A Record 20 Sandhills Golf Courses Included in Annual Top 100 List

SOUTHERN PINES, NC (APRIL 1, 2026) – Long regarded as the Home of American Golf, the Pinehurst and Sandhills region has once again reinforced its standing as the state’s premier golf destination.

For the first time ever, a record number of 20 golf courses in the Sandhills region are ranked among the Top 100 in the state by the North Carolina Golf Panel. Pinehurst No. 2 has once again secured the top spot as the best golf course in the state, while Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club and the Dogwood Course at The Country Club of North Carolina flip-flopped the third and fifth positions. Pinehurst No. 4 retained its position to round out the Top 10. A total of 14 courses from the Sandhills area are listed among the Top 50.

Woodlake Country Club in Vass cracked Top 100 rankings for the first time at No. 91. After a renovation project of the old Ellis Maples course by Kris Spence in 2022, the course has quickly risen as one of the finest hidden gems in the Sandhills.

“The Pinehurst area is known as the home of American golf for a reason and having one-fifth of the best golf courses in the state here makes a huge statement to the quality of golf we enjoy,” said Phil Werz, president and CEO for Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area. “Next year, we will see the debut of Pinehurst No. 11, plus renovations are underway at Legacy Golf Club and 72 holes from old favorites at Foxfire and Whispering Pines. For us, golf is a way of life and the foundation of the state’s tenth best tourism economy.”

The North Carolina Golf Panel was founded in 1995 and is recognized as the most authoritative statewide source of golf course rankings in a state that boasts some of the nation’s best courses. The 185-member panel is composed of golf media, club professionals and general managers from many outstanding courses, accomplished amateur players and college golf coaches, and others who play an active role in promoting golf in North Carolina.

The 20 Top 100 Courses in the Sandhills area include: Pinehurst No. 2 (#1); Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club (#3); The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood, #5), Pinehurst No. 4 (#10); The Country Club of North Carolina (Cardinal, #13); Pinehurst No. 10 (#14); Pinehurst No. 8 (#18); Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club (#24); Dormie Club (#30); Pinehurst No. 9 (#36); Mid South Club (#37); Forest Creek Golf Club (South, #38); Forest Creek Golf Club (North, #42); Pinehurst No. 7 (#49); and Southern Pines Golf Club (#64) and Talamore Golf Club (#72); Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia, #78); Woodlake Country Club (#91) Tot Hill Farm (#97) and Longleaf Golf & Family Club (#98).

The panel also ranked the Top 60 Courses You Can Play and the Pinehurst area once again dominated the list with 17 locations, or nearly 30 percent of the clubs. The top eight include Pinehurst No. 2, Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst No. 10, Pinehurst No. 8, Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 9 and Mid South Club. Pinehurst No. 7 is 15th. Other golf clubs among the Top 60 You Can Play include Southern Pines Golf Club (#21); Talamore Golf Club (#23); Woodlake Country Club (#30); Tot Hill Farm (#33); Longleaf Golf & Family Club (#34); Pinehurst No. 6 (#45); Legacy Golf Links (#46) and Tobacco Road Golf Club (#49).

“A trip to Pinehurst is a must for any golfer who has a love and appreciation of the game, regardless of skill level,” said Kevin Brafford, executive director of the N.C. Golf Panel. “That’s how golf enthusiasts around the world feel, so in that vein, how lucky are we in this state to have the quality and quantity of courses available to us? The Sandhills is one of one.”

Pinehurst No. 2 will host additional U.S. Open championships in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047. In 2029, Pinehurst No. 2 will once again host back-to-back men’s and women’s U.S. Open championships, a repeat of the only course in America to host that tandem of historic events in 2014. Pinehurst No. 2 will also host the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

For more information about all golf courses in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area, visit HomeofGolf.com. For the complete list of the Top 100 Courses for 2026, Top 60 Courses You Can Play and other rankings, visit NCGolfPanel.com. Or, for additional coverage, pick up the April issue of Business N.C. magazine.

