We decided to leave early on our last day at Mid Pines, we had heard some great and interesting stories about a course which was on our way to the airport.

Designed by the late Mike Strantz, Tobacco Road has already won several awards and is included in Golf Digest and Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Greatest Public Courses in America.

The weather wasn’t great, we played in that fine drizzle that some how still seems to get to parts that the waterproofs should protect so keeping my lens dry was a constant problem and focusing on my game wasn’t  any easier than normal.

Tobacco Road has been described as Pine Valley on steroids and to cement that point the par 5 opening hole needs a host of marshals to spot your tee shot over to 2 blind landing areas before your 3rd shot into an awesome green where a 2 putt is gladly taken!

So the scene and challenge is set, from then on in you are navigating your tee shots over and around some severe bunkering, and once you find a fairway your shots into the greens have to be deadly accurate, as there are more curves, bumps, levels and swales on this track then the Himalayas putting green next to the Old Course St Andrews.

The general view from our guys was ‘What a great track!’ However we all said that it’s one of those courses you have to play a couple of times to get to know and really appreciate how to play it. Having said that it was a great way to finish the trip and not that we need one but a great reason for a return visit.