North Carolina
Pinehurst in 4 Days
Estimate: Per golfer, 4 nights shared lodging at Pinehurst Resort plus 6 rounds, excluding flights and caddies. Based on published resort-guest pricing (No. 2 at $595 peak and No. 10 at $450 for rounds outside a package, No. 4 at $395, 2024 figures) and Mid Pines/Southern Pines peak rates of roughly $195–$225 (2024). Most resort golf is sold inside stay-and-play packages, so actual totals depend on the package.
This trip is for golfers who care about architecture and want a town to go with it. Pinehurst village is walkable, the resort runs everything from the Cradle to the caddie program, and the Sandhills around it are full of restored Donald Ross courses.
The plan pairs the resort's three headliners (No. 2, No. 4 and Tom Doak's No. 10) with Mid Pines and Southern Pines, both restored by Kyle Franz and both cheaper and quieter than the resort courses. You get the U.S. Open experience without spending four days on the resort's price sheet.
Day by day
- 1
Arrive, play the Cradle
The CradleDrive in from RDU and head straight to the Cradle for a loose nine. Spend sunset on Thistle Dhu, the putting course next to it. Dinner in the village or at the resort.
- 2
No. 2 in the morning, No. 4 after lunch
Pinehurst No. 2Pinehurst No. 4Take an early No. 2 time with a caddie; carts are path-only there, so walking costs you nothing. No. 4 starts from the same clubhouse, which makes this the easiest 36-hole day of the trip. If you only want 18, skip No. 4 and spend the afternoon in the village.
- 3
No. 10 at the Sandmines
Pinehurst No. 10No. 10 is away from the main clubhouse, so build in the drive. It's walking-only and rolls over real elevation, so one round is plenty. Station 21, the resort's grill near No. 10, is a good post-round stop.
- 4
Southern Pines doubleheader
Mid PinesSouthern Pines Golf ClubLeave the resort and play the two Ross restorations in Southern Pines, which sit close to each other. Mid Pines in the morning, Southern Pines in the afternoon, then drive to RDU or stay one more night.
The courses
Donald Ross (restored by Coore & Crenshaw) · 1907 · Resort guests only
Host of the 2024 U.S. Open and the reason most people come. The crowned greens and sandy waste areas reward a short game more than length.
Pinehurst No. 4
Donald Ross (original); redesigned by Gil Hanse in 2018 · 1919 · Resort guests only
Hanse rebuilt it in 2018 in the same sandy style as No. 2, and it hosted the 2019 U.S. Amateur. Many players find it nearly as good with less pressure.
Pinehurst No. 10
Tom Doak · 2024 · Resort guests only
Built on the old Sandmines property with big dunes and wiregrass. Walking-only, with free push carts at the first tee.
The Cradle
Gil Hanse · 2017 · Public (bookable 24 hours ahead for non-guests)
Nine short holes by the clubhouse; the right way to spend an arrival afternoon.
Mid Pines
Donald Ross (restored by Kyle Franz) · 1921 · Public
Classic Ross routing through the pines, restored in 2013. Pleasant, walkable and a fraction of the No. 2 price.
Southern Pines Golf Club
Donald Ross (restored by Kyle Franz) · 1906 · Public
Reopened in 2021 after a Franz restoration and has the most interesting land of the three Southern Pines Ross courses.
Booking it
No. 2, No. 4 and No. 10 are only available to resort guests, and No. 2 requires a minimum two-night stay. Golf is usually sold through packages (Bed, Breakfast & Golf; the Pinehurst Package; Premier Golf), and No. 2 and No. 10 carry surcharges when they aren't included. Book Mid Pines and Southern Pines directly through their own sites; they're open to the public.
Worth knowing
- Take a caddie on No. 2. The greens shed balls off every edge, and a caddie's read of where to miss is worth more than any yardage.
- No. 10 is walking-only and hilly. Use the free push carts if you don't take a caddie, and don't schedule a second 18 that day.
- Carts on No. 2 and No. 4 are restricted to paths, so riding saves less than you think.
- Pine Needles, the third Ross course in the Mid Pines/Southern Pines group, is an easy swap if one of the others is booked.