PINEHURST PLEASURES

By Lee Pace

Beyond the 144 holes of golf.

THE VISTA
The world changes when you turn off Highway 2 onto Carolina Vista, the two blocks of road and two eons of mind-set that lead to the Carolina Hotel. Through a luxurious canopy of towering pines and hollies sits the famous cupola atop the four-story hotel, the copper shining in the bright sunshine. Brick sidewalks line both sides of the road, allowing for a comfortable and leisurely stroll past the cottages that comprise Old Town Pinehurst: Beacon House, Little House, and Villa Vista “Heart Pine” House. There’s one rule on Carolina Vista — check any complaints about the world’s ills at the turn-off. You won’t need them at Pinehurst.

THE CARILLON
The Village Green is an oval of land a couple of hundred yards long nestled between the golf courses and the village. On it are hundreds of pine trees, a library, and a church — nothing else. From the church spire several times a day come the sweet strains of the Coe Memorial Carillon. Chimes announce each hour, and you can  hear the hymns from anywhere on the golf courses or in the village at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. It’s truly a religious experience playing Pinehurst No. 2 near Easter as the carillon sounds “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today.”

THE ROCKERS
Set about the sprawling porch that wraps around part of the Carolina Hotel, these big, white, substantial chairs lilt to and fro ever so gently. They’re perfect early on a Sunday morning with coffee and The New York Times, late in the afternoon with a Nelson DeMille page-turner, at midnight over cordials and fond memories of the day past. Or what about tea time with Swedish Dream Cookies — sinful creations with pecans and coconut that melt in your mouth? Find a rocker and your honey and hold hands and listen for the birds. You can feel the pulse of Pinehurst here on the porch, rocking back and forth.

THE WALKING
Golf is a sport, not a game. It requires some stamina and strength, not a comfortable chair and an ashtray. I like to sweat a little on the golf course, to feel that after 18 holes I’ve done something halfway athletic. Given the choice, I’ll walk over ride most any day. That’s why I love Pinehurst’s walking policy at the five courses that emanate from the main clubhouse. You have the option to walk them at any time, either taking a caddie or carrying your own bag. While other golfers are jumping in and out of golf carts, you’re enjoying a pleasant walk between shots — all the better to get a reading on the course and your mind-set.

THE TUFTS ARCHIVES
The World Golf Hall of Fame left the area several years ago, but the best-kept secret in the museum business is still alive and well. The Tufts Archives is a wing of the Given Memorial Library in the Village of Pinehurst. You can see a soda fountain on display here that James W. Tufts used to make his fortune and build this tiny burg a century ago. You can see menus, scorecards, brochures, and photographs from the early days in Pinehurst. Don’t wait for a rainy day to visit.

THE BUFFET
My favorite thing about the breakfast buffet in the Carolina Hotel is a made-to-order omelette with bacon, cheese, and onions folded inside, and salsa on top. My second favorite is a tie between the waffles topped with powdered sugar and warm syrup, sausage gravy served on homemade biscuits, banana-nut bread, lyonnaise potatoes, salmon and cream cheese on a bagel, fresh fruit, and for good measure, a banana to stuff in my golf bag. And my third favorite thing is going back to bed for a nap afterward.

THE TAGS
I like to keep a sharp eye out around Pinehurst for vanity license plates. It seems the populace is more into embracing its love of golf on the back of its cars than anywhere else: DIVOTTEE, PAR4US, SANDIRON, TEEITUP, 2UP2TOGO, and TEE AUF are a few I’ve seen. One fellow tells us which hole and course he lives on: 7TH ON 6. One where he’s from: 4MEROKIE. One where he went to school: SINKNAVY. Another which sport besides golf he’s into: OK-CRO-K. And one lists his favorite town but ran out of letters: PINEURST.

THE VILLAGE
Pinehurst president Pat Corso says if you compare an aerial photo of the Village of Pinehurst from 50 years ago with one from today “the only difference you’ll see is the cars.” That’s about right. A stroll through this cluster of history and ambience is a step back in time, all neatly preserved with strict signage regulations and a National Historic Site designation. Don’t miss the chili at The Villager Deli in the winter, the gazpacho in summer, the ice cream sundaes at the Sundries shop, the piano bar in the Pine Crest Inn, and the barbecue chicken at Mulligan’s.

THE HILL
They call the practice range at Pinehurst “Maniac Hill,” presumably because the hitting area is elevated a little and because the obsession to hit perfect golf shots can turn us into nuts. We tinker with grip and stance, with take-away and pronation, with “feeling the clubhead” (whatever that means), and with our follow-through. The tee is about the size of a football field. The range is expansive and full of well-defined and well-marked targets. “It’s the Yale and Harvard of golf instruction,” Tommy Armour once said. I love to crack a nice drive late in the afternoon, when the sun’s at your back and the ball seems to hang against the blue sky forever.

THE SHOP
I collect golf shirts like some kids collect crayons. My closet has 164, just like the biggest Crayola box. White, black, pastels, earthtones, horizontal stripes, vertical stripes. My wife looks askance each time I return from an assignment: “Another golf shirt?” So I’m drawn like a magnet to the expansive golf shop in the resort clubhouse. There you’ll find Pinehurst’s renowned “Putter Boy” logo and 1999 U.S. Open logo emblazoned on everything from turtlenecks to toboggans. You can buy leather jackets, throws with vintage advertising, and toddlers’ gear as well. I asked but was told I could not get a Putter Boy tattoo.

Free-lance writer Lee Pace, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has nixed the thought of living in Pinehurst because, as he says, “If I did, I wouldn’t have it to get away to.”