Being absolutely golf-obsessed means golf trips are a year-round affair. This one came on a chilly weekend in January 2021, where my buddy Nate and I met in Southern Pines, North Carolina, at the Mid Pines Inn for some winter golf. The enticing deal for the season? They call it "The Golf Lovers Package" – a steal at under 200 bucks a night. It throws in a cozy stay at Mid Pines Inn and a daily round of 18 holes at your pick of courses – Mid Pines, Southern Pines, or Pine Needles. These gems, all crafted by the legendary Donald Ross, are personal favorites, often overshadowed by their Pinehurst neighbors but well worth the visit at a fraction of the cost.
In North Carolina, winters usually mean mild temperatures, occasionally flirting with freezing, but snow this far south is a rare sight. Our blind trust in the weather's goodwill came back to bite us.
We rolled into Mid Pines Inn on a Friday afternoon with a tee time across the street at Pine Needles, a recent host of the Women's US Open. Racing against the setting sun and dropping temperatures, we completed our first 18 with a local doctor. Rumors of ice and snow circulated during the round and around the hotel that evening. But, confident that North Carolina doesn't do ice and snow, we optimistically looked forward to an early morning round at Mid Pines. Oh boy, were we in for a surprise.
Waking up in our room overlooking Mid Pines' 18th green, we found the entire course transformed into a frozen wonderland – a literal ice rink.
Heading down to the restaurant and pro shop for breakfast, we probed the staff about any chance of the course opening that day – no dice. As we devoured our breakfast, we watched fellow golf enthusiasts check out and head home since all the courses were closed, with the weather expected to worsen. But, being the daring fools we are, we decided to tough it out.
A morning of pool and whiskey ensued, and we gradually realized we might be the only two guests left in the hotel. As we headed back to the restaurant for lunch, the entire hotel plunged into darkness, and I promise you, the power never came back on the rest of the weekend.
By noon on Saturday, we were a couple of sheets to the wind, the roads were ice-covered, and the snow showed no signs of letting up. Officially stuck, the hotel started getting colder, the staff confirmed we were the sole survivors, and we oddly got excited about the adventure unfolding. With no cooking possible due to the power outage, the hotel generously handed us about a dozen bags of chips to survive on for the next 24 hours. Most of the day was spent by the big indoor fireplace, playing pool, and polishing off our whiskey bottle for warmth.
As evening approached, our stir-craziness hit its peak. With most of the hotel staff gone, the remaining one or two essentially gave us free rein. So, as darkness blanketed the hotel, we made our way to the restaurant bar. The beer taps miraculously worked and after a few gratis beers, we had emptied one of the kegs. Venturing into the wide-open stockroom behind the bar, we stumbled upon a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label (expensive). A couple of swigs later, we decided it was best to cease our bar raid.
If anyone from Mid Pines Inn is reading this, I wholeheartedly apologize for our survival-mode thievery.
In a Quentin Tarantino-esque twist, two college kids from Philadelphia rolled in from the icy outdoors into the dark, freezing hotel that had no food. Suddenly, our self-inflicted predicament seemed slightly less absurd. We shared our eventful day with them, played pool, and headed to bed. Finding it amusing that their room was literally next to ours in the cavernous hotel, we agreed to wake up early and play golf together in the cold if no one from the hotel showed up. Coats and sweaters on, we slept with the room temperature showing 45 degrees. At first light, we discovered much of the ice had melted on the course. Heading to the lobby and pro shop, we found essentially no staff on hand. Grabbing our bags, we hopped on the first tee, walking the first six holes on an empty course with our new friends before a greenskeeper stumbled upon us. He insisted we couldn't be on the course and needed to leave immediately. Sadly, we obliged and headed back to the hotel.
At this point, we knew it was time to throw in the towel and drive the two hours back home. Weeks passed, and our Mid Pines antics faded from memory until an email arrived from the inn. Convinced we were about to get hit with a massive charge for the liberated alcohol, I nervously opened the email to discover Mid Pines issuing us an apology and a 50% refund for our wintry mess of a weekend.
In the end, golf took a back seat, but it turned out to be one of the best golf trips ever. I can't even recall the names of those college kids who played those six holes with us. Perhaps they're not even real, and we just drunkenly dreamt of making friends. Regardless, I cherish the adventure every golf trip brings, eagerly anticipating the next one.
Trevor
