The Pines at Elizabeth City is a Gem of a Golf Course
bill taylor, culture, golf course, recreation, sports, the pines at elizabeth city,
Newly revamped‚ The Pines at Elizabeth City offers enough challenges to get any players’ competitive juices flowing – and that’s exactly what owner Bill Taylor had in mind.
“For the first time in the history of Elizabeth City‚ we have a championship golf course‚” Taylor says.
Taylor‚ a longtime golfer‚ had always believed The Pines wasn’t meeting its full potential. As its new owner‚ he was finally in a position to do something about it.
The Hampton Roads entrepreneur also owns more than a dozen McDonald’s restaurants as well as the Blockbuster Video of Elizabeth City. He purchased The Pines in September 2004 from the club membership and changed its name from Pine Lakes Country Club to The Pines at Elizabeth City. He began the restoration process by hiring golf course architect Tom Clark of Ault‚ Clark and Associates.
Clark’s aim was to achieve a Pinehurst feel and make the course the gem of northeastern North Carolina. He began by removing about 700 trees and adding three lakes to the existing two. All greens and bunkers were rebuilt to U.S. Golf Association specifications and eight-foot-wide cart paths were installed throughout the original Fred Finlay design. Sand bunkers are new‚ and practice facilities have also been renovated to include new target greens‚ fairways‚ chipping areas and a putting green. Greens feature bent grass‚ while tees and fairways feature a new hybrid of Bermuda grass that is more heat-resistant.
The par-72 course has five sets of tees that play from 5‚101 yards to 7‚017 yards. Holes 9 and 18 both converge at the clubhouse.
“It’s exciting to see The Pines reach its true potential‚” Taylor says. “I have loved this club and this area for so long‚ and I am delighted to be part of such a tremendous improvement for the club and Elizabeth City.”
Head golf professional David Mascitti came to The Pines in October of 2005‚ just before the club opened at Thanksgiving of that year.
“We’re still growing‚” he says. “We’re looking for pristine conditions very soon. It’s very exciting.”
Heritage Creations of Bend‚ Ore.‚ was brought in to make a complete renovation of the pro shop. A new contemporary pool will open in the summer of 2007.
To add to these attractions The Pines has a new upscale restaurant. Bistro at The Pines is a four-star rated establishment owned by Omar Boukhriss‚ who is known for his work at Voila and Omar’s Carriage House in Norfolk.
This semi-private golf club offers golf and social memberships‚ as well as daily fee and outing play. The non-resident weekend and holiday rate for play on the course is $79 including a cart. Weekday rate for non-residents is $69. Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. weekdays and weekends.
Story by Bridget Huckabee
