Woke up crazy early last Saturday, coffee practically glued to my hand. Had The Pointe Golf Club stuck in my head all week after seeing some pics online. Decided enough with scrolling, time to actually go. Grabbed my dusty clubs from the garage – yikes, spiderwebs – and chucked them in the trunk.
First Stop: Info Hunt
Needed details before just showing up, obviously. Pulled out my phone, tapped away. Wasn’t hard to find their basic stuff right away.
- Address: Typed it straight into my maps app. Looked pretty easy to get to, about 40 minutes away.
- Fees: Found a page showing the prices. Weekend morning rates were what I expected – steeper than a weekday afternoon, but that’s golf. Around sixty bucks for 18 holes walking, I think? Didn’t feel like digging for coupons right then.
- Course: Zoomed in on the pictures. Looked gorgeous – lots of water, tricky little greens. Felt my fingers itching to play.
The Drive & Roll-Up
Hit the road just after sunrise. Traffic was quiet, got there in good time. Clubhouse looked neat – kinda classic Carolina style with big windows overlooking the practice green.
- Check-in: Walked up to the counter inside. Guy was friendly enough. “Morning! Tee time for 7:30?” Handed over my cash (remembered my wallet, win!). He gave me a scorecard and a basic yardage book.
- Parking Lot Prep: Popped the trunk. Started pulling clubs out… realized I forgot to clean my spikes. Grumbled, wiped most of the mud off on the bumper. Dug around for balls. Found half a sleeve of decent ones and a bunch of scuffed junk. Good enough.
Onto the First Tee
Headed to the starter shack. Starter lady gave us a wave. “Alright gents, fairways are running a bit firm today, greens are quick. Keep it outta the drink!” Classic starter talk. Paired me up with this older guy named Bill and his buddy Jim.
First hole stretched out in front of us. Looked long. Water all down the left side. Nervously teed up. Smacked one… straight into the dang water. Bill chuckled. “Welcome to The Pointe, kid!” Fished another ball out. That feeling in my gut told me it was gonna be a long day scoring-wise. But the place? Beautiful. Tall pines, shimmering water on maybe half the holes, birds chirping everywhere.
The Holes & The Grind
Man, this course. Had everything.
- Par 3s over water: Number 7 had me sweating. Short iron over this massive pond to a tiny green. Shanked my first try, splash! Dropped another, barely squeaked onto the fringe.
- Long Par 5s: Felt like hiking to the green. You really gotta hit the fairways here. Missed on 14, ended up hacking outta thick pine straw. Fun times.
- Greens: Oh boy, fast. Like, “watch your ball roll off the front if you miss long” fast. Took me til hole 9 to kinda figure the speed. Left so many puts short!
Some dude let us play through on the back nine – we weren’t rushing, but appreciated it. Lost two more balls, found an old top-flight in the woods. Scorecard was looking ugly but hey, out here hitting shots. Bill and Jim were cool company, shared some stories.
Done (Finally!)
Eighteen felt good to finish. Sun was getting hot. Walked back to the clubhouse dragging my bag. Feet were sore.
- Post-Round Drink: Stopped at the little halfway house/bar thing near the parking lot. Grabbed a cold gatorade. Chugged half before even paying. Sat on a bench just soaking it in, feeling the sunburn start.
- Overall Feel: It kicked my butt, sure. But dang, what a nice layout. Tough but fair, gorgeous views. Definitely worth the sixty bucks and the early wake-up call. Course was in great shape, greens were slick but smooth. Not many houses around either, just quiet woods and water.
Threw the wet towel and my muddy shoes in a grocery bag in the trunk. Drove home tired but happy. Think I left a glove on the 15th green though. Doh!
