Rating the Pinehurst courses (resort and others)

[exgolfpro]

I just had the opportunity to play in the Pinehurst member/guest of this past holiday week.  Before anyone gets too excited, the rounds were played on #7 & #9.  Both decent courses, but certainly not the reputation of #2 and #4.  But during this week, I got the opportunity to play every Pinehurst resort course except for #8 (closed for renovation) and I thought I would put down my rankings of all the courses I have played in the pinehurst area over the past 2+ years.  Many of my may disagree, but my top course is Pinehurst #4.

 

1. Pinehurst #4

2. Pinehurst #2

3. Mid Pines

4. Pine Needles

5. Pinehurst #3

6. Tobacco Road

7. Pinehurst #1

8. Pinehurst #7

9. Pinehurst #5

10. Pinehurst #9

11. Pinehurst #6 

 

Quite honestly, Pine Needles and Mid Pines are almost interchangeable to me.  Both are very good courses, but I enjoyed the 'vibe' at MidPines, more than Pine Needles.  But, I also feel Pine Needles had more elevation changes than Mid Pines does.  

[ND2005]

I would mostly quibble with how high you have #3. 

 

I have seen a lot of people who put #4 as their top course citing that it is more "fun" than #2. I have also seen more recently though a little backlash to the Hanse renovation and that in its efforts to mimic the style of #2 (waste areas, etc) made it a kind of washed out course without a lot of distinguishing features. 

 

I would personally slot #8 in below tobacco road on your list. 

 

6, 7, 9 are so clearly below the rest it is hard to muster much enthusiasm to debate the specific order. 

 

Other relevant pinehurst area courses that would need to be included in any complete ranking: 

CCNC (Cardinal and Dogwood)

Dormie

Southern Pines

Talamore

Hyland

Mid South

Whispering woods

Legacy

Foxfire

 

There are more I'm sure I'm not thinking of off the top of my head

[2012heel]

I’ll play. 
 

1. #4

2. #2

3. Pine Needles

4 (tie).  Dormie 

4 (tie). Tobacco Road

6. Southern Pines

7. Mid Pines

8. #8

9. Mid South 
10. Talamore

 

I agree that Mid Pines has the best vibe of Pine Needles and Southern Pines. It also has the best routing. And if I had to play every weekend, I would want to play Southern Pines or Mid Pines over Pine Needles just because Pine Needles is so tough. But Pine Needles is so pure and a cut above the other two, IMO. 
 

You’re not alone in your #4>#2 take. Went on a golf trip a few years ago with 17 guys and played each course twice. The majority preferred #4. More visually stimulating and memorable holes, while also being more playable. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by 2012heel

[DoubleorQuits]

No. 2

Pine Needles

Southern Pines

No. 4

Tobacco Road

Dormie

Mid Pines

Forest Creek North

No. 8

No. 7

CCNC-Cardinal

No. 3

No. 6

 

 

 

[Drwoods2017]

Yeah I'll bite one this too

 

No. 4

No. 2

Pine Needles

TR

No. 3

No. 8

Mid pines

Southern Pines

No. 1

 

I'll be honest I divide mid pines up, holes 6-18 are amazing. Holes 1-5 don't feel like they belong. The routing in very cramped and doesn't at all feel like the rest of the course.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Drwoods2017

[TBD203]

Is Dormie still playable for the public or is it fully private? I think I have to go:

 

No 4

Mid Pines

Pine Needles

Dormie

Tobacco Road

No 8

 

We didn't get a chance to play 2, so I suppose we will have to go back!

[gmayo11]

I haven't played 4 yet, but my ranking would be:

No 2

Mid Pines

Pine Needles

Southern Pines

Tobacco Road

No 3

No 8

 

Interested to see the renovation at 8 - I have said, probably at nauseum, I was left wanting more from 8.  Anywhere else in the country, it's a very solid course, but when I am in the sandhills, I want sandhills golf.

[islesmb]

I haven't played all the Pinehurst resort courses yet.

 

No. 2

No. 4

Pine Needles

Dormie Club

Mid Pines

Tobacco Road

Southern Pines

Mid-South

No.1

Talamore

Pinewild  - Holly

No.5

Edited June 2, 2022 by islesmb

[ND2005]

1. #2

2. Dormie

3. #4

4. Mid Pines

5. Tobacco Road

6. Pine Needles

7. #8

8. #3

9. #1

10-12: 6,7,9 in no particular order

 

Need to play Southern Pines and some of the other local courses to round out my list...

