North Carolina Pines Golf Trip

Tot Hill Farm Golf Club, Tobacco Road, Duke University Golf Club

NJ to NC

DAY 1 (Thursday)

• Leave super early in AM (4AM-5AM)
• Workout at RVA Iron Gym in Richmond, VA (4.5hrs from Home) 
• Lunch: Slay Burgers 🍔 
• Check in to hotel: (3.5hr from Gym)
• Dinner: Flying Pig 🐷 
  

Lunch Option:

◻️Die by Fry 8min from gym, (sister restaurant)

◻️Dame’s Chicken&Waffles is on way

◻️The Black Lantern

◻️”The Table” closes 2:30pm in Asheboro

Dinner Option:

◻️Flying Pig 🐷

◻️Magnolia 23 (soul food)

◻️Southern soul creole

HOTEL: $156 Comfort Inn & Suites at Asheboro East

14min from Tot Hill Farm 

Outdoor pool, free full breakfast, fridge, microwave, fitness Center is 24/7

Day 2 (Friday)

• Tot Hill Farm GC @8:00am, $148 each with cart, pay at the course)
• Lunch Option: Ferris Wheel hot dog and a Little Man Light Lager
• Post Round: Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich on the Farmhouse Porch
• Drive to hotel
• Dinner: Bubbas Subs and Pizza

In Asheboro, NC sits Tot Hill Farm as one of the most adventurous courses out there and & distinctive creations of renowned architect Mike Strantz. Opened in 2000, the course is set among the extremely sloping terrain, rocky outcroppings, and winding creeks of the Uwharrie mountains, where Strantz used the property's dramatic natural features to push boundaries and craft a layout unlike any other. Massive elevation changes, rugged boulders, and strategic water hazards create a visually intimidating and constantly evolving challenge from the opening tee shot to the final green.

The course showcases Strantz's signature style, blending artistic design w/strategic shot making.

Strantz challenges both the eye and the mind. Each hole presents a unique test, requiring players to carefully consider angles, distances, and positioning. The course allows you to be creative as a golfer with different shots over (or hitting off) rocky ridges and expansive terrain while offering breathtaking views and unforgettable risk-reward opportunities.

Following an extensive 2023 restoration that returned many of Strantz's original design elements, THF has reemerged as a premier golf destination and one of the finest public courses in NC. Bold, unconventional, and endlessly memorable, it delivers a golfing experience that challenges the imagination as much as the scorecard.

Dinner Option:

The Debonair Chef (healthy)

Alpaca Chicken (healthy)

Sabor Catracho (Mexican)

Tacos El Primo (Mexican)

La Dolce Vita Pizza

HOTEL: $185 Holiday Inn Express/Suites Sanford by IHG

15min from Tobacco Road

Restaurant, good breakfast, mini fridge, Microwave, Outdoor pool, complimentary breakfast 6:30AM

QUESTIONS/THINGS TO DO:

Signature hole Par5 5th

#10 Hole known as The Great Wall

Knight Golf (33min drive from hotel)

Lawrence BBQ (15min from Knight Golf)

• “Tot Hill Mule” (ginger beer + bourbon or vodka + lime)
• “Carolina Pine Old Fashioned” (bourbon + orange + bitters)
• “Farmhouse Spritz” (Aperol + prosecco + orange)

Day 3 (Saturday)

• Tobacco Road GC @7:16am ($304 each)
• Lunch: Spicy Pimento Hotdog 
• Lift at Bucked Up Fitness afterwards and drive towards Duke University. (49min drive from TR) Open Mon-Fri 5AM-11PM. Sat/Sun:7am-10pm. $20 day pass 
• Knight Golf center 27 holes- Par 3s closer. (Could do before/after)
• Dinner-Dame’s Chicken & Waffles or Lawrence BBQ151

‘Golf is a puzzle to be solved’ by the late great Mike Strantz

Bold and unconventional golf course layout

From the moment you drive in, the jaw dropping landscaping is impeccable. It is unlike any other course out there! Massive dunes, flowing streams of sand, elevation change, and the wildest green complexes you will ever find! Super creative! This course has sooo much personality it should be featured in a Hollywood film.

Tobacco Road doesn’t allow you to rest for a moment. If you’re on the green in regulation, you cannot assume an automatic 2 putt, every shot requires focus and precision

It’s a circus type of game of the best kind, you’re on a carousel the whole time, encouraged to use your imagination & be creative with shots.

Strantz tends to have his par 5’s early and often during the round: (2 in first 4 holes for each the Front/Back 9). 

Love it or Hate it… you’ll remember it! Risk/Reward swings, stairs to literally climb out of those Sandhills 🧗 blind shots, drastic false fronts, and greens that are basically blemish free.

Pro Tip: Get the Spicy Pimento Cheese dog 🌭

HOTEL: La Quinta by Wyndham Suites Uni. Area Chapel Hill. 

8min from Duke GC, complimentary breakfast (6AM M-F, 6:30am weekends)

Food Options:

-Eat at Ideal’s Sandwiches in Durham 

-Saltbox Seafood Joint

-Big T’s Fish Fry

QUESTIONS/THINGS TO DO:

Get yourself some No Natz bug spray - you'll need it

Breakfast at the Clubhouse 7AM 

Take a bunker shot from #11s 20ft deep bunker to the green (Tobacco Road)

Knight Golf (33min drive from hotel) par 3 course (illuminated 27 holes)

Lawrence BBQ (15min from Knight Golf)

Day 4 (Sunday)

• Duke University Golf Club @8am (~$145)
• Eat at Duke right after in Fairview Dining room / 19th Hole (Lunch)

On the Duke campus, home to the Blue Devils is Duke Golf Club one of the most underrated courses in NC. Overshadowed by the likes of Pinehurst and Tobacco Road just over an hour away, Duke quietly delivers a first-class golf experience that’s deserving of far more attention.

Originally designed by the well-known Robert Trent Jones Sr. and later renovated by his son, Rees Jones. The course blends North Carolina character with a modern Championship Test.

Towering Carolina pines line both sides of the fairways through Duke Forest, creating a peaceful setting that favors shot selection over strength. Positioning off the tee is vital, while the greens are well guarded by bunkers on both sides. 

Right-handed golfers will need to practice their “draws” as there are several dogleg-left holes that naturally fit this shot shape.

Connected directly to the elegant Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Duke is an ideal stay-and-play destination for golfers visiting the area or to add to your NC golf trip!

POSSIBLE FOOD OPTIONS ON DRIVE BACK:

Virginia 

1. Get chicken parm and something else at Carbonara in Arlington, VA.
2. bring bag of chips, pringles or something else to Flavorhivetruck in Alexandria, VA. Get matcha soda too. 16min from carbonara
3. Bring cereal/cookies for their Hive Restaurant 

Baltimore

1. Bottega BYOB-great desserts 
2. Maki-near baltimore (variety of food-burgers, pasta, seafood)
3. the habit burger grill-near Baltimore
4. Evanston, IL-Gotta B Crepes (looks like amazing breakfast)
5. Zero degrees-various locations 
6. Baltimore-Full circle donuts
   

OTHER OPTIONS ON THE RETURN TRIP:

-Grandover Resort & Spa

-Southern Pines

-Mid Pines

-Pine Needles

-Pinehurst Resort (any of the 11 courses)