Count to Ten: Top Pinehurst Area Courses
Top 10 lists are always fun. Here is the first of three in the Sandhills golf universe to kick off 2025 based on one man’s humble opinions.
Walk It Off
During the USGA’s initiative in the early 2000s to promote walking, he took the lead within the club to develop a policy to encourage members to walk. “We developed a policy that said we think walking is a part of the game and should be allowed,” Ellis says. “You can really enjoy the game walking.
Architect’s Mosaic
“Getting the No. 6 job was a major step for us in the golf-design business,” Tom Fazio says of the mid-1970s assignment to build the resort’s first course away from its core operation in the Village of Pinehurst. “There was next-to-nothing new built in 1974 and ’75. Then the call came from Pinehurst.”
Maples Roots Run Deep in Sandhills Golf Design
“For me, Pinehurst is such a special place for golf,” says Fazio, who at 77 is still designing new courses and working on renovations of his earlier works. “Put Donald Ross in the equation and it’s even more special. It’s been an historical destination for over a century. There’s a special feeling — a feeling for golf and its tradition and history and longevity.”
Fall into Pinehurst Golf
Fall around the Home of American Golf may be the most enticing season of all, when there’s a nip in the air on the first tee and you’re out of your pullover by the turn.
No Resting on Laurels Around the Home of American Golf
Calling these “the best of times” around the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area of North Carolina might seem like it’s saying a lot, but sometimes the shoe simply fits. Just take a look at everything that is currently happening around the Home of American Golf.
Donald Ross Could Golf His Ball
Anyone who has ever teed it up in the Pinehurst area knows the name Donald Ross. A transplanted Scot, Donald Ross fused his home course knowledge (Royal Dornoch and its elevated, contoured greens) and his study at St. Andrews (strategic options) to become the most honored and most prolific early American architect. Between 1919 and 1926, six U.S. Opens were played on his designs. Pinehurst No. 2 was his masterpiece, but Seminole, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill and Inverness weren’t far behind. In the Sandhills alone, he crafted Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines, among others. Less known about Donald Ross? He could really play.
From Cradle to Cradle
Nothing in 30 years has changed my early opinions: Pinehurst is the spiritual home of golf in the United States and St. Andrews the spiritual home of golf in Scotland — and for the rest of the world. There are no two places on earth where the senses are so saturated by golf. For all the traits they share, Pinehurst and its surrounding communities and St. Andrews with its web of proximate villages could be considered first cousins, perhaps even siblings. Yet their differences highlight how special and unique each destination is.
Sandhills Embraces Walking Culture
For those who prefer to sling a bag over their shoulders, push a trolley or hire a caddie, the pendulum is swinging back in the early 2020s, both in how the game is played and how courses are designed and maintained. Courses that two decades ago required golfers to ride a cart are leaving transportation to choice.
Romancing Pinehurst
Rekindle the romance that’s missing from your everyday life with a visit to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area. Sometimes you just have to get away to create some excitement. This region known as the Home of American Golf boasts plenty of personality to fit everyone.