PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA · EST. 1895
The Boys Are Going
to Pinehurst
7 courses · 4 days · 1 legendary trip — October 21–25, 2026
“apes together golf”
40ANOOP'S BDAY
—Days
—Hours
—Mins
—Secs
PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA · EST. 1895
7 courses · 4 days · 1 legendary trip — October 21–25, 2026
“apes together golf”
TWO TEE TIMES PER SLOT · SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS OF FOUR
| Date | Time | What's Happening |
|---|---|---|
| WED 10/21 | by 6:00 PM | Wheels down at RDUEveryone In By 6 |
| ~8:30 PM | Dinner — The TavernHolly InnProposed | |
| THU 10/22 | 6:45 AM | Breakfast & Warmup40-Min Cushion |
| 8:08 / 8:16⏱ 3.5 hrs → ~11:38 / 11:46 | Pinehurst No. 32-Man Scramble | |
| 12:50 / 1:00⏱ 5 hrs → ~5:50 / 6:00 PM | Pinehurst No. 8Serious RoundShared Caddie | |
| 7:30 PM | Dinner — Carolina Dining RoomCarolina HotelProposed | |
| FRI 10/23 | 8:00 AM | Breakfast & Warmup40-Min Cushion |
| 9:30 / 9:40⏱ 5 hrs → ~2:30 / 2:40 PM | Pinehurst No. 2Serious RoundCart Path Only | |
| 3:50 / 4:00⏱ 2 hrs → ~5:50 / 6:00 PM | The CradleWalking · Par 3Shoes Off — MandatoryT-Shirt Casual3–4 Clubs Max | |
| ~6:00 PM | Thistle Dhu18-Hole Putting CourseFree | |
| 7:30 PM | Dinner — Pinehurst Brewing CoT-Shirt FriendlyProposed | |
| SAT 10/24 | 8:00 AM | Breakfast & Warmup40-Min Cushion |
| 9:36 / 9:48⏱ 5 hrs → ~2:36 / 2:48 PM | Pinehurst No. 10Serious RoundWalking · Shared Caddie | |
| 3:04 / 3:12 | Pinehurst No. 5Optional / TBC | |
| 7:30 PM | Dinner in the VillaGames Night 🃏Catan FinaleLast Full Night | |
| SUN 10/25 | 8:15 AM | Breakfast · Pack · Check Out40-Min Cushion |
| 10:10 / 10:20⏱ 5 hrs → ~3:10 / 3:20 PM | Pinehurst No. 4Serious RoundCart Path · Shared Caddie | |
| 4:00 PM | Van to RDUFlights 7 PM+ |
Serious Round = 10, 2, 8, 4 — scores count. Chips = format & logistics notes. Pace plan: ~3.5 hrs on No. 3 · ~5 hrs on 2, 8, 10 & 4 · ~2 hrs at the Cradle. Walking total: ~22–24 miles. Break in your shoes now.
Serious Round = No. 8 (Thu), No. 2 (Fri), No. 10 (Sat), No. 4 (Sun).
Each player has a quota (see below). Score points every hole: bogey 1 · par 2 · birdie 4 · eagle 8. Your day = points scored minus your quota. Cumulative +/- across all four rounds crowns the champion.
No. 3 · two-man teams. Both players hit, pick the better ball, both play from there — repeat until it's holed. Winning team: +2 each toward the overall.
STRICTLY NO MULLIGANS.
Low gross — no quotas on 127-yard holes. Winner +2. Cousins vs The Rest for the Transfusion tab — loser bloodline buys (house rule, already law).
18-hole putting title, Friday evening. Winner +1 and bragging rights on every green for the rest of the trip.
Gross birdie anywhere: +1. That’s it — no markers to plant, nothing to track. Make a birdie, take your point.
Beat your quota by 4 or more → quota goes up 2 the next day. Miss it by 4 or more → quota comes down 2. Works both ways, so a bad opening guess corrects itself by Friday.
