Perennially Pinehurst
Bigger is not always better, but when it comes to golf, America’s biggest resort is better—better than ever.
The Pinehurst story began in 1895 with the purchase of land, and ever since, a rich history of reinvestment and expansion has consistently maintained its status as the world’s largest golf resort outside of China. But beyond its size, Pinehurst also has exceptional courses and a heritage of tradition that puts it in the rarefied air of Scotland’s Old Course at St Andrews, the birthplace of the sport.
In many ways, from its golf-centric North Carolina village to the vast array of courses to enthusiastic locals and numerous pubs, Pinehurst is the St Andrews of the United States. Some even call it “the cradle of American golf.” Even their geology is similar. St Andrews, set along the North Sea, traces the coastline, an aspect that defines links golf. While far removed from the ocean, Pinehurst is in a region of the state—known as the Sandhills—that enjoys uniquely sandy ground, giving it the kind of terrain that designers consider best for building fairways.
No golf resort in America can rival the tournament history of Pinehurst. Its premier layout, No. 2, is the only public course on earth that has hosted two different majors and the Ryder Cup, along with a slew of Women’s and Senior Opens, the Tour Championship, many “regular” PGA Tour events, and all of the most important amateur championships including the U.S. Amateur (Men’s, Women’s, Junior, Senior) and North and South. Great champions have walked these fairways, from Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet through Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Payne Stewart to Bryson DeChambeau last year, as well as all the greatest women players of the past 130 years. Its recent designation as the official Anchor Site of the U.S. Open (returning next in 2029) guarantees even more championship battles.
The icing on this sweet cake for fans of golf history is that Pinehurst is also now home to the new Golf House Museum, which includes the World Golf Hall of Fame and USGA Experience. The historic atmosphere resonates throughout the resort, which virtually embraces the entire town. As a golfer, it is impossible to visit Pinehurst and not feel moved by the experience.
But the resort is not resting on its laurels. After a critically acclaimed restoration in 2010, Pinehurst No. 2 improved its longtime Top 10 designation to Golf Magazine’s second ranked public course in the entire nation, behind only Pebble Beach. Since then, the resort has spent millions adding and improving at breakneck speed and now has three layouts in the Top 25 public courses. Some critics feel the just-opened No. 10, a Tom Doak (Pacific Dunes, Cape Kidnappers the Lido) design may be even better than No. 2, no matter how sacrilegious the notion. No. 10 was named Best New Course of the Year 2024 by Golf Digest (editors noted that it was the most competitive year in recent memory) and debuted at an exalted 15th on Golf’s list. But the dust had hardly settled on the golf world’s highest-profile opening when a stunning eleventh 18-hole course was announced. Work has already begun for a 2027 opening of the layout designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (who also have done Bandon Trails, Kapalua Plantation, Streamsong Red and Cabot Cliffs).
“Pinehurst is not a time capsule,” says resort president Tom Pashley. “This is not a place where you come and just look at how things used to be and celebrate the past. You can do that here, but you’re also celebrating the present and looking forward to the future.” Or as CEO Bob Dedman Jr., whose family owns the place, more succinctly puts it, his thought process is “always Pinehurst, always better.”
In comparison, other highly-ranked peers such as Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Sea Island, Kiawah Island, Streamsong and Destination Kohler each have three to five 18s, fewer than half of Pinehurst’s offerings. That’s not enough? The resort has one of the best-established golf teaching academies in the country, one of the first and most acclaimed short courses (The Cradle), a second short course on the way and an immense natural-grass putting course modelled on the famed Himalayas at St Andrews.
Beyond the hallowed fairways, the family-owned resort has poured millions into recent improvements. A wildly popular craft brewery and barbecue restaurant occupies the town’s historic 1895 power plant. A farm-to-table restaurant and a fifth clubhouse, with another new restaurant, were just opened. Brand new luxury golf cottages go along with across-the-board improvements to all the rooms in all the hotels.
And, set in the heart of American tobacco country, Pinehurst loves cigars. Verandas, firepits and rocking chairs are beloved fixtures here, all of which allow smoking. Sizable humidors stand in both the lobby of The Carolina, the main hotel, and the clubhouse, which serves courses Nos. 1 through 5. The satellite clubhouses, smaller lodging venues and beverage carts all have bagged single- and multiple-cigar packs with humidity packets. The whiskey-centric North and South Bar in the smaller Manor Inn does a locally popular cigar-and-whiskey pairing on the third Thursday of every month. In the adjacent sister village of Southern Pines, just minutes away, is the Cigar Box, a well-stocked retail shop and smoking lounge with a full bar.
