Ross once described Richmond Pines as "one of the best 'small courses' in the South."
By "small" he probably meant 9-hole courses, since that's what Ross re-designed here in 1931, improving on the original work of P.H. Haskins.
The holes Ross re-shaped and honed to perfection are now the back nine (the front nine was built in 1963), where towering mature pines lining the undulating fairways place a premium on accuracy. Water also comes into play on five of these holes.
The 13th hole has been called one of the prettiest in the state. One hundred fifty-four yards off the blues, but only 117 from the whites, it's all carry over a pond, with the green guarded in front and on the right side by a waste bunker.
Choose your club wisely.
A distinctive feature of the course is that the cart paths are still sand, reducing the wild bounces concrete or asphalt surfaces can cause, and even offering the golfer the option of hitting it off the surface if that's to his or her advantage.
