The cheapest time to play Pinehurst is during the off-season, typically in the late fall and winter months (December to February). Rates are lower, and there are often special packages and discounts available during this period.

The Pinehurst Resort features several courses, but none are strictly private. All the courses are available for public play, though some have more exclusive access for resort guests and members.

You can book your tee times at Pinehurst up to one year in advance. It's recommended to book as early as possible, especially for popular courses like No. 2, to ensure availability.

Pinehurst No. 2 is considered a relatively easy walk with minimal elevation changes. The course is designed to be walkable, and many players prefer to walk it to fully appreciate its historic layout.

The cost of a Pinehurst golf trip varies based on the season, duration, and package selected. On average, a 3-night minimum trip with Golf Trip Junkie with accommodations and rounds of golf can start from $450 per golfer per night. The packages can be adjusted to fit lodging and golf course varieties, rounds, and additional nights.

Yes, you can ground your club at Pinehurst. However, always follow the specific rules and etiquette of the course you are playing, particularly in hazard areas.

Playing The Cradle, Pinehurst’s short course, costs around $50. This fun and fast 9-hole par-3 course is designed to be accessible and enjoyable for all skill levels.

The pros typically play Pinehurst No. 2, which has hosted numerous prestigious tournaments, including the U.S. Open. It's famous for its challenging layout and historical significance.

The closest airport to Pinehurst is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), located about 70 miles away. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is another option, approximately 125 miles from Pinehurst. Golfers arriving by private airplane may fly into Moore Regional (SOP), which is a 10-minute drive away.

While not mandatory, hiring a caddie at Pinehurst is highly recommended. Caddies provide valuable local knowledge, assist with club selection, and enhance the overall golfing experience, particularly on the challenging No. 2 course.

The cost of hiring a caddie at Pinehurst No. 2 is approximately $100 per player for a double bag caddie, and $40 per player for a forecaddie, which includes the base fee. This does not include the tip, which is usually given directly to the caddie for their service.

Playing golf at Pinehurst No. 2 typically costs between $300 and $600, depending on the season. Rates may be higher during peak times and lower in the off-season. It's advisable to check the latest rates directly.

Pinehurst No. 10 is expected to open in late spring of 2024, which coincides with the return of the U.S. Open to Pinehurst No. 2.

Pinehurst Resort will have its first new golf course in almost three decades, which is going to be designed by Tom Doak, one of the most acclaimed and decorated golf course architects of the modern era. With natural ridgelines, intriguing landforms, longleaf pines, streams, and ponds, Doak envisions a golf course that complements the other courses at the resort through its contrasts.

"The site is topographically distinct and drastically different from anywhere in Pinehurst," Doak says. "It's bigger, bolder, and more dramatic. There's about 75 feet of elevation change, and we'll work our way up to it around the mid-point of the layout. You'll have expansive views from this apex over the rest of the course. It will be an unforgettable experience for golfers."

Pinehurst offers four historic hotels to choose from, or, for larger groups, the Carolina Villas and Condos provide more spacious options that are each spectacular in their own right. The resort also has a spa, where you can relax in a tranquil atmosphere, and several pools where you can swim. Other amenities you can enjoy at Pinehurst Resort include tennis, pickleball, a fitness center, lawn sports, and Lake Pinehurst, which is a freshwater haven enjoyed by guests of all ages. It features a white, sandy beach perfect for sunbathing.

The expected gratuity for a caddie at Pinehurst Resort is $50 per bag for normal caddies and $30 per bag for forecaddies. Although you can tip any sum of money you'd like, the $50 gratuity is expected as the minimum tip for the services offered by the caddie.

Pinehurst is where the American golf story originated and where it continues to flourish. The story began in 1895 when philanthropist James Walker Tufts bought 5,800 acres of ravaged timberland in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. This land, which cost him about $1 per acre, once held a pine forest that had been cut for timber and used for its supply of turpentine. Many locals believed Tufts was a fool for his purchase, but the businessman sold his soda fountain company on the dream of a health retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

Recreation was a premier feature of Tufts' health resort. Riding, hunting, lawn bowling, polo, bicycling, and archery were popular in Pinehurst's early days, and many remain so today. Tennis was one of the first recreational activities. Finally, three years after the resort was founded, there was golf. According to history, some hotel guests first played the game in the cattle grazing fields, hitting little white balls that disturbed the herd.

In 1900, Tufts hired Donald Ross, a young Scottish golf professional, to direct operations at Pinehurst. He remained with the resort until his death in 1948. During the five decades, he built a reputation as one of the foremost golf architects in the country. He designed and redesigned over 400 golf courses throughout America. His first Pinehurst endeavors began with his arrival as he redesigned Pinehurst No. 1. His first 18-hole design was Pinehurst No. 2, a championship course with a gently rolling topography.

The greens, considered some of the game's most complex, steal the show at Pinehurst No. 2. Although the golf course offers the ultimate test of a short game, it doesn't appear too penal from the tee. Aside from the out-of-bounds down the left side on the opening three holes and a pond in front of the 16th tee, there's no way to lose a ball. Nevertheless, the No. 2 golf course is the hardest design at Pinehurst, with turtle-back greens and numerous three-shot holes. Poor approach shots will bounce away from the flag.

