Bull at Pinehurst Farms

The Bull a few years ago was a joy to play, albeit incredibly challenging. It's still a high-quality course as far as layout and being well maintained. The new management is likely still learning but one change definitely for the worse is how tightly packed the groups are. Pace of play was very slow during our round. We had a foursome and admittedly were not playing all that well, but we kept having to wait for the group ahead of us, especially on making the turn. We had a single behind us who we would gladly have let play through but there was nowhere for him to go.

Also, the carts used to have the GPS and electronic scoring system, as well as club cleaners. The new carts have none of that. For the price which is virtually unchanged from the old management, the quality of the experience is lacking. Also, though I realize it was wet on this particular day, hitting off of mats on the range is a very poor way to prep for a round at a course as demanding as the Bull.

As always, The Bull was a joy to play. I was paired up with a guy playing the back tees and it was a treat to see him smash the ball. Unfortunately, the greens had been punched several days before and we were both a little upset that this was not disclosed prior to us booking our rounds. Putting was a bit different, to say the least!

The course is challenging but rewarding and in the top 10 courses, we have ever played. Has some challenging holes that tempt you to go for it. The condition was Excellent and we enjoyed every moment.

This is a very technical challenging course. A fore caddie would be a great option for the first time or occasional player It would have made the round more enjoyable and lessened the frustration.. W e had the misfortune of playing later in the day on the Tuesday before the Ryder Cup and the majority of the foursomes were not regulars. We had played the course once before and were excited to be back. The issue was the flow of play.. I refuse to use the ridiculous four letter word that is used to describe the efficiency of play. The Marshall was very cordial and explained why there was such an ebb and flow of the rounds ahead. We finally had to quit our round on hole 14 because it just wasn’t enjoyable and my game is fragile at best and when I loose my rhythm I seldom recover it. Please don’t take this as a negative critique if the course. I can’t wait to be able to play it again the next time we are in the area. I’ll just try to plain ahead better.

Course was in great shape. Greens were very fast but back 9 traps could use more sand!

Was in Wisconsin for the City Tour Championship and wanted to get a round in at this highly recommended course. It exceeded my expectations, and I would love to play again someday.

Not a big fan of Jack Nicklaus course design but I LOVE this one. Challenging but fair, tees for every age and ability level, tricky greens but fast and true. Lots of variety in the design and challenges of the individual holes. Built on a beautiful piece of land for golf with elevation changes, a variety of water hazards, trees, and open spaces. I play it every time I come to Wisconsin and it never disappoints.

Course was in great shape, fun and challenging.
Everyone course employee I met was friendly, helpful and professional. If I am in the area again, I'll definately play this course.

After you read this review please scroll down and read Tim Gavrich of Golf Advisors review. I echo all of his comments - this is one wild ride.

The Bull is a completely ridiculous over the top Nicklaus golf course which is most instances requires right handers to hit a number high long approach shots that fade. Almost every hole at some point you have to get the ball in air to reach the green surfaces that you'd have to play multiple times to figure out how where to hit proper approach shots. Sand traps front most of the greens...many greens are angled to make their targets even smaller and more difficult. Numerous tight and/or imposing tee shots with trouble everywhere. Several blind/uphill to greens - hit and hope - especially for first timers.

A spectacular incredibly beautiful course....you gape at the design/difficulty of every hole when you arrive at the tee box.

If it weren't for a $51 hot deal I'd reluctantly say to you that it's not worth a visit at their $109 plus rates unless you're an extremely proficient player. You'll just be beating yourself up and by the back nine many could run out of golf balls or be just plain frustrated they haven't even carded a par on a hole yet. Play the white tees...don't play the greens. Conditions - as immaculate as they can get them. Warm up range, sand/chipping practice area. The lack of gps on the golf carts is a really large miss. The numbered area on the posted cart pin sheet is okay but for a course that requires this type of accuracy and precision have an exact distance to the pin should be standard operating procedure.

A conundrum for me. Would I want to see this course again? For the beauty of it - yes. For the playability of it - absolutely not. 4 stars - recommend once but at least for me pretty tough to revisit unless I snag a cheap hot deal again. And you might find this interesting to note - can't think of a Nicklaus designed course that I've played (probably more than 20 plus) that I "must" go back to.......

Bring your best game, you will need it for this beast. Unfortunately the day we played they had very heavy rain the previous day and evening and the course was very soggy, the sand traps became water hazards and I was frustrated as I lost two pro v ones in the traps. In a few of the traps they were mid calve deep in water and the rakes were not long enough to recover the balls. Could not see them in the muddy water.

The greens rolled well and overall the grooming of the course was very nice with exception of the standing water.

It was very warm and humid so it was a very tough test.

We were in the area for a wedding ( we are from Michigan and it’s a 5 hour drive) so it is unlikely I will get a chance to play this ball gobbling course again.

Very nice. A couple holes have a little trickery built in such that it will be better the second time around. Greens were very good.

The Bull is one of the most appropriately named golf courses you'll encounter. Playing it feels like the golf equivalent of trying to ride its namesake. You get a couple par 4s as warmup at the beginning, which helps lull you into thinking you can tackle it. A couple kicks come at 3 and 4, the latter with a surprisingly sloped-away green and then the real bucking starts as the course heads into the forest at 5, a dramatic dogleg left to a green bulkheaded over a ravine.

From then through the rest of the round, you are often feeling like you're holding on for dear life as you try to avoid woods, long meadow grass, ponds, streams and some of the deepest bunkers I've ever encountered on a public golf course. The greens are pretty receptive and well-paced, meaning you can make a birdie or two, but woe unto the golfer who strays. If you come to The Bull prepared for a bit of a wild ride, you will have a great time. If not, be sure and stop at the pro shop for some extra golf balls at the turn.

Nice course, great conditions. No ranger. The group in front was two holes behind. Brutal.

It’s a great course. I play golf all over and this course has a great layout. Some easy holes and some very challenging. A beautiful day and not many golfers here. The high price could be an issue. At a hundred bucks for a weekend round if your going to have a lot of bunkers you need to get all the rocks out of them and put some quality sand in them.