Tot Hill Farm

Tot Hill Farm opened in May 2000 as one of only a handful of solo designs by Mike Strantz, the boldly artistic architect who died in 2005. Strantz signed on in 1997 and lived in the property's farmhouse for roughly 18 months, roaming the rugged Uwharrie terrain on horseback and sketching holes at night. The result is a dramatic, low-volume routing draped over granite outcroppings, ravines and creeks in Randolph County, about 50 minutes from Pinehurst. Signature moments include the boulder-framed par-3 third, the teardrop green at the fifth, a stone passage linking greens, and a waterfall behind the 15th. Strantz earned Golf World Architect of the Year honors during this era. The course reopened after a restoration that renewed appreciation for his daring, sculptural style.