A Sandhills Classic, Pine Needles
Overview
Looking back to my time spent in the Sandhills of North Carolina, there is an embarrassment of riches of great golf courses. I have been fortunate enough to play just a handful of the many courses in the region including Pinehurst No. 2, Tobacco Road and Mid Pines. In reality, I have just scratched the surface. One course that runs right up there with the standout courses I have played in this region is Pine Needles. Pine Needles sits between Southern Pines and Pinehurst and is literally called out as that on the scorecard and is only a five mile drive from Pinehurst Village. Pine Needles has a really cool history. The original 18 hole course was designed by Donald Ross in 1927. The lodge was bought in restored in 1954 by Peggy Bell and her husband Warren. Peggy was a longtime LPGA player and was the head golf pro in her 60 plus years running what has become a world renown course and lodge. Today ownership is still within the Bell family. The original Ross design was restored through a course redesign in 2017 by Kyle Franz. Pine Needles has been host to the U.S. Women’s Open four times most recently in 2022. This is certainly a nod to its long time owner Peggy Bell. Pine Needles comes in on number 11 on top 100 courses in North Carolina, a state full of golf course gems. The course itself plays 7,035 yards from the tips, has five sets