Hey all—William here. I finally checked off a bucket list course that’s been on my radar for years: Tobacco Road Golf Club in Sanford, North Carolina. If you’ve played it, you already know—it’s different. And if you haven’t, I’d describe it like this: it’s not a course you try to dominate. It’s a course you figure out.
On the way back from a bachelor weekend in Pinehurst, I played as a single early Sunday morning. I’d heard all the stories—how quirky it is, how wild the visuals are, how it’s either your favorite course or one you’ll never play again. But what stood out to me wasn’t the dramatic bunkers or elevated tee shots. It was how much you have to think your way around the place.
First Impressions
The entrance is easy to miss. There’s no big stone gate or flashy sign—just a driveway off a two-lane road that winds up to a small, tin-roofed clubhouse. But once you’re on the property, it feels like something out of a golf documentary. Native grass everywhere, sandy soil underfoot, and the sense that you’re about to play somewhere that doesn’t follow traditional rules.
Inside the pro shop, it’s clear they know who they are. The gear is top-tier—Turtleson, Peter Millar, Holderness & Bourne—but nothing feels corporate. There’s merch with Mike Strantz’s silhouette and quotes, and staff who actually want to chat golf instead of rushing you out.
The 13th at Tobacco Road is a tough but fun hole — it bends twice and makes you earn every shot. You have to pick a smart line off the tee, find the fairway through a tight spot on your second, and then take a deep breath for the blind approach into an elevated green. It’s the kind of hole that rewards commitment and punishes a doubtful swing.
The Round Itself
I teed off at 9:00 AM with a great pairing: a husband and wife from Pinehurst (shout out to Darin and Maryam!) and another solo player getting ready for a tournament later that week. We all walked off the 18th green still talking about the course—and still in touch a week later. That’s the kind of place it is.
I played from the Disc tees, which measure around 6,300 yards. That was plenty. The course isn’t about distance—it’s about decisions. If you’re looking to play there, definitely ask the starter or the guys at the front desk for a recommendation on tees.
This Isn’t a Power Course
Tobacco Road doesn’t reward big drives unless they’re smart ones. The fairways are wide, but the angles and visuals force you to be deliberate. Some tee boxes aim you away from your target on purpose. Some holes look tighter than they are. Others look open but hide trouble in blind spots. You can’t just swing hard and hope—it forces you to plan every shot.
And I mean every shot. If you’re in the wrong spot off the tee, you're playing defense on the approach. If you short-side yourself into a bunker, you're probably making bogey. You’ve got to look a few moves ahead, kind of like chess. There were multiple holes where I hit hybrid off the tee just to make sure I had a confident wedge or iron into the green. Normally I’d reach for driver—but here, that often sets you up for trouble.
I had heard that a Player’s book or a yardage book would help you decipher the course so you’d know where to go. I highly recommend that you fork out for a book to help you see what is going on. It’s also a neat souvenir. This helped me know when to put the driver back in the bag, or when I needed to make sure I wasn’t in a bunker 15 feet below the green.
The Greens Are No Joke
The greens are massive but tough. You’ll see multiple tiers, false fronts, and slopes that can send a ball from the middle of the green back to the fringe. They run quick, and depending on pin position, a three-putt is always in play.
If you’re not on the right level or miss in the wrong spot, you're grinding. Even with good ball-striking, I had to get creative with putts and chips all day.
No OB, No Rakes, and a Lot of Sand
There’s no out of bounds at Tobacco Road, and the sand is all considered waste area. You can ground your club and take practice swings, which helps, but the sandy lies are still unpredictable. Most bunkers aren’t raked, and many aren’t traditional bunkers at all—more like giant sandy areas with native grass and little margin for error.
Again, this goes back to the whole idea: if you’re not thinking ahead, the course will punish you—but not in a gimmicky way. It’s all there for a reason.
What Helped Me Prepare
Course flyovers: I watched a few ahead of time, which gave me a better idea of where to aim and how the holes were shaped.
Target practice at the range: Hitting to random flags and yardages helped me adapt on the course, since few shots are stock yardages.
Fast green prep: I practiced on my at-home mat and visualized faster surfaces. The greens weren’t crazy fast, but they were quick enough that pace mattered.
Tee choice: I asked the starter for advice and stuck with the Disc tees. Best decision I made all day.
The People Make It Better
One of the best parts of the day was who I got paired up with. I played with Darin and Maryam, a husband and wife from Pinehurst—friendly, fun, clearly familiar with the course—and another single player who was in town for a Broken Tee Society tournament. We hit it off early, shared a bunch of laughs, and are staying in touch after the round. Darin and Maryam recently hosted me and a friend at Pinehurst No. 2 (more to come on that). It’s always cool when the golf is great, but the company makes it better. That was definitely the case here.
And the staff carried that same energy. After the round, Steve, a staff member on 18, was cheering me on on my approach on 18 that almost holed out for eagle. After the round, we started talking and when I told him I shot 78, he lit up and asked for the whole breakdown—hole by hole. Not in a fake or forced way, but like he genuinely cared. That small interaction stuck with me. You don’t always get that kind of connection, especially at a course with Tobacco Road’s reputation.
Final Take
Tobacco Road is unlike anywhere I’ve played. It’s strategic, artistic, and just plain fun—if you approach it the right way. Don’t go in thinking you’re going to overpower it. Go in trying to solve it.
If you’re someone who enjoys creative course design, likes working through challenges, and doesn’t mind being a little uncomfortable in the best way—book the tee time. I’ll be going back.
