While I have the utmost respect for Pinehurst #2, the perennial US Open track, I have now played the best course in Pinehurst. It’s No. 10, designed by Tom Doak, and it’s not close. If I had to describe the layout, I would say it’s a combination of Ballyneal, Pacific Dunes, and Bandon Trails–which are three Top 100 golf courses. It’s built through a pine forest that used to be a sandmine. And for those of you logomaxxing, check out the sand car logo with the “Easter Egg” feature of course #11, currently under construction by Coore-Crenshaw.

There are only three main playing surfaces at No. 10: greens, fairway cut, and native areas. It sits about 5 miles away from the main resort and the only structures on the property are the clubhouse, the golf shop, and the halfway house. When you walk off the first tee, you feel like you’re hiking through a national park. It’s not perfect–I felt there was too much severity in some of the greens complexes, but I absolutely loved the variety of short and long holes. I would highlight holes 12-15 as the best example of this feature.

The 12th is a reachable par 5 where a native area must be carried on the 2nd shot. The 13th is a massive Cape par 4 that is difficult to reach in regulation. The 14th is a par 3 that can stretch out to 264 yards from the back tees, and the 15th is a short dogleg par 4 with water up the entire right side. I counted only 3 greenside bunkers over this stretch because slopes force the player to approach hole locations with strategy and accuracy.

The course is beefy, stretching out to 7,100 yards at a par 70. I made the mistake of getting peer-pressured into playing the blue/white combos with the young bucks, which–at 6800 yards–felt like a Golden Corral buffet for a pea-shooter like me. I played as one would expect–death by 1000 cuts—with 10 bogeys and 2 birdies for a big fat 78. With this being my 24th round in 27 days, the legs are not firing and my drives are puny. I feel injury-free, but this is mile 20 in a marathon and I am not the same player I was at the starting line of the Where’s William Now adventure.

A quick shoutout to James The First, our host in Pinehurst. This dude has shown us ALL the hotspots. The boys have tagged him with the nickname Pinehurst James, or PJ for short. I’ve been calling him King James. Between picking restaurants, getting us into the member areas around the resort, knowing many of the staff, constantly taking photos and videos, and hitting saucy short game shots off grainy Bermuda–PJ has put on an Academy Award winning show. He has impressed me so much, I am considering adding him to our squad at The Axial Club, which is a golf travel group I help manage. The boys rightly said he was making my organizational skills look bad and I have to agree. Thank you James!

I put Brad on a plane this morning out of Charlotte and he is now in wedding preparation mode. Thanks to his fiancee, Ally, for loaning him out for a couple of weeks. Jack leaves tomorrow and his docket includes moving into his new place in Walnut Creek and starting a new job in San Francisco. As for William, this travel train is still chugging . I will be visiting one of my best friends in Davidson and seeing his kids for the first time since 2014. Then, I hop a plane to Toronto to visit the super couple, Charles and Sera, who are my friends and colleagues from Pacesetter Technology. The Toronto tour includes The Pulpit Club, Rocky Crest Golf Club, King Valley Golf Club, and The Toronto Golf Club.

I am counting on all of you to keep chugging along with me. His engine needs to be stoked, but Where’s William Now will get all passengers to the final station!