Pinehurst is a whole village built around golf. It has brick streets, porches and longleaf pines on the North Carolina sandhills, and courses numbered in the order they were built. No. 2 is the reason most visitors come. Donald Ross worked on it for decades, and it has hosted more single championships than any other course in America, including four U.S. Opens. One thing shapes how you plan a trip here: No. 2 is for resort guests and members. So the course you most want to play also decides where you sleep, how long you stay and what you pay.
Pinehurst Resort green fees and tee times.
Members and resort guests can book Nos. 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Everyone else is limited to Nos. 1, 3 and 5, from April to October, and The Cradle all year. Non-guests book those by calling (855) 835-0771, option 5, from one day before they want to play. These tee times are non-cancellable and need a credit card. The usual way onto No. 2 is a stay-and-play package. Golf media have reported a two-night minimum stay, and a surcharge if your package does not include No. 2. Pinehurst does not publish green fees for No. 2, so ask for a quote with your dates. Carts must stay on the paths on Nos. 2 and 4.
The courses at Pinehurst Resort.
No. 4 and No. 10
Gil Hanse rebuilt No. 4 around sandy scrapes and native grasses, and it is many guests’ second-favourite course. No. 10 is Tom Doak’s course on the old Sandmines site, about four miles south of the village. It has big, rumpled land and dramatic bunkers. Both are for resort guests only, and No. 10 is often sold with a surcharge on top of a package.
Nos. 1, 3, 5 to 9, and No. 11
No. 1 (1901) and No. 3 are short Ross courses and good warm-up rounds. No. 5 is by Ellis Maples, No. 6 by the Fazio family, No. 8 by Tom Fazio and No. 9 by Jack Nicklaus. No. 11 is Coore & Crenshaw’s course next to No. 10, and it opens on 29 March 2027.
The Cradle and Thistle Dhu
The Cradle is Gil Hanse’s nine-hole short course next to the clubhouse. It is the easiest round to fit in, and it is open to walk-ons all year. Thistle Dhu, the 18-hole putting course, is included in the resort fee and gets busy in the evenings.
The round, in perspective.
Ross opened No. 2 in 1907 and kept changing it until he died in 1948. Coore & Crenshaw’s restoration brought back the sandy waste areas and wiregrass that had been grassed over. The course measures 7,588 yards from the U.S. Open tees, and par is 70. It is famous for its domed, turtleback greens. Approaches that are slightly off run away into tightly mown hollows, and you have to choose between a putter, a wedge or a hybrid to get back. Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open here, and his statue stands behind the 18th green. No. 2 also hosted the 2014 men’s and women’s U.S. Opens in consecutive weeks, and the 2024 U.S. Open. Off the tee the fairways are wide. The greens are the real test.
Make the trip work.
Aim for at least three nights, so you can play No. 2 once and the sandhills courses around it. Book No. 2 for a morning when you have no long drive behind you, because the greens reward a clear head. The resort’s dress code asks for collared shirts and belts, and does not allow denim or sandals on the course or range. Leave an evening free for Thistle Dhu and a drink at the Deuce, which overlooks No. 2’s 18th green.
Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is about 70 miles away, roughly 75 minutes by car, and has the most connections. Charlotte (CLT) is a bigger American Airlines hub, about two hours away. Fayetteville (FAY) is closer, but it has only a few flights.
The resort offers The Carolina, a grand hotel from 1901, as well as the Holly Inn, the smaller Manor and the Cottages at No. 8. Staying at any of them makes you a resort guest for tee-time purposes. The village has restaurants and the Pinehurst Brewing Co. within walking distance. Southern Pines, 10 minutes away, has independent inns and lower prices, but staying there will not get you onto No. 2.
Make a trip of it.
Mid Pines and Pine Needles, two Ross courses in Southern Pines, take public tee times and are among the best value in the area. Southern Pines Golf Club, another Ross course restored in recent years, is nearby too. Tobacco Road, Mike Strantz’s unusual course in Sanford, is 30 minutes north. Away from golf, the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve protects old longleaf pines, and the Tufts Archives in the village tell Pinehurst’s history.
Find your season.
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from mid-September to November, bring the best weather and the highest prices. Summer is hot and humid, and package prices fall. Walk-on play for non-guests on Nos. 1, 3 and 5 runs only from April to October. The U.S. Open returns to No. 2 in 2029.
No. No. 2 is for members and overnight resort guests. If you are not staying at the resort, you can play Nos. 1, 3 and 5 from April to October, and The Cradle all year. You book these from one day before play.
How much does Pinehurst No. 2 cost?
Pinehurst does not publish a separate green fee for No. 2. Rounds come in stay-and-play packages, and the price depends on season, room and course rotation. Golf media have reported a surcharge for adding No. 2 to a package that does not include it.
What is the nearest airport to Pinehurst?
Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is the usual choice, about 75 minutes by car. Charlotte (CLT) is about two hours away and has more international connections. Fayetteville (FAY) is closer but has limited service.
When does Pinehurst No. 11 open?
No. 11 is designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opens on 29 March 2027. It sits next to Tom Doak’s No. 10 on the old Sandmines site, about four miles south of the main resort.
Last checked 4 October 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
