Talamore Golf Resort, Resort Course

Do Not Recall (cart included), played on Friday, October 2014 at noon

My son and I played here as part of a 4-day trip to Pinehurst. We liked it better than Southern Pines or Mid-Pines, and had as much fun as we did at Tobacco Road. The course has a lot of elevation changes and plenty of sand, but we found it playable and enjoyable. The llama in the shed on the back nine acknowledged us, so we got the whole experience.

$66 (cart included), played on Monday, June 2014 at 8am

I particularly loved the back 9 and how it varied and was just interesting and beautiful.

$71 (cart included), played on Monday, April 2012 at 10am

Great layout on a hilly terrain. Bring some golf shots. Lots of sand traps, challenging greens. Take one club extra, most of the trouble is in front of the greens until you get to the back nine. Then huge roll off on the back, traps on the front. Definitely a great course wortthy of you play.

$36 (cart included), played on Tuesday, February 2011 at noon

Our vacationing group played here 2-8-11, in sunny and breezy conditions, with temps in the upper 40's. Paid $39, a real bargain for a course of this quality.

Clubhouse is very nice, staff is friendly and accommodating, with a well-stocked pro shop. From the White tees, the course is 6,025 yards, 68.7/126, but it plays MUCH tougher than that, more like a 136 slope to me. Lots of elevation change, lots of bunkers, a million moguls, some beatiful vistas from the tees. Greens are very large, most undulate, and they putt fast and true. Bunkers are plentiful and deep, but in good shape for this time of year. Fairways are generous, and most have some slope to them, so flat lies are a rarity.

We felt that some of the yardages shown were understated: for example, #5 is a downhill par 3, fronted by a huge full-width deep bunker, listed at 140 yards from the White tees. It actually played more like 155 to the middle. Similarly, #2 is a 164 yard downhill par 3 (also fronted by large bunkers), and it played more like 180. Another niggling issue: several holes were cart-path only, and it was a hike getting to and from the fairways, as they are bounded by a line of moguls. Not a walkable course, especially for us older folks.

Having said all of that, we really liked the course. It's a good test of golf on a well-designed layout that is fully integrated into the terrain. The adjacent houses never come into play, and are not distracting. One final note: we did see two llamas in a paddock in the woods, so the course logo is validated!! We highly recommend!