If you play golf, you surely already know about Pinehurst No. 2. The famed Donald Ross design has hosted three U.S. Opens and is on the schedule to host four more of the national championships, including in 2024.
Golfweek’s Best ranks Pinehurst No. 2 as the top public-access layout in North Carolina and the 16th-best classic course in the U.S. The layout was restored to its dry and bouncy Sandhills glory by the design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw a little over a decade ago, with waste areas replacing acres of rough grass – in its appearance, conditioning and playability, the restored No. 2 would be much more recognizable to Ross, who lived alongside the third fairway.
And golfers don’t have to drive far – if at all – to tee it up at eight more of the top 15 Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in North Carolina.
Pinehurst No. 4 is a 2-minute stroll from the first tee of No. 2, and it ranks as the second-best public-access layout in the Tar Heel State and ties for No. 89 among all modern courses in the U.S. Redesigned by Gil Hanse in 2018, No. 4 features what the architect described as a whole new course playing through familiar corridors. Alongside the No. 2 course, No. 4 has become a can’t-miss requisite for golfers staying at Pinehurst Resort.
With all its full-size courses named by number, Pinehurst Resort also offers No. 8, a Tom Fazio design just a short drive from the main resort property that ranks as the seventh-best public-access course in the state. The resort’s No. 9 course also makes that list of Best Courses You Can Play, checking in as the 12th-best in the state, and the No. 7 course reaches the 13th spot on that rankings list.
Just a 10-minute drive from Pinehurst Resort in Southern Pines sits a trio of recently restored Ross courses: Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Southern Pines, each reworked by Kyle Franz and now operated as sister properties under the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club umbrella.
Mid Pines ranks the highest among them, climbing to No. 3 among the state’s public-access courses and tying for No. 117 among classic layouts in the U.S. This easy-to-love layout is part of distinctly old-school vibe for the whole property, which includes a century-old Georgian-style hotel. A round at Mid Pines is a great introduction to Ross architecture, transporting players to decades long gone in which strategy and clever play outweighed brute strength.
Just across the street from Mid Pines is Pine Needles, site of…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…