distance is not the advantage here. Having fun is.
Playing 36 this weekend at 95 degrees and bringing a cooler full of water. This course is special! Golf on!

I would not play this course again if offered for free. Played on March 3^rd. Had to use cart path only. Could not find cart paths on most holes and the ones we did find were like mud roller coasters. Holes were difficult to identify. Signage was very poor. No rakes in the bunkers or on our carts. Could not wait to finish round and leave.

Simply amazing! Played Pinehurst #2 on Tuesday and then found this gem. Would not go back to #2. Every hole offers a new vista, unlike the sameness of #2. If you only have time for one round in this cradle of American golf, save some money and play Dormie.

Absolutely incredible golf course. If you are looking for a challenge, and a relaxing day then Dormie Club is the place for you! Unfortunately, they are aerating the greens on June 23, 2014, but it will be back up and running in about three weeks. No complaints about this course, I would definitely rather play here than No. 2. Yeah there isn’t a fancy clubhouse or some amenities, but this place is the most incredible golf I’ve ever played. Will 100% be back on my next vacation to Pinehurst, can’t wait!!!

No offense, but I would totally disregard the review below. I’m a 6.5 handicap that came down to Pinehurst to play 6 courses; honestly, Dormie Club so far has been my favorite, and here’s why:
1) It’s the best layout I’ve played (#2, #4, #8). I played from the tips, and certain holes take your breath away from the tee box. If you go and play it, you’ll see what I mean
2) Compared to #2, it’s actually a creative layout. I felt like half of the holes on #2 felt the exact same; not one hole out here looks like any other
3) It’s hard. If you want a cake walk, don’t play here. If you are a golf enthusiast that likes a challenge, play here
4) I actually found the staff quite friendly (maybe they read Iam’s email?) — we had free bottles of water across the course and people who circled around, checking in to see how our rounds were going
If you can deal with the lack of ball washers and a glorious club house, you’re going to relish this course. I hope I get a chance to play here again. At this point, behind #8 and Dormie Club, #2 is a distant third.

Beautiful course that is, unfortunately, terribly diminished by a TOTAL lack of infrastructure and friendliness! By no infrastructure I mean: no ball washers (and I do mean NO ball washers), extremely minimal food at the turn, no water aside from the single bottle of water they give you when you arrive, no tee box markings except for a nearly-​invisible gray concrete pillar at each tee, and really bad (bordering on childish) directional signage. The staff is arrogant and totally not helpful, bordering on distainful of your presence. Oh … And no coolers!
I understand this course was built to compete with Pinehurst #2, but #2 has no reason to be concerned about the competition. Heck, even the Dormie entrance looks uninviting. This is definitely NOT a do-​over course for me or my buddies.