Pinehurst Resort

The first nine of what would become Pinehurst No. 1 was designed by Leroy Culver in 1897 and the second nine by John Dunn Tucker in 1898. Donald Ross however came in 1901 to tie it all together into a full 18-hole course, beginning a long career at what would become Pinehurst Resort.[10][11] While there have been many changes to No. 1 over the years, many to accommodate the construction and renovation of the other courses, the original design is still there. The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Mini Verde ultradwarf greens.

Pinehurst No. 2, the most famous course at Pinehurst Resort, was first opened in 1907 and designed by Donald Ross. Pinehurst is considered to be Ross' best work and he continued to perfect it until his death in 1948.[13] The course is famous for its exceptionally difficult green complexes which were a signature of Ross designs and many of the greens are crowned causing shots that are short to roll off the green, leaving a difficult chip shot. Johnny Miller once famously compared trying to land a shot on a Pinehurst green as "like trying to hit a ball on top of a VW Beetle.[14] Pinehurst, like many Sandhills courses, was without long rough for much of its early history but in 1974 a redesign by RT Jones led to the installation of thick bermuda rough throughout the course, which lasted until a restoration in 2010 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who removed all of the rough and reshaped the fairways and bunkers to restore the course to its original Ross design.[13] In lieu of rough, golfers now find hardpan sand and native scrub bordering the fairways. The course since its inception has been host to many significant tournaments including 4 men's majors (1936 PGA Championship, and 1999, 2005, 2014 U.S. Opens). Additional U.S. Opens are scheduled in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047 under a partnership with the USGA announced in September of 2020 naming Pinehurst as the USGA's first "anchor site".[15] It also hosted the 1951 Ryder Cup and the 2014 U.S. Women's Open played the week after the men's. Not only has the course hosted numerous professional events, but it has also hosted the U.S. Amateur three times (1962, 2008, and 2019).[13] The course is currently grassed with Tifway Bermuda tees and fairways and Champion Ultradwarf greens.[16] For its 2019-2020 course rankings, Golf Digest ranked No. 2 as the 29th best golf course in the United States and the 6th best public course in the country.[17][18]

The North Carolina Golf Panel has consistently ranked it as the best course in the state, both public and private.[19] A statue of Payne Stewart is beside the 18th green, showing him celebrating his winning putt from the 1999 U.S. Open – his second and final U.S. Open and third and final major championship before he died in an airplane crash that October at the age of 42.[20]

Pinehurst No. 3, which is by far the shortest 18-hole course at the Resort, was designed by Donald Ross in 1910. The course is known for its very small greens placing a premium on accuracy and ball position, a hallmark of Ross courses.[22] No. 3 underwent minor renovations in 2017 to make room for the new short course "The Cradle," and return the course to a more traditional Pinehurst appearance of sandscape and native scrub with minimal rough. These renovations led by Kye Goalby lowered the par to 68 from 70 and shortened the length of the course.[23] The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Champion Ultradwarf greens.[22]

Pinehurst No. 4, debatable as the second best course at the Resort was originally laid out by Donald Ross in 1919 but has undergone many significant changes in the years since, so significant that Ross is not credited by the Resort as the course's architect.[9] The course was redesigned in 1973 by Robert Trent Jones, in 1982 by Rees Jones and in 1999 by Tom Fazio.[9] Most recently the course reopened in 2018 after a major redesign by Gil Hanse which saw the course stripped of its rough much like No. 2 replacing it instead with native sandscapes. Also removed by Hanse were Fazio's numerous pot bunkers which some considered to be out of place at Pinehurst.[25] No. 4 assisted its sister course No. 2 during the 2008 and 2019 US Amateurs by hosting several rounds in addition to those played on No. 2.[9]

Pinehurst No. 5, which opened in 1961 was designed by Ellis Maples, an understudy of Donald Ross and one of the leading figures in North Carolina golf course architecture.[27] The course differs from the four courses that predate it in that it takes on a more classic parkland style than the traditional rugged courses the Sandhills region is known for. The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Champion Ultradwarf greens.[27]

Pinehurst No. 6, designed by George Fazio and his nephew Tom Fazio, opened in 1979 and much like No. 5 before it, deviated from the earlier courses in that it took on a more typical parkland style with numerous lakes and more traditional bunker shapes.[29] Additionally No. 6 was different from the five before it in that it was the first course at the Resort to not play out of the main clubhouse. With the Resort out of room for a new course on the same site as the five other, No. 6 was built several miles away.[30] Tom Fazio made some minor renovations in 2005, including the addition of new bunkers and installing faster greens.[29] The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Champion Ultradwarf greens.[29]

Pinehurst No. 7 which opened in 1986 was designed by Rees Jones. This course, which was built on the site of a forgotten 9-hole employee course designed by Donald Ross, was the second at the Resort to play from a clubhouse other than the main one, even though No. 7 backs up to several holes on No. 2.[32] The course features some of the most uneven topography of any course at the Resort and is as such a unique experience.[33] Tiger Woods won the Big I Junior Classic in 1992 on No. 7.[33] In 2002 the course underwent minor renovations by its original designer Rees Jones to keep it modern and in premium shape.[33] The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Champion Bermuda greens.[33]

Pinehurst No. 8, No. 4's contender for second best at the Resort, was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1996 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Pinehurst.[35] The course is a classic Fazio design which puts a premium on playability with a nod to the tradition of Ross' signatures including many difficult green complexes. The course has the least amount of housing bordering it of any course at the Resort and as such is a more tranquil round, winding through wetlands and forests, earning it a Signature Sanctuary designation from the Audubon Society in 1996.[35] No. 8 has played host to the PGA Club Pro Championship twice and hosted the 2017 US Amateur Four Ball with No. 2. The course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Champion Ultradwarf greens.[35] Golf Digest ranks No. 8 as the 64th best public course in the United States.[18]

Pinehurst No. 9 which opened in 1988 and was designed by Jack Nicklaus was originally a private club known as "National Golf Club" separate from the Resort but was purchased by Pinehurst in 2014 and became No. 9, available just like all the other courses to Resort guests.[37][38] The course is a true Nicklaus original with all the hallmarks, including lush playing conditions and tricky greens. As with the others newer than No. 5, No. 9 plays out of its own clubhouse but is not far from the main resort, sitting just across the road from No. 7. The course underwent minor renovations in 2012 to keep it up to date and the course is currently grassed with Certified Tifway 419 Bermuda tees, fairways, and rough and Penn A-1/A-4 creeping bentgrass greens, the only course at the resort with bentgrass greens.[37]

Pinehurst's newest and shortest course opened in 2017 and was designed by Gil Hanse. The Cradle is a 9 hole par 3 course with greens as tricky as any on the bigger courses, and at $50 with free replays is the cheapest way to play golf at Pinehurst. The course is currently grassed with Tifway Bermuda tees and fairways and Champion Bermuda greens.[40]