The Golf
When Pinehurst founder James Tufts decided to build the Pinehurst golf resort, he hired the best of the best, including landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame, to lay out the planned New England-style village. The legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley would run the shooting school. To design the first few courses, he lured Dornoch, Scotland’s Donald Ross, one of history’s most acclaimed designers. Ross never left. While credited with more than 300 designs worldwide, including world-class stunners such as Seminole, Oakland Hills, Inverness and East Lake, Ross lived along the fairways of Pinehurst No. 2 for decades, tinkering with and improving his crowning achievement and favorite child. Ross also invented the concept of the practice area and Pinehurst had the world’s first driving range, “Maniac Hill.” He designed courses Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the latter of which was renovated recently and dramatically by Gil Hanse (Rio Olympic Course, Streamsong Black) catapulting it onto all the major golf publication’s Top 100 course lists.
No. 2 is famous for its small, crowned, and very hard to hold greens. For such a famous course there is no obvious visual drama. Fairly flat, it has no real signature hole. It is commonly played with a single ball, as there is no water; fairways are flanked by sandy waste areas, and woods are mostly pine trees, the ground beneath covered with pine straw, rather than undergrowth. Still, simply making par is a challenge, as most approach shots miss and two-putts are rare. In addition, hitting out of waste areas or off the pine straw is harder than it looks. The genius is subtlety. Each hole is a strategic gem with a correct spot and angle to approach from. The more holes you play and the deeper you get into the round, the more you appreciate how thoughtful every detail is.
In sharp contrast, the new Tom Doak-designed No. 10 is a bigger-than-life visual stunner, built on the site of a former sand mine. Already touted as “the new No. 2,” it has a distinct links influence, including a blind tee shot over a towering sand dune, oversized undulating greens and the dramatic par-3 17th, which plays downhill over water. Our caddie called it the “single best hole at the resort”—no small compliment with a world-class assortment of nearly 200 options. No. 10 is Pinehurst’s first walking-only course, and as such, echoes modern trends at Bandon Dunes, Kohler and Cabot. It’s a long, hilly and challenging hike, with caddies available but not required. Compared with the other top courses, Nos. 2, 4 and 8, it is less punishing to errant shots and more scorable. It is also a ton of fun to play. No. 11 will sit next to it, on the same sand mine site, and the facility has a new barn-style clubhouse and restaurant.
Pinehurst No. 8, which goes by the nickname Centennial, was built by Tom Fazio to celebrate the 100th birthday of the resort in 1995. It’s hilly, with extremely hard to hold greens that are elevated, making them play longer. They are also protected by mounds and bunkers that reject even slightly offline approaches. No. 4 is very similar in feel and setting to No. 2, with its fairways flanked by waste areas and pine stands. While sitting beside No. 2, No. 4 has more rolling terrain and some elevated tee shots, ground level rather than crowned greens, and a key water feature that comes into play on a few holes.
Conventional wisdom is that the “even” courses here are the best, and there is no doubt that Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 10 are the most desirable tee times. But Nos. 1 and 3 both offer an old-school throwback to early Ross that is hard to find elsewhere. They play less than 6,000 yards from the tips, making his small greens far more accessible and offering a fun experience, especially for the second round of a 36-hole day. They are the least crowded, and the best values, with a hidden gem feel. But most locals consider No. 5 the real secret here. The 1961 Ellis Maple design used the last available space at the main clubhouse, on the same ground as Nos. 2 and 4. It is almost as long as No. 2, but with much easier, larger and less severe greens. While it has some water, it is player friendly and often recommended as a great introduction to the feel of Pinehurst.