Friday on No. 2, four made-up handicaps. Points every hole: bogey 1 · par 2 · birdie 4 · eagle 8, worse than bogey 0. Day result = points − quota.
| Player | Hcp → Quota | The Round | Points | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butch | 8 → 28 | 2 birdies · 8 pars · 7 bogeys · 1 blowup | 8 + 16 + 7 + 0 = 31 | +3 |
| Mini | 20 → 16 | 3 pars · 11 bogeys · 4 doubles | 6 + 11 + 0 = 17 | +1 |
| Dan | 12 → 24 | 1 birdie · 6 pars · 8 bogeys · 3 others | 4 + 12 + 8 = 24 | E |
| Jason | 22 → 14 | 2 pars · 8 bogeys · 8 others | 4 + 8 = 12 | −2 |
READ IT: BUTCH WINS THE DAY AT +3 — BUT MINI BEAT DAN AND JASON STRAIGHT UP AT A 20 HANDICAP. THAT'S THE SYSTEM: EVERY HOLE COUNTS, BLOWUPS COST NOTHING EXTRA (PICK UP, TAKE THE ZERO), AND ANYONE CAN WIN THE CUP. SUM YOUR +/- ACROSS ALL FOUR SERIOUS ROUNDS.
| Player | Handicap / Typical Score | Opening Quota |
|---|---|---|
| Anoop "Shooter" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Dan "Knicks Nation" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Butch "No Bammer" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Deven "Dre Country" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Mini "Gilmore" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Jaewon "The Hook" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Darshan "Captain Chapman" | [hcp] | [quota] |
| Jason "Main Street" | [hcp] | [quota] |
NO OFFICIAL HANDICAP? USE TYPICAL 18-HOLE SCORE: QUOTA ≈ 36 − (SCORE − 72). SHOOTS ~90 → QUOTA 18. LIKELY HIGH-HANDICAP SEEDS: MINI · DEVEN · JASON · JAEWON.
| Round | Group 1 (first tee time) | Group 2 (second tee time) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu AM — No. 3Scramble · 2-Man Teams | Anoop + Jason vs Butch + Jaewon | Dan + Deven vs Darshan + Mini |
| Thu PM — No. 8BUT ONE 🇿🇼 | Butch · Jaewon · Dan · Jason | BUT ONE: Anoop · Mini · Darshan · Deven — the grew-up-in-Zim group |
| Fri — No. 2The Crown Jewel | Deven · Jaewon · Jason · Darshan | Anoop · Mini · Butch · Dan |
| Fri — The CradleLoser Bloodline Buys | Cousins: Anoop · Butch · Deven · Darshan | The Rest: Dan · Jason · Jaewon · Mini |
| Sat — No. 10Mixed | Butch · Deven · Darshan · Jaewon (three Niners + The Hook, honorary) | Anoop · Mini · Dan · Jason |
| Sat — No. 5Optional / TBC~9 Holes | Anoop · Butch · Jaewon · Mini (provisional) | Dan · Deven · Darshan · Jason (provisional) |
| Sun — No. 4The CloserEarly Flights Off 1st | Mini · Jason · Butch · Dan — first off (Mini & Jason may have earlier flights) | Anoop · Darshan · Deven · Jaewon |
The trophy has a name. [Buy-in per player: $__ · winner takes __ / dinner on the losers / etc.]
[Skins? Wolf on the back nine? Scramble side pot? — list them here]
Fail to make it past the ladies' tee off the box and that's a round of drinks on you. No appeals. The wiregrass doesn't count as distance.
Cradle loser buys Transfusions. Thistle Dhu loser buys the first round at dinner. [Add more]
| Premier Golf Package | $3,520.00 |
| Tax* | $348.91 |
| Resort fee | $447.00 |
| Shared caddie budget (No. 4, 8 & 10) | ~ $200.00 |
| Drinks, merch & misc allowance ($50/day) | ~ $200.00 |
| Balance per person | ~ $4,700 |
4 nights in a Carolina Villa · three-course dinner nightly — good at any resort restaurant · Southern buffet breakfast daily · carts & practice facilities · all golf: No. 2, 4, 8, 10 & The Cradle.