The 472-yard 5th hole most accurately represents this golf course. The drive isn't very intimidating, as a lot of room exists to land safely between the Carolina pines. Still, within this frame, hug the right side of the fairway because, from the lower left side or the rough, it's virtually impossible to hit the elevated green. Trouble awaits to the left and leaves a heroic up-and-down attempt. Difficulty aside, the course's strategic characteristics, natural beauty, and rich history will more than make up for its challenges.

Since the longest days between sunrise and sunset in Pinehurst are usually in July, if you want to get the most out of your daytime activities, be sure to plan your golf trip around this time. To stay dry, avoid traveling to Pinehurst in May, as it's the wettest month of the year. The coldest part of the year is January, February, and March when temperatures can get below freezing. However, the cold months in North Carolina don't last too long, and you can comfortably play golf for most of the year.

To play courses 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, or 9 at Pinehurst Resort, you must be a member of the resort or a resort guest. If you are not a member or resort guest and want to play courses 1, 3, 5, or The Cradle, you can book a tee time beginning one day before your desired date of play.

Around the world, Pinehurst Resort is where the American golf story is rooted and where it continues to flourish. The resort came to life in 1895 and has nine golf courses, with a tenth one expected to open in 2024. Pinehurst Resort has hosted many prestigious golf tournaments, including:

• three U.S. Open Championships
• one U.S. Women's Open
• three U.S. Amateur Championships
• one PGA Championship
• the Ryder Cup

Golf was born in Pinehurst when a group of hotel guests played in a nearby dairy cattle grazing field. The No. 2 golf course at Pinehurst Resort has ranked among the top 100 courses in the world, with 9th being the highest rating. It has also ranked among the best golf courses in every state, with 5th being the highest ranking.

Tom Doak is designing the new golf course at Pinehurst Resort, which is going to be the resort's first brand-new course in 28 years. It will be the No. 10 golf course and is expected to open in 2024. The golf course will be built on a 900-acre tract of land in Aberdeen, North Carolina, five miles south of the resort. "The number-one thing is, you're working on beautiful sand. The sand and the wiregrass and the bluestem and the little native grasses that grow around here are fabulous texture for golf," said Doak in a video.

With a rich history dating back to 1895, Pinehurst Resort is home to nine golf courses. The following is a short description of each course at this amazing golf destination:

• No. 1: As the first golf course ever built at Pinehurst Resort, this is a course whose first nine holes were designed by Dr. Leroy Culver and whose last nine holes were built by John Dunn Tucker. It was finished in 1901. Recalling his Scottish heritage, Donald Ross subsequently added numerous bunkers, both across the fairway and around the green.
• No. 2: This golf course is considered Donald Ross’ masterpiece. It has served as the site of more single golf championships than any other golf course in America and hosted back-to-back U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships for the first time in 2014. The championship will return to Pinehurst Resort in 2024.
• No. 3: As another classic design by Donald Ross, this course is the shortest at the resort, at just 5,155 yards. However, you shouldn’t let the modest distance fool you, as the par 68, renovated in 2017, features many of Ross’s original design characteristics throughout the classic layout. The small elevated greens – averaging just 4,500 square feet each – demand great precision.
• No. 4: Designed by Gil Hanse, the fourth golf course at Pinehurst Resort is the perfect complement to the second one. It’s a bold expression of pure, timeless Carolinas Sandhills golf. Breathtaking from tee to green, exposed sand areas, wide cross bunkers, and native wire grass meld with the course’s rolling topography and natural ridge lines to create dramatic vistas.
• No. 5: The fifth golf course was designed by Ellis Maples, and its most famous hole is the par-3 14th, which is also known as the Cathedral Hole. The hole is fronted by a pond and encircled by ancient pines, the tops of which resemble the pipes of an organ. The architect believed that it was the designer’s job to find the golf course that resided in the land’s structure, so his fealty to the land is striking in the variety of this course.
• No. 6: Designed by George and Tom Fazio, the sixth golf course at Pinehurst Resort is located a few miles from the center of the resort. They began working on the course in 1975, but Tom returned in 2005 to create new bunkers, soften angles, and seed faster greens. The result is a more rugged, undulating track demanding bigger drives and a more aggressive approach.
• No. 7: The seventh golf course was designed by Rees Jones and is a championship test. Its layout unfolds over dramatic, hilly terrain dotted with wetlands in the lower-lying areas. Every hole on this amazing golf course features something to test your game. Tiger Woods won his lone Pinehurst title to date there in the 1992 Big I Junior Classic.
• No. 8: Designed by Tom Fazio, this golf course synthesizes all the elements of the Pinehurst golf experience into one layout. The renowned architect took full advantage of the 420 acres of rolling terrain and natural wetlands to create a course that’s visually enthralling and challenging but fun to play. The eighth golf course opened in 1996 to commemorate Pinehurst Resort’s centennial.
• No. 9: Having said multiple times that his all-time favorite golf course at Pinehurst Resort from a design standout was the second, Jack Nicklaus also designed his course at the resort. The famous architect built his masterpiece amidst the longleaf pines. The ninth golf course is a magnificent 7,122-yard layout and is as meticulously designed as it’s compelling.

Therefore, if you’re planning a golf vacation at Pinehurst Resort, you won’t have time to get bored, as you can choose from a whopping nine spectacular golf courses designed by acclaimed golf architects.

Every year, the PGA Tour unfolds on the golf course designed by Donald Ross at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.