Top 100 Courses for 2026 (second number is previous year’s ranking)

1. 1. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst

2. 2. Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville

3. 5. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Southern Pines

4. 4. Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte

5. 3. The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood), Pinehurst

6. 7. Old Town Club, Winston-Salem

7. 8. Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro

8. 6. Elk River Club, Banner Elk

9. 9. Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham

10. 10. Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst

11. 11. Old North State Club, New London

12. 15. Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington

13. 12. The Country Club of North Carolina (Cardinal), Pinehurst

14. 14. Pinehurst No. 10, Aberdeen

15. 18. Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh

16. 19. Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem

17. 17. Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte

18. 16. Pinehurst No. 8, Pinehurst

19. 21. River Landing (River), Wallace

20. 22. MacGregor Downs Country Club, Cary

21. 20. Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington

22. 23. Rock Barn Country Club (Jones), Conover

23. 24. Governors Club, Chapel Hill

24. 25 Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, Southern Pines

25. 29. Treyburn Country Club, Durham

26. 30. Biltmore Forest Country Club, Asheville

27. 26. Country Club of Landfall (Dye), Wilmington

28. 32. River Landing (Landing), Wallace

29. 28. Country Club of Landfall, (Nicklaus), Wilmington

30. 27. Dormie Club, West End

31. 44. High Point Country Club (Willow Creek), High Point

32. 42. Occono Golf & Boat Club, Merry Hill

33. 31. Starmount Forest Country Club, Greensboro

34. 34. Champion Hills Club, Hendersonville

35. 33. Prestonwood Country Club (Highlands), Cary

36. 35. Pinehurst No. 9, Pinehurst

37. 38. Mid South Club, Southern Pines

38. 36. Forest Creek Golf Club (South), Pinehurst

39. 40. Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte

40. 45. Greensboro Country Club (North), Greensboro

41. 41. Bryan Park (Champions), Browns Summit

42. 39. Forest Creek Golf Club (North), Pinehurst

43. 37. The Club at Longview, Waxhaw

44. 43. Linville Golf Club, Linville

45. 46. Grandover (East), Greensboro

46. 47. Finley Golf Club, Chapel Hill

47. 50. Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro

48. 52. Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Raleigh

49. 49. Pinehurst No. 7, Pinehurst

50. 53. Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, Waynesville

51. 51. Hound Ears Club, Boone

52. 54. Country Club of Asheville, Asheville

53. 56. Duke University Golf Club, Durham

54. 57. The Cardinal by Pete Dye, Greensboro

55. 55. Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte

56. 59. Mimosa Hills Golf Club, Morganton

57. 60. Porters Neck Country Club, Wilmington

58. 48. Trump National Golf Club, Mooresville

59. 61. Bald Head Island Club, Bald Head Island

60. 62. The Club at 12 Oaks, Holly Springs

61. 58. The Hasentree Club, Wake Forest

62. 63. The Currituck Club, Corolla

63. 72. Grandover (West), Greensboro

64. 70. Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines

65. 64. Pinewood Country Club, Asheboro

66. 65. Carolina Country Club, Raleigh

67. 74. Springdale Resort, Canton

68. 71. High Meadows Country Club, High Meadows

69. 73. Blowing Rock Country Club, Blowing Rock

70. 67. Cedarwood Country Club, Charlotte

71. 68. Hope Valley Country Club, Durham

72. 78. Talamore Golf Resort, Southern Pines

73. 66. Gaston Country Club, Gastonia

74. 76. Crow Creek Golf Club, Calabash

75. 94. The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh

76. 80. Kenmure Country Club, Flat Rock

77. 77. Croasdaile Country Club, Durham

78. 75. Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia), Pinehurst

79. 81. Carmel Country Club (South), Charlotte

80. 79. Alamance Country Club, Burlington

81. 92. Crystal Coast Country Club, Pine Knoll Shores

82. 82. Kilmarlic Golf Club, Powells Point

83. 99. Morehead City Country Club, Morehead City

84. N/R Wilson Country Club, Wilson

85. 83. Providence Country Club, Charlotte

86. 69. Prestonwood Country Club (Meadows), Cary

87. N/R Beaufort Club, Beaufort

88. 84. Mill Creek Golf Club, Mebane

89. 97. Deep Springs Country Club, Stoneville

90. 85. Bright’s Creek Club, Mill Spring

91. N/R Woodlake Country Club, Vass

92. 86. Jefferson Landing, Jefferson

93. 88. Mooresville Golf Club, Mooresville

94. 90. Thistle Golf Club, Sunset Beach

95. 93. Linville Ridge, Linville

96. N/R Bentwinds Country Club, Fuquay-Varina

97. 95. Tot Hill Farm, Asheboro

98. 98. Longleaf Golf & Family Club, Southern Pines

99. N/R Rocky River Golf Club, Concord

100. 96. Brook Valley Country Club, Greenville

Visit Pinehurst Southern Pines Aberdeen

Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen is the economic development agency responsible for travel and tourism promotion, product development, and visitor services for Moore County, NC. The organization devises strategies to enhance the County’s tourism brand value and product to accommodate the next generation of visitors, thereby stimulating the local economy and enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. In 2024, Moore County ranked as the tenth largest tourism economy in North Carolina, generating $860 million annually in visitor spending, which supports the second largest employment sector in the county.