Whispering Pines is a small village of lakes and pines about seven miles north-east of Pinehurst, and its country club has 36 holes by Ellis Maples, a protégé of Donald Ross. For years it was a quiet local option. That changed in 2025, when Rolling Pines LLC, led by Kelly Miller of Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines Golf Club, bought it and hired Kyle Franz to rebuild the Pines Course. The club is semi-private, with plenty of tee times for outside players, and Miller has said rates will sit below most Sandhills courses.
Country Club of Whispering Pines green fees and tee times.
Book online at countryclubofwhisperingpines.com, which hands you to a Chronogolf tee sheet showing both courses. The club advertises a reserve-now, pay-later option and a waitlist for full times, and states that booking fees are non-refundable. You can also call the club on (910) 949-3000. Rates are not printed on the website, so check the live tee sheet for your date. Memberships exist, but outside play is a deliberate part of the new owners’ plan.
The courses at Country Club of Whispering Pines.
Pines Course
The headline course after the Franz renovation, which closed it in early 2026 and returned it to play in the autumn. Expect firm, open ground, rebuilt greens and waste areas in the Sandhills manner, plus new cross-bunkers that ask you to choose a line from the tee. It is the longer of the two and the one to book first.
River Course
Shorter and tighter, playing 6,521 yards from the back tees and 4,653 from the forward set. Champion Bermuda greens went in during September 2021. Accuracy matters more than length here, with oaks overhanging the fairways and water on many of the inward holes.
The round, in perspective.
The two courses were laid out to contrast. The Pines, once called the East, is the longer course and the one built to feel like an inland links, with wide fairways and gentle movement. Franz rebuilt every green and bunker, adjusted some fairway widths and angles, restored natural sandy ground and added cross-bunkers. All of the sand is now played as waste area rather than formal bunkers, which changes how you recover from a miss. The River, formerly the West, is the shorter test at 6,521 yards from the back, with oak-lined fairways, thicker rough, more elevation and lakes and streams through most of the back nine. The club compares it to golf in the North Carolina foothills.
Know before you go.
Phone
(910) 949-3000
Online booking
Chronogolf, via the club website
Booking fees
Non-refundable
River Course length
6,521 yards (back tees)
Address
2 Clubhouse Blvd, Whispering Pines
Make the trip work.
Play the Pines and the River on the same day if you can, since the contrast is the reason to come. The club is in the middle of a wider refresh: cart paths are being rebuilt, a restaurant is due to open and villas are being restored for on-site lodging, so ask what is ready before you count on lunch or a room. The head professional is Danny Agapion, a long-serving Carolinas PGA club pro.
Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is the nearest major airport, a drive of roughly 70 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. The clubhouse is at 2 Clubhouse Boulevard, inside the village. From Southern Pines or Pinehurst it is a short drive north.
Until the club’s villas reopen, stay in Southern Pines or Pinehurst. Pine Needles Lodge and the Mid Pines Inn share ownership with the club, which makes them the natural partners for a combined trip. Golfbreaks pairs the club with the Hilton Garden Inn Southern Pines / Pinehurst. Whispering Pines itself is largely residential, built around lakes, so lodging in the village is mostly private rentals.
Make a trip of it.
The obvious pairing is with the sister courses under the same management: Pine Needles and Mid Pines on Midland Road and Southern Pines Golf Club, all Ross designs. That gives you Ross and his protégé side by side within a few days. Away from golf, Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve and the shops and restaurants of downtown Southern Pines are both within about 20 minutes.
Find your season.
Spring and autumn are the main seasons in the Sandhills. The Pines Course reopened only in autumn 2026, so its new greens and waste areas will still be settling through the first season. Summers are hot and humid, and winter brings dormant Bermuda grass and lower rates across the area.
Is the Country Club of Whispering Pines open to the public?
Yes. It is semi-private, and the owners say there are ample tee times for outside play. Book through the club website, which links to a Chronogolf tee sheet, or call (910) 949-3000.
Who renovated the Pines Course at Whispering Pines?
Kyle Franz, working from Ellis Maples’s original design. He rebuilt all the greens and bunkers, restored natural sandy areas, added cross-bunkers and made all the sand play as waste area. The club says the aim was to keep the course’s history intact while adding more strategy.
Who owns Whispering Pines golf club?
Rolling Pines LLC bought the club in 2025. It is led by Kelly Miller, whose companies also own Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines Golf Club, so you can play all four under one management group.
Last checked 11 November 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.
