I currently have booked a room on Iona in late September… I’d love to play every course on the islands there. I’m just hoping I can get across on the ferries without too much trouble.

Diamond Springs is my favorite course of the DeVries’ trio. The one cut is a unique perspective regarding course maintenance. Obviously the gorge holes are the ones people remember most, but a great set of greens make the others just as much fun to play too. For the record, not everyone is a fan of the single cut, and if I recall correctly, the better players complained about the unpredictable shots hit from it.

Diamond Springs is my favorite course of the DeVries’ trio. The one cut is a unique perspective regarding course maintenance. Obviously the gorge holes are the ones people remember most, but a great set of greens make the others just as much fun to play too. For the record, not everyone is a fan of the single cut, and if I recall correctly, the better players complained about the unpredictable shots hit from it.

Diamond Springs is my favorite course of the DeVries’ trio. The one cut is a unique perspective regarding course maintenance. Obviously the gorge holes are the ones people remember most, but a great set of greens make the others just as much fun to play too. For the record, not everyone is a fan of the single cut, and if I recall correctly, the better players complained about the unpredictable shots hit from it.

Diamond Springs is my favorite course of the DeVries’ trio. The one cut is a unique perspective regarding course maintenance. Obviously the gorge holes are the ones people remember most, but a great set of greens make the others just as much fun to play too. For the record, not everyone is a fan of the single cut, and if I recall correctly, the better players complained about the unpredictable shots hit from it.

Great write up! Living so close, I kick myself for not getting down there more than a couple times a year. Note: If you haven't played MidPines, PineNeedles, SouthernPines, you might want to get them on the schedule soon. The hotels at PineNeedles and MidPines just got acquired by Marine & Lawn, so expect prices to go way up starting in 2026 (renovations start in Fall 2025) https://businessnc.com/mid-pines-pine-needles-enter-joint-venture-with-marine-and-lawn-hotels/

I think these days the remote destinations in northern Scotland are most attractive to me. Places like the Machrie, Durness, Iona, Whalsay. The journey there is the fun part with so many of the courses there.

The few historical photos I've seen of SP suggest that the course did have a rugged, sandy look, as well as big features to match the scale of the land. The natural ground was probably scrubbier than it is now (i.e., less straight-up exposed sand), but again, we have to let Franz's work mature. But overall I think SP was a tricky restoration job because the course had sand greens until at least the mid-30s, and it's unclear whether Ross ever really designed "Ross greens" there.

I guess the question that remains is was SP flashier than MP back in the time they were restoring to - indeed both a great trip

I think it's undeniable that Franz went bolder at Southern Pines than he did at Mid Pines. SP has far more bunker acreage than MP (and more waste-area acreage, too, probably?), and its greens a bigger and more busily contoured. Over time, though, as the new features settle in and mature, I'd bet that SP will become more similar to MP and Pine Needles, at least visually. Giving SP a bit more flash was likely an intentional choice, and a valid one. Each of the three courses now offers something unique. I prefer the elegance of MP, but many will prefer the boldness of SP.