GolfTravelReviews: The Reviews "The Pinehurst Area: Cradle of American Golf"

Hyland Hills Knows Its Market

The 4th at Hyland Hills - a dog leg left

Hyland Hills is a hilly layout directly on Highway 1 within minutes of Southern Pines and Pinehurst. It is a Gene Hamm design ranging from 4677 to 6782 yards and it gets a fair amount of play. A good course in good condition, Hyland Hills is not spectacular and the clubhouse won’t bowl you over with its appearance. Still, Hyland Hills is well maintained by a staff led by Director of Golf Doug Thompson.

"Maintenance is the key to success in this business," said Thompson, "and service. You’ve got to treat the customer well. We will go to any length to make sure that when he steps on this property he will be welcomed and we will see to it that when he leaves, he will be glad he came.

The 6th at Hyland Hills

"We know our niche. Sure, we would like to get the high-end part of the market, but we pull no punches about it -- we are a mid-range golf course and without question we are the best in that niche in the county.

"There are no blind holes on this golf course," Thompson went on. "You can see everything in front of you. We have some nice elevation changes and some water. The layout is conducive to an efficient round. We don’t have a hard and fast rule about pace of play but we want everyone to get around in no more than 4 hours and a quarter."

The 12th at Hyland Hills

The day I visited Hyland Hills I noticed an unusual number of women golfers. The course is user friendly but it isn’t a pushover. Standing out among some nice holes is the 10th, a par 3 of 180 yards to a flat green almost entirely surrounded by bunkers with long grass. The green complex reminded me of some of the holes, like #16 at Merion. The finishing hole is a sharp dogleg left of 375 yards that completed a very nice 18.

The golf course has a package arrangement with accommodations located across the side street literally within a two-minute walk of the clubhouse. Hyland Hills was developed by local entrepreneur A. W. Hardy and is now owned and managed by A.Z. Golf Management in New Jersey.

Most average golfers will enjoy Hyland Hills -- and it won’t lighten your wallet too much either. For tee times and more information, call 1-888-315-2296.

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