Pinehurst No. 2 Continues to Lead the Way in 2024

Pinehurst No. 2 has once again secured the top spot as the best golf course in the state as determined by the North Carolina Golf Panel. Pinehurst Resort will host the 2024 U.S. Open at the venerable Donald Ross course for the fourth time, June 13-16. The Dogwood Course at The Country Club of North Carolina and Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club remain in the third and fourth positions behind Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Linville. Sixteen courses from the Sandhills area are listed in the Top 100 rankings, including 13 among the Top 50.

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 arguably 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.

“There’s a reason why we are known around the world as the Home of American Golf,” said Phil Werz, president and CEO for the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Golf is what drives our diverse economy, it’s the reason why the USGA moved here, and we cannot wait to witness yet another U.S. Open in June when it will be played on the number one golf course in North Carolina – Pinehurst No. 2.”

Among the 2024 rankings of the Top 100 Courses in North Carolina, a total of 16 are located in the Pinehurst area. Those rankings include: Pinehurst No. 2 (#1); The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood, #3); Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club (#4); Pinehurst No. 4 (#11); CCNC (Cardinal, #12); Pinehurst No. 8 (#13); Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club (#21); Dormie Club (#24); Forest Creek Golf Club (South, #32); Pinehurst No. 9 (#33); Mid South Club (#37); Forest Creek Golf Club (North, #39); Pinehurst No. 7 (#49); Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia, #67); and Southern Pines Golf Club (#69) and Talamore Golf Club (#77).

The panel also ranked the Top 50 Courses You Can Play and the Pinehurst area once again dominated the list with 14 locations, or nearly 30 percent of the clubs, including the top seven and eight of the top 12. The top seven include Pinehurst No. 2, Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst No. 8, Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, Pinehurst No. 9 and Mid South Club. Pinehurst No. 7 is 12th. Other golf clubs among the Top 50 include Southern Pines Golf Club (#18); Talamore Golf Club (#21); Pinehurst No. 6 (#34); Tobacco Road Golf Club (#38); Legacy Golf Links (#39) and Longleaf Golf and Family Club (#40).

“The Pinehurst area is like a fantasyland if you play golf and have an appreciation for great courses,” said Kevin Brafford, executive director of the N.C. Golf Panel. “It would be akin to a fan of ballparks being able to see Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium all in one city. That’s how blessed we are.”

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.

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 2024, Top 50 Courses You Can Play and other rankings, visit NCGolfPanel.com. Or, for additional coverage, pick up the April issue of Business NC magazine.

Top 100 Courses for 2024 (second number is previous year’s ranking)

1. Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst
2. Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville
4. The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood), Pinehurst
3. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, Southern Pines
5. Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte
7. Elk River Club, Banner Elk
6. Mountaintop Golf and Lake Club, Cashiers
8. Old Town Club, Winston-Salem
9. Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
17. Old Chatham Golf Club, Durham
12. Pinehurst No. 4, Pinehurst
13. The Country Club of North Carolina (Cardinal), Pinehurst
16. Pinehurst No. 8, Pinehurst
11. Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington
10. Old North State Club, New London
14. Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte
19. Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
18. Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington
20. MacGregor Downs Country Club, Cary
21. River Landing (River), Wallace
22. Mid Pines Lodge & Golf Club, Southern Pines
23. Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem
27. Country Club of Landfall (Dye), Wilmington
24. Dormie Club, West End
25. Rock Barn Country Club (Jones), Conover
26. Governors Club, Chapel Hill
31. Country Club of Landfall (Nicklaus), Wilmington
32. Prestonwood Country Club (Highlands), Cary
28. Biltmore Forest Country Club, Asheville
34. Starmount Forest Country Club, Greensboro
36. River Landing (Landing), Wallace
29. Forest Creek Country Club (South), Pinehurst
30. Pinehurst No. 9, Pinehurst
35. Champion Hills Club, Hendersonville
33. Treyburn Country Club, Durham
39. The Club at Longview, Waxhaw
37. Mid South Club, Southern Pines
38. Linville Golf Club, Linville
40. Forest Creek Golf Club (North) Pinehurst
41. Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte
42. Trump National Golf Club, Mooresville
45. Bryan Park (Champions), Browns Summit
43. Balsam Mountain Preserve, Sylva
44. High Point Country Club (Willow Creek), High Point
47. Greensboro Country Club (Farm), Greensboro
49. Grandover (East), Greensboro
48. Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill
60. Occano, Merry Hill
51. Pinehurst No. 7, Pinehurst
53. Hound Ears Club, Boone
61. Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro
54. Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Raleigh
50. Country Club of Asheville, Asheville
46. The Hasentree Club, Wake Forest
52. The Cardinal by Pete Dye, Greensboro
57. Duke University Golf Club, Durham
56. Bald Head Island Club, Bald Head Island
62. Mimosa Hills Golf Club, Morganton
64. Porters Neck Country Club, Wilmington
55. Gaston Country Club, Gastonia
59. The Currituck Club, Corolla
63. Ballantyne Country Club, Charlotte
58. Hope Valley Country Club, Durham
66. Pinewood Country Club, Asheboro
69. Carolina Country Club, Raleigh
65. Prestonwood Country Club (Meadows), Cary
68. Pinewild Country Club (Magnolia), Pinehurst
70. Cedarwood Country Club, Charlotte
75. Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines
— High Meadows Country Club, High Meadows
83. Grandover (West), Greensboro
71. Crow Creek Golf Club, Calabash
86. Blowing Rock Country Club, Blowing Rock
84. Croasdaile Country Club, Durham
72. Alamance Country Club, Burlington
73. Bright’s Creek Club, Mill Spring
77. Talamore Golf Club, Southern Pines
67. Leopard’s Chase, Sunset Beach
74. Jefferson Landing, Jefferson
76. The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis
78. River Run Country Club, Davidson
81. Providence Country Club, Charlotte
79. Tiger’s Eye, Sunset Beach
80. Carmel Country Club (South), Charlotte
87. Mill Creek Golf Club, Mebane
85. Tanglewood Park (Championship). Clemmons
82. Thistle Golf Club, Sunset Beach
80. Crystal Coast Country Club, Pine Knoll Shores
88. Kilmarlic Golf Club, Powells Point
91. Linville Ridge, Linville
89. The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh
99. Brook Valley Country Club, Greenville
92. The Peninsula Club, Cornelius
— Deep Springs Country Club, Stoneville
93. Lake Toxawat Country Club, Lake Toxaway
94. Benevenue Country Club, Rocky Mount
95. Morehead City Country Club, Morehead City
96. Bermuda Run Country Club (East), Bermuda Run
97. Stoney Creek Golf Club, Whitsett
100. Rumbling Bald Resort (Apple Valley), Lake Lure

The Pinehurst Southern Pines Aberdeen Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the economic development agency responsible for travel and tourism promotion, product development, and visitor services for Moore County, NC. The CVB 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 2022, Moore County ranked as the tenth largest tourism economy in North Carolina, generating $750 million annually in visitor spending, which supports the second largest employment sector in the county.

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