Golf culture alive in N.C.
PINEHURST, N.C.— Heading south on North Carolina’s U.S. 1highway, ever deeper into the heart of Dixie, a car flashes past me in the left lane. Plastered on its back bumper is a sticker that asks: Where the hell is Easy Street?
Fortunately, I already know the answer. It is any road in North Carolina that leads to a golf course. The Tar Heel State is home to nearly 600 courses, sprinkled from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean to the heights of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After a grey and listless Canadian spring, the welcoming scent of azalea bushes and magnolias is a tonic. An added bonus is the locals, who have the kind of syrupy accent that would make Floyd the barber, Goober the mechanic and Andy of Mayberry proud.
Iconic golf: The best-known golf resort in North Carolina, and probably all of the U.S., is Pinehurst, which is in the southern end of the state. It made its debut in 1895 and was an immediate hit with the bluebloods. Pinehurst is home to nine courses including the iconic No. 2, which is considered one of the top layouts anywhere in the world. Details: pinehurst.com
For some of the best stay and play deals in the Pinehurst region, check out the Talamore Resort, which features a remastered Rees Jones course. Talamore even offers llama caddies in the cooler months. Details: talamoregolfresort.com
Flying high: On Dec. 17, 1903, Orville Wright spent 12 seconds in the air, buzz- ing over the dunes of the Outer Banks. It was just long enough to launch himself into the history books. You can visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills and also check out the wild horses that roam around the nearby Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
Also make time for a couple of rounds of golf. The Outer Banks features a handful of good layouts including the Kilmarlic Golf Club, a traditional Tom Steele design that weaves beneath the heavy canopies of dogwoods, giant oaks and pines.
Details: kilmarlicgolfclub.com
Well read: The city of Asheville, which is wrapped by the ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has strong literary connections. Short story master O. Henry is buried here. Tom Wolfe, author of You Can’t Go Home Again, was born and raised in Asheville and F. Scott Fitzgerald spent time here visiting his wife Zelda, who spent the last years of her life in a sanitarium in the city. Asheville is also the site of the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in America. The 250-room extravaganza, which was built by the Vanderbilts, is open to the public. For golf, check into the Omni Grove Park Inn. Its history stretches back to 1913 and E.W. Grove, a millionaire with hiccups who invented the Tasteless Chill Tonic, an elixir which, during its heyday, outsold Coca-Cola. He also built a resort home to a Donald Ross-designed course, a pretty layout zigzaging over the hills that front the resort.
Details: omnihotels.com/ hotels/ asheville-grove-park/golf Ian Cruickshank was hosted by Visit North Carolina which did not review or approve this story.