PINEHURST, N.C. - Playing golf by yourself while on vacation is not very rewarding if there’s no one there to appreciate your accomplishments - or to verify them!

That’s why you’ll see so many groups these days traveling to golf destinations. But group golf rarely includes group sexes – the men prefer heading off in one direction and the women another, apparently. Why?

Maybe it’s because the two groups don’t want the “other” side to know what they get up to while on golf holidays.

Vacationing male golf groups, I discovered after some “exhaustive” research, like to play golf … eat … play golf … drink … play golf … maybe visit an adult entertainment (strip) club … play golf … return to men’s club … go to bed … get up and start the process all over again the next morning.

Women, on the other hand, like to play golf … shop … shop … shop … play golf … shop some more … go dancing … play golf … shop on return trip.

Never being on a large golf group holiday before, I was intrigued. So, when a friend invited me to tag along with his buddies to the Carolinas one summer, I eagerly agreed. At the same time, I made arrangements with two female friends, Terrie and Wendy, who regularly head off with their “girlie” golf groups to Myrtle Beach, to compare notes when I returned. A few days later our male group was traveling the back roads of North Carolina headed in the direction of this fairytale town with the Rockwelian good looks.

Pinehurst is not a golf trip, it’s an experience for macho golfers who dream of pitting their average skills against the resort’s legendary No. 2 course - the one whose super slick greens can make seasoned pros drop to their knees in frustration.

Playing here usually fulfils every golfer’s dream, even though their high scores usually result in nightmares. It was my friend Claudio’s dream to play the course where his golfing hero, the late Payne Stewart, enjoyed his finest hour as a professional when he won the 1999 U.S. Open in dramatic style with a late charge that culminated in a gut wrenching victory – just a few weeks before he was tragically killed in a plane crash.

Claudio even showed up on the first tee wearing Stewart’s trademark knickers (plus four pants) because “I want to play this course just like Payne did on the final day of the Open.”

Claudio’s final score was at least a dozen strokes higher than Stewart’s but no worry, he got to walk in his hero’s footsteps on fabled No. 2; got to have his photo taken next to the bronze statue of Stewart frozen in time in his one-legged victory dance; got to fulfill his dream.

As for the rest of the group, we all agreed the reason they call this course No. 2 is because most people produce “crap scores” on it.

The Pinehurst experience includes dining at the charming Holly Inn and toasting your good fortune at the Ryder Cup lounge, located off the main lobby of the resort.

Before leaving, we raided the Pinehurst gift shop and bought everything not nailed down.

Shopping is the one thing female and male golf groups share a passion for, it seems. In fact, it’s a prerequisite when women plan their golf vacations.

“There has to be an outlet mall at the destinations we (women’s groups) go to or we don’t go,” Terrie and Wendy told me. And they’d better be offering up to 70 per cent the original price, too!

Terrie and Wendy even know how many outlet malls there are along Interstate 95, the main escape route for Canadians heading to South Carolina’s golf and beach resorts.

“Five (outlets),” Terrie said without hesitation.

Men might have an advantage on the golf course but when it comes to buying, the women’s shopping carts finish laps ahead of the men’s golf carts – Terrie and Wendy telling me on one trip alone, their girlie group bought “80 pairs of shoes!”

Golf groups come in all sizes, from as few as two (usually husband and wife) to over 100. But both the men and women agree groups of 24 – six foursomes – “are much more manageable,” according to the delightful Wendy.

Accommodation offered golf groups range from motels and hotels to condominium complexes, which is favored by both men and women.

“The condos allow everyone to bond,” said Claudio. “We eat (to save even more money) drink and play cards well into the night.”

That’s pretty much the same scenario for women.

“We’ll stop and buy some shrimp, go back to the condo and peel (the shrimp) and eat and drink (wine is the favorite among women) and just have a lot of fun,” said Wendy, describing the pajama party for mature female golfers. And boy (and girl) can they drink.

“The guys will come in here and buy 40 cases of my wine in one stop,” said Suzanne Reinhard, owner of the Southern Fine Wine Store (located next to the CITGO gas station) in our next stop, Santee, South Carolina, an I-95 truck stop that has become a must stop for northern golfers.

Little Santee (pop. less than 800) is a perfect example of how golf groups can prop up a town’s economy. The town’s three handsome courses accommodate over 50,000 golfers each a year and most of those tee times are taken by visiting golfers, who by some accounts inject over $10 million annually into the local economy.

The females of Santee also welcome male golfers – at Spinner’s, a gentleman’s club that sits at the back of Coasters, where the Jack Daniels steaks and the $2 tumblers of beer make it a favorite with the golf set.

Regular Canadian visitors are known at Spinners on a first name bases and when our car pulled into the parking lot, a lovely young woman named Sabrina was there to open the door.

“When the golfers are here in high season (early spring and late fall) this place is really jumping,” said John Casey, owner of both Spinners and Coasters, over the blare of the Coyette Ugly routine being acted out on top of the club’s bar by the cowboy clad Sagebrush, Kitty and Dusty. Wild stuff!

Showing what they really came here for, the golfers disappear into the night well before midnight from Spinners – their early morning tee times more alluring than any exotic dancer.

The girlie golfers also like the nightlife these destinations offer, but “unfortunately” there’s no Chippendale Dancers in Myrtle Beach.

“We love to go to clubs and dance,” said Terrie. “We always have a good time. We set ground rules before we head off and everyone pretty much abides by them. You have to have rules.”

Days 5 and 6 of our guy golf getaway were spent playing the Ocean Course at fabulous Kiawah Island Resort near romantic Charleston and courses near Columbia, South Carolina’s capital. Windemere was our favorite there.

Golf armies don’t travel on their stomachs so food is an important priority on these trips – while steaks are favored at dinner, wings and beer and more wings are the meal of choice at lunch. Not surprising, Hooters was the pit stop most days. The guys were delighted to find the Hooters in Rock Hill, just outside Charlotte, even sold golf equipment, and the lovely server Chevon (honest, that was her name) and Heather were glad to pose with some of the group.

Rock Hill is where North and South Carolina meld together to become the Carolinas and golfers hop between the two states to play amazing clubs like Stonebridge, Ballantyne Resort – both highly recommended.

The Ballantyne property is one of the best resorts in the Carolinas. Its first-class accommodation, world renowned spa, excellent dining facilities, well equipped conference rooms, state of the art bedrooms and suites and magnificent golf course make this a treat to visit. This course’s demanding landing areas, small greens and “damn” fluffy Bermuda grass rough had some in our group suggesting the beautiful Ballantyne layout was harder to play than the Ocean Course. Balantyne is just a short drive from both Charlotte’s fine international airport and another favorite stop for golfers, The Men’s Club.

This Charlotte institution is the ultimate in adult entertainment, we discovered. It’s the Playboy Club of the 21st century, featuring a four-star restaurant where “strip” loin takes on a whole new meaning; winged back chairs; a clientele that includes NASCAR, NBA and NFL stars and a wonderful staff like our server, Lisa, who introduced us to the culinary treats served here.

“The food is very good at this club,” said Lisa with the laughing eyes. “We have a huge breakfast buffet, great lunches and the dinners here attract business people, husbands and wives and lots of groups.”

The “Kick Ass” steak and Sex in the Sack desert are to die for, as is the welcoming atmosphere this club provides golfers. And the Men’s Club knows all about golf. Congenial manager, Ryan Register, even holds a golf tournament annually where the entertainers become part of the foursomes, and the women are all above par, which in this case is a good thing. Our entire group vowed to return for that event.

The Men’s Club was the perfect way to end our golf group expedition. This is a place where the men and women finally get together – and some of the women even play golf!

Our 9-day golf excursion over, we pointed our GMC truck in the direction of Canada. Most of the group slept on the way home – the golf getaway had gotten the best of them.