No. 6 is a George and Tom Fazio design with an earlier and gentler version of the elevated, bunkered green complexes found on No. 8. It plays through homes and starts slowly but quickly improves and has some really interesting strategic holes on the back. No. 9 is a modern Jack Nicklaus course that opened as the National Golf Club in 1989 and was bought rather than built by the resort. It is a solid design with noticeable elevation changes and the most forced carries at Pinehurst. Anywhere else it would be more desirable, but it’s not the style most people come here to play. Similarly, No. 7 is a Rees Jones design that has homages to the elevated greens of Nos. 6 and 8. But it adds severe (sometimes overly severe) doglegs and more water hazards. It can feel a little out of place among its more classical and neoclassical siblings.
The bottom line is that after the must-plays—Nos. 2, 4 and 10—courses should be chosen on skill level. Anyone would like No. 5, while Nos. 6, 7 and 8 are better enjoyed by strong players. Nos. 1 and 3 are pleasant, non-punishing, highly walkable layouts that all skill levels—especially higher handicaps—will enjoy. The Cradle, “the most fun 10 acres in golf,” is a nine-hole short course by Gil Hanse. Played from the main clubhouse, it has cocktail holders on every tee. While it is often enjoyed by non-golfers and for evening Happy Hour, its deep bunkers and undulating greens make a great short game warm up before tackling Nos. 2, 4 or 10. Holes run from 56 to 127 yards, with most well under a hundred.
Lodging & Dining
The main grand hotel is the 230-room Carolina, the “Queen of the South.” It opened for the first day of the 20th century back in 1901 and just underwent a three-year renovation that included all rooms and public areas, the lobby and an expansion of the rocking chair verandas popular with cigar lovers. It is home to the Carolina Dining Room, a formal upscale option for dinner, but is most famous as home to the resort’s beloved and excessive daily breakfast buffet. Most guests stay on a room-and-golf package that includes at least breakfast, often dinners as well. With more than a dozen choices, this is always the place to start the day. The hotel is also home to the Carolina Vista Lounge. With its more casual Southern-influenced pub menu, it is an enlargement and remodel of what used to be the Ryder Cup Lounge. The renovation added a small market and coffee shop, new golf retail and the Carolina is home to the resort’s large spa, fitness center and outdoor heated pool. It is a three-minute walk to the heart of Pinehurst Village and there is free on-demand shuttle transportation between all resort golf courses, lodging, dining and facilities wherever you stay.
The resort has three boutique lodging properties in the Village itself, all close to each other and surrounded by shops and independent bars and restaurants. The largest and oldest is the 82-room Holly Inn, Pinehurst’s first hotel. The Holly is scheduled for renovation starting late in 2025. It is home to the 1895 Grille, which features a fine-dining, Southern-influenced menu that emphasizes products from North Carolina farms and is capped by its famous triple chocolate souffle. The Tavern, with its locally popular elevated pub menu, features a bar brought over from Scotland.
The 43-room Manor has the most modern hotel rooms within the resort after receiving a near total tear down renovation during the pandemic that left only 15 percent of the original structure. Named after a famed amateur golf championship, the North & South Bar has a huge whiskey list, both domestic and imported.
The smallest and quietest property is the eight-room Magnolia, perfect for small-group total takeovers. It finished a complete renovation in 2023 and also houses Villaggio Ristorante & Bar, the resort’s fine-dining Italian, with a slate of homemade pastas, risottos and entrees. Like almost all the dining spots here, it features both indoor and outdoor seating.
For those with deep pockets, the most luxurious options are the nine brand new cottages, totaling 52 rooms, at course No. 8. Each is either four or eight bedrooms across two levels, plus a pool table, living area with a fireplace and spacious outdoor decks and porches. The cottages are clustered around fire pits and a large putting green lighted for night use. They have their own dedicated transportation staff, handy as they are a few minutes removed from the Village. Cottage guests also have easy access to No. 8’s fully renovated clubhouse and the new Southern eatery PL8TE, which debuted this April. A similar enclave of luxury cottages and second short course is on the future drawing board for the site known as Pinehurst Sandmines.
For foursomes or groups who want spacious accommodations, living areas and kitchens at less opulent price points, the resort also manages many two- and three-bedroom condos around its golf courses. They also include transportation and dining packages.
Other culinary options on site include The Deuce, an award-winning casual eatery in the Main Clubhouse, and Pinehurst Brewing Company. (Its private-label beers are on tap at most bars and restaurants on property, and in cans on the beverage carts.) The beer and barbecue smokehouse also has a large outdoor area complete with weatherproof TVs for relaxing after a round.