The ~$200 allowance ($50/day) covers on-course & 19th-hole drinks and misc — tips are largely handled (see below). Pro-shop merch is on you. No cash on property — cards only.
All-in: ~$4,700
*Tax subject to change per local & state laws. Resort balance is due at checkout; caddie tips & drinks settle as you go.
The resort fee covers: on-property shuttle to everything · valet & self-parking · gratuities for package meals, Bell, Golf Operations & Housekeeping · Wellness Wave sessions at the Spa fitness center · unlimited play on Thistle Dhu.
Fly into RDU (Raleigh-Durham). Land by 6:00 PM Wednesday 10/21 — van leaves ~6:30.
Target 4:00–5:30 PM landings for a buffer.
Sunday: van leaves the resort at 4:00 PM, RDU by ~5:30.
Book departures 7:00 PM or later — or fly Monday and nobody rushes.
Clubs will be on property — tee off straight from the villa Thursday.
Shipping ahead? Ship Sticks is recommended — Pinehurst receives and stores clubs, and will accommodate as needed.
Carry bags must be under 24 lbs on No. 2, 4 & 10. Pack light.
Free resort shuttle to everything — call (910) 235-8403 or ext. 58403.
Sunday morning: pack + check out before the 10:10 round.
Know the battlefield before you get there.
More homework — watch on the plane.
The more you watch, the fewer excuses in October.
Steal a line or two for the serious rounds.
Extra credit for the leaderboard hopefuls.
No. 2's crowned greens shrug balls off the edges all day. Practice putting and chipping from off the green — the bump-and-run and the putter-from-20-yards-off are your best friends. High flop shots will betray you.
Fast, sloped surfaces everywhere. Spend range sessions on 30–50 foot lag putts — the guy who three-putts least wins the serious rounds. Speed over line.
Miss a fairway and you're in hardpan sand and wiregrass, not rough. Practice picking the ball clean off tight/sandy lies — and accept that punching out sideways is a real strategy.
Domed greens mean small effective targets. Dial in your carry numbers from 60–120 yards — knowing your exact wedge yardages matters more here than 10 extra yards off the tee (sorry, Dan).
~22–24 miles across the week, with No. 10 the longest hike. No training plan needed — just break in your shoes before October and maybe don't take the cart every single round between now and then.
Between No. 3, the Cradle, and the short holes on the big courses, you'll hit a lot of scoring-iron tee shots. Groove your 7-iron-and-down — that's where the trip's bragging rights live.
Two pairs of golf shoes, both broken in — alternate days, 23 miles of walking.
A dozen balls provided — bring another dozen of your own; the wiregrass and waste areas keep what they catch.
Gloves ×2 · rangefinder · divot tool & markers (or wait for the gift bags 👀).
Carry bag under 24 lbs if you're walking 2, 4, or 10 — strip it down before you fly.
The whole trip is a layers game: ~45° at breakfast, ~68° by the turn.
Collared shirts for the big courses + Carolina Dining Room (smart casual Thursday).
T-shirts for Friday — Cradle + Thistle Dhu + brewery, zero dress code.
Vest or light pullover · one rain shell (just in case) · pants and shorts both.
Sunscreen & sunglasses — October sun is sneaky in the sandhills.
Blister pads / body glide — future you on Saturday's back nine says thanks.
Portable charger (long days, scoring apps, trash-talk group chat).
Advil & electrolytes for the villa · sharpie for marking balls.
Cash — the resort is cards-only everywhere.
Extra clubs for the Cradle — small bags provided, 3–4 clubs max.
Your ego — the turtleback greens will take it anyway.