 

I probably have Dormie slotted higher than most, but the overall experience was just fantastic there, and the conditions plus the new facilities since going full private are phenomenal. 

[BombinJim]

I haven’t played any courses in the area outside of the Pinehurst resort but here is my order of the ones I’ve played and how many times:

 

1. #4 (once)

2. #8 (once)

3. #2 (3x)

4. #3 (3x)

5. #5 (once)

6. #1 (twice)

 

#8 was really incredible but we had poor weather so the experience was somewhat slighted because of that, and I’d love to play it side by side with #4.

[supergriff34]

For what ive played

1. #4

2. pine needles

3. mid pines

4. #8

5. Southern pines (post rennovation)

6. Mid south. 

7. tobacco rd
8. Talamore

9. Legacy

 

if you could combine mid pines front with pine needles back it would be my favorite golf course in the area. 
 

[StudentGolfer4]

14 hours ago, BombinJim said:

I haven’t played any courses in the area outside of the Pinehurst resort but here is my order of the ones I’ve played and how many times:

 

1. #4 (once)

2. #8 (once)

3. #2 (3x)

4. #3 (3x)

5. #5 (once)

6. #1 (twice)

 

#8 was really incredible but we had poor weather so the experience was somewhat slighted because of that, and I’d love to play it side by side with #4.

Everyone has their own opinion but I am very curious. What did you find incredible about #8? I’ve always told people that it’s a solid course but feels like it could be an upscale public course just about anywhere in the south/south east. It didn’t feel anything like the original courses at pinehurst and to me that’s a negative. I am very curious about the renovation though. Any word what’s being done?

 

I enjoyed my round on #4 a lot. It was an enjoyable would be a great course to play 3 times a week. With that being said, #2 is a world class golf course. Are the greens a bit too much or over the top for daily play? Possibly, but it’s a fantastic course. In the case of pinehurst I actually think how great #2 is elevates the ranking (in magazines and by raters) of #4. Some resorts/areas with multiple courses so the opposite and the first course being great means people don’t appreciate the lesser course as much. 

[BombinJim]

8 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

Everyone has their own opinion but I am very curious. What did you find incredible about #8? I’ve always told people that it’s a solid course but feels like it could be an upscale public course just about anywhere in the south/south east. It didn’t feel anything like the original courses at pinehurst and to me that’s a negative. I am very curious about the renovation though. Any word what’s being done?

 

I enjoyed my round on #4 a lot. It was an enjoyable would be a great course to play 3 times a week. With that being said, #2 is a world class golf course. Are the greens a bit too much or over the top for daily play? Possibly, but it’s a fantastic course. In the case of pinehurst I actually think how great #2 is elevates the ranking (in magazines and by raters) of #4. Some resorts/areas with multiple courses so the opposite and the first course being great means people don’t appreciate the lesser course as much. 

So don’t get me wrong 2 is incredible and I love every time I play it, but for the price/fun ratio I thought #8 was a blast. I think it is unique that it has its own separate clubhouse and it feels a lot more isolated. It also has some of the same style of greens offered by 2 and 3 to a lessor extent, so it’s more score friendly. And it has some very memorable holes that have me yearning to play it in better weather. I would not seek it out by its own but if you’re playing other Pinehurst courses it is a good contrast from Donny Ross kickin your xxxx

[exgolfpro]

My buddy (who is the member of Pinehurst) rates #8 as his favorite course on the property.  Of course, I didn't get to play it due to its closure for renovation.

[caniac6]

I just got home from the Woman’s US Open, and I think I would enjoy Pine Needles more than #2. The greens have a lot of movement, but don’t look nearly as severe as #2. Just looks like a more fun course to play.

Edited June 3, 2022 by caniac6

[StudentGolfer4]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:16 AM, BombinJim said:

So don’t get me wrong 2 is incredible and I love every time I play it, but for the price/fun ratio I thought #8 was a blast. I think it is unique that it has its own separate clubhouse and it feels a lot more isolated. It also has some of the same style of greens offered by 2 and 3 to a lessor extent, so it’s more score friendly. And it has some very memorable holes that have me yearning to play it in better weather. I would not seek it out by its own but if you’re playing other Pinehurst courses it is a good contrast from Donny Ross kickin your xxxx

All good, I was just curious to hear your thoughts. 
 

As stated, I think #2 is by far the best course but when people say 4 is their favorite I completely understand it. If I was a member playing 3 rounds a week and could pick any of the courses I would play #4 twice and #2 once a week. 
 

I honestly think the biggest downsides about pinehurst as a destination golf resort is the massive drop off of courses after 2 and 4. Pinehurst is also much more than just a golf resort though. The same can’t be said of places like streamsong, Bandon, Sand Valley, etc. 

 

@exgolfpro you may know the answer to this, but our veteran caddy told us that members still have to pay a hefty surcharge whenever they play #2. He also mentioned they use to have different classification of members and that determined what pricing was and time of year played a big factor too. Any insight on this? I know #3 is very popular with members. We played it as our second round of the day and had a blast. Easy walk, challenging greens, and a ton of fun. 
 

That just goes to show you that we all enjoy golf courses and designs differently. 

[ND2005]

14 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

 

 

@exgolfpro you may know the answer to this, but our veteran caddy told us that members still have to pay a hefty surcharge whenever they play #2. He also mentioned they use to have different classification of members and that determined what pricing was and time of year played a big factor too. Any insight on this? I know #3 is very popular with members. We played it as our second round of the day and had a blast. Easy walk, challenging greens, and a ton of fun. 

 

Yes lots of tiers of membership.  3 tiers of golfing membership, a "sport" membership, and a "social" membership

 

https://www.pinehurst.com/pinehurst-membership/become-a-member/

 

For the highest levels of membership there is still a "walk and carry" fee for #2 and #4, for the lower levels of membership you just get discounted greens fees. 

[caniac6]

37 minutes ago, ND2005 said:

 

Yes lots of tiers of membership.  3 tiers of golfing membership, a "sport" membership, and a "social" membership

 

https://www.pinehurst.com/pinehurst-membership/become-a-member/

 

For the highest levels of membership there is still a "walk and carry" fee for #2 and #4, for the lower levels of membership you just get discounted greens fees. 

We were considering a move to Pinehurst, so I called the membership office, and they said they might have time to talk to me in a week. We then took a ride down there on a weekday in the off season, and they were packed. I know the golf would be good, but it did not look like the relaxed country club atmosphere we were looking for. The cost of membership was reasonable, but I thought the tourist, about 3 times monthly dues for a weekend, would get priority.

[brownm]

20 hours ago, ND2005 said:

 

Yes lots of tiers of membership.  3 tiers of golfing membership, a "sport" membership, and a "social" membership

 

https://www.pinehurst.com/pinehurst-membership/become-a-member/

 

For the highest levels of membership there is still a "walk and carry" fee for #2 and #4, for the lower levels of membership you just get discounted greens fees.)

I am a PCC golf member in the top membership category (including courses 1-9). There is no fee to walk and carry on ANY course with the exception of a "trail fee" for #2 from March thru October of around $20.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'll just say that for me there is huge value in this membership.  Coexisting with a busy resort can be challenging at times. However, it is what keeps dues low (under $700/month) and conditions pristine.  It is also a much more diverse membership than just a golf club (many tennis, lawn sports, and social activities), which can be a negative for some.

[gaffs]

Im a member of Pinehurst CC, but my personal opinion is that Pine Needles is the best course. I love the look of the course and its surrounds are beautiful. Big fan of the club house too. Variation is big for me, and the fact that you don't need to hit driver all the time makes it fun. Pinehurst 4 is a great course, but even on the shorter par 4's, I always hit driver.

 

My ranking of the local courses that i have played...

 

1. Pine Needles

2. Pinehurst #4

3. Mid Pines

4. Pinehurst #2

5. Tobacco Road

6. Pinehurst #8

7. Talamore

8. Southern Pines

9. Pinehurst #3

10. Pinehurst #9

11. Mid South Club

12. Pinehurst #6 

13. Pinehurst #1

14. Pinehurst #7

15. Pinehurst #5

16. Legacy

 

Don't get me wrong, Pinehurst number 2 is superb. But it can be hard work when your ball is rolling off the back of the greens.

 

I just feel Number 4, Pine Needles and Mid Pines are more playable.  I really wish I was a Pine Needles / Mid Pines member.

 

When Southern Pines has fully bedded in, it could easily be top 5. 

I really like the layout and variation at Talamore, although i don't like the closing hole.

Number 3 is great fun. As is number 1, but i mark it down because the opening and closing holes are a little dull and samey.

 

All courses are really good. Easy to pick fault, but that is because there are just so many good courses in a small area.

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by gaffs

[gaffs]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:03 AM, brownm said:

I am a PCC golf member in the top membership category (including courses 1-9). There is no fee to walk and carry on ANY course with the exception of a "trail fee" for #2 from March thru October of around $20.

 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'll just say that for me there is huge value in this membership.  Coexisting with a busy resort can be challenging at times. However, it is what keeps dues low (under $700/month) and conditions pristine.  It is also a much more diverse membership than just a golf club (many tennis, lawn sports, and social activities), which can be a negative for some.

 

Agree with this. 

 

Im 1-6 + 8 member. Membership fees are great considering what you get (gyms, tennis, pools, beach club). Service in the restaurant is shocking though. Getting service in Paynes Pub is stressful. 

 

Booking tee times is an issue on 2 and 4, but you just have to remember that those courses essentially belong to the resort most weekends. I always find a way to play though because Im happy to play as a 1. Usually get paired up with resort guests. Will be interesting to see how the new website works.

[allparz]

Here are all the courses in a 10 Mile Radius of Pinehurst Center in my order -  Disclosure/Bias - Member at Pine Needles/Mid Pines/SPGC  (Never played the Par 3 at Pinewild)

But it is crazy there are 34 courses in that Circle -- and Little River, Pinebluff and The Pit have all shut down, and the extra 9 at SPGC shut down.  Splitting hairs over most of these.

Like Gaffs, as a member, I just  show up and play at Pine Needles/Mid Pines -- Some group is always short a player or cancels, and always play with interesting folks who appreciate a little history lesson.

 

#2 - Pinehurst (History and Difficulty)
Pine Needles (The best example of all the key Donald Ross features - Risk Reward, Green complexes, routing genius)
Mid Pines
CCNC Dogwood
Dormie
Southern Pines
#4 Pinehurst
CCNC Cardinal
Forest Creek South
#8 Pinehurst
Mid South
#7 Pinehurst
Forest Creek North
#1 Pinehurst
Talamore

#5 Pinehurst
Legacy
#9 Pinehurst
Pinewild Magnolia
PineWild - Holly
Whispering Pines - Pines
Foxfire - Grey
Whispering Pines - River
#6 Pinehurst
#3 Pinehurst
Deercroft
Hyland
Foxfire - Red
Whispering Woods
Longleaf
Seven Lakes
Beacon Ridge
Midland
Knollwood

[postfold]

I'll expand the range a bit, but using that list as a starting point:

Mid Pines

Pine Needles

Southern Pines

Tobacco Road

Mid South

Dormie
Talamore

Anderson Creek
#9 Pinehurst

Hyland

Legacy

#1 Pinehurst
Foxfire - Grey
Foxfire - Red

Carolina Trace - Lake

Bayonet

Sanford Municipal
Whispering Pines - Pines
Whispering Pines - River
Deercroft
Whispering Woods
Seven Lakes
Beacon Ridge

Tot Hill Farm

Longleaf
Midland
Knollwood

 

Haven't played:  Pinehurst 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; Pinewildx2, CCNCx2, Forest Creekx2

 

Dearly departed:  The Carolina, Little River, the Pit, Woodlakex2

Edited June 16, 2022 by postfold

[spineshank]

For me its:

 

Dormie

#4

#2

Mid Pines

Talamore

Pine Needles

Mid South

#9

#8

Southern Pines

 

For non big time courses, Hyland, Legacy, and Anderson Creek i all like. 

[Uncle_Buck2]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:22 PM, DoubleorQuits said:

No. 2

Pine Needles

Southern Pines

No. 4

Tobacco Road

Dormie

Mid Pines

Forest Creek North

No. 8

No. 7

CCNC-Cardinal

No. 3

No. 6

 

 

 

CCNC, 7, and 8 are the only ones I've played in the area. Although, I played the Dogwood course and would rate it WELL above 7 and 8. Would recommend it if you're ever out there again.

[italianstallion]

Just got back from a trip to the Sandhills, and with one play on each of the following I left ranking the courses in a way I was not expecting:

 

1. Southern Pines

2. No. 2

3. Pine Needles

4. Mid Pines

5. Tobacco Road

 

I played great golf on every course except Mid Pines, but my issue with Mid Pines has more to do with the out of character holes at the beginning and middle of the routing than how I played. Also, I love Strantz but I think I was just more in a Donald Ross mood this trip than anything else.

 

I cannot think of a more perfect golf course to play for the rest of my life than Southern Pines. Great routing and use of the topography, fantastic vistas across holes, plenty of challenge around the greens, and endless choices on how to attack every hole off the tee. We teed off at 3:30 and as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky the shadows cast by the pine trees just created an auora of golf heaven.

 

No. 2 was a great experience and I had some great highlights on that course, but the lack of land movement is definitely a strike against it compared to Southern Pines. Pine Needles we played a week after the U.S. Open and it was in absolute premier shape. Really enjoyed the course from 1-14. 15-17 lose that spacious feeling, width, and grand scale you get on the rest of the course, so those holes were sort of jarring to me in the routing. 

[mikedejong33]

I played 12 rounds on a trip in May, didn't play any at the actual Pinehurst resort. My rankings for the courses we played would be:

1. Tobacco Road
2. Mid Pines
3. Mid South
4. Talamore
5. Pinewild
6. Quail Ridge
7. Southern Pines
8. Hyland

Southern Pines I was really looking forward to, but it was in very rough condition. You could tell that it was a good golf course, but the conditioning compared to everything else was so much worse, it was lost a little bit. We loved Tobacco Road, obviously not everyone's cup of tea. But I like crazy golf a little bit. Mid Pines was near perfect, and although completely different, we enjoyed Mid South as well. Couldn't play Pine Needles as they were preparing for the Women's US Open. But overall, it was an awesome place to play and I will go back for sure.

[StudentGolfer4]

19 minutes ago, mikedejong33 said:

I played 12 rounds on a trip in May, didn't play any at the actual Pinehurst resort. My rankings for the courses we played would be:

1. Tobacco Road
2. Mid Pines
3. Mid South
4. Talamore
5. Pinewild
6. Quail Ridge
7. Southern Pines
8. Hyland

Southern Pines I was really looking forward to, but it was in very rough condition. You could tell that it was a good golf course, but the conditioning compared to everything else was so much worse, it was lost a little bit. We loved Tobacco Road, obviously not everyone's cup of tea. But I like crazy golf a little bit. Mid Pines was near perfect, and although completely different, we enjoyed Mid South as well. Couldn't play Pine Needles as they were preparing for the Women's US Open. But overall, it was an awesome place to play and I will go back for sure.

I haven’t played it but whenever someone raves about Tobacco Road I always ask the same question. Would you still rank it ahead of these other courses if you were playing it 3x a week?

[mikedejong33]

59 minutes ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

I haven’t played it but whenever someone raves about Tobacco Road I always ask the same question. Would you still rank it ahead of these other courses if you were playing it 3x a week?

I played it twice in one day. The first time around on some holes we had no idea what to do. So I almost think the more you played it, the more you would like it. But again, I don't mind strange golf courses. It's like some of the mountain courses I play here in Canada. Sometimes you can hit a wedge 200 yards, and a 5 iron 150 yards depending on the elevation. Most people don't like that, but I kind of do. Its just different. But the mounding and the sand dunes, and the shape of the greens, it's just so different from anything else I have played. Maybe it would get old after a while, but I really enjoyed it.

[italianstallion]

6 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

I haven’t played it but whenever someone raves about Tobacco Road I always ask the same question. Would you still rank it ahead of these other courses if you were playing it 3x a week?

That was one of my group’s observations: great course to play a few times a year but not one I’d be trying to take on every week. Lots of fun shots to take on, but I can imagine it can get quite infuriating if you get on the wrong side of the bounces. 
 

I also really enjoy walking courses and not to toot my own horn but I’m in really good shape. I’ve done a lot of tough walks in my golfing life and Tobacco Road ranks up there as one of the toughest walks I can remember. Bethpage Black is the only one that comes to mind that might be harder.