Played on April 29, 2019
Reviewed by the Pink Putter
We were in Durham, NC the last weekend of April, finishing up our work consulting on Bull City Mini. After we wrapped up the project on Sunday morning, we knew we had a few hours of time until our flight departed from Charlotte later that evening, so we were looking for a place to play mini golf. Suddenly it hit me. We were in North Carolina, home to Pinehurst, one of America’s premier golf resorts, and – more importantly – America’s first mini golf course, Thistle Dhu! I immediately opened the Maps app on my phone to discover that we were just shy of an hour and a half away from Pinehurst. Mr. Tee immediately began driving that direction.
Now let’s be clear on the history of the course in relation to the present day. In 1919, James Barber, owner of Barber Steamship Lines of NY, built a home in Pinehurst, NC. Inspired by the many lush golf courses around the area, Barber decided to open a miniature version of putting greens at his home. Upon the completion of the course, he exclaimed “This’ll Do.” This was later translated to “Thistle Dhu.” While the original course no longer exists, the estate that it was built around does. And in 2012, a new 18 hole putting green was constructed at Pinehurst Resort, named “Thisle Dhu” in honor of the original course. On this trip we visited both, so along with this review of the putting greens, there is a bonus section!
Thistle Dhu Putting Course
Rating
Par – This traditional 18-hole real grass putting course is more than just a warm-up spot. With 18 distinguishable holes and its own scorecard, Thistle Dhu is a challenging treat for golfers and mini golfers alike. The course’s immaculately kept greens offer subtle and not so subtle hills and undulations, forcing players to read the breaks for direction and speed. All surrounded by an over the top clubhouse and miles of picturesque golf greens. This course is free for guests of the Pinehurst Resort, but they generously allowed us to play a round after we explained our love of mini golf.
Pros
Clean, well maintained real golf greens
Surrounded by scenic vistas
Cons
We are bias, but we’re not as excited by greens without fun obstacles and waterways
Nerdy Notes
- Bring your own putter (or ask really nicely and borrow one from the Pro Shop like we did)
- Restricted to use by Pinehurst Resorts guests (or ask really nicely like we did)
- 18 holes, No Par listed
- Real greens
- Flags in holes
- Named after the first mini golf course in America
Thistle Dhu Estate
I had actually found out about the Thistle Dhu Estate via Instagram of all places, under the handle @pinehurstgolfmansionforsale. The estate is currently for sale and they are using the account to showcase the home and property along with historical photos. Trust us, if we had an extra 2.5 million hanging around we’d buy this piece of history in a heartbeat! Apparently, there’s even a speakeasy in the basement. We DM’ed the account earlier that day to see if there was any chance of a last-minute tour, but didn’t hear back. We decided to drive to the Estate anyhow, park on the driveway and snap as many photos of the property as we could. Below I’ve made some visual comparisons of the present day with historical photos from when the original Thistle Dhu was still in existence.
The Thistle Dhu course was laid out by Mr. Edward H. Wiswell of the Montclair Golf Golf Club of Montclair, NJ. It was made of compressed sand, molded clay and then another layer of sand. Wooden bridges were built between holes as walkways. Apparently, every hole could be made in one shot and standard stroke penalties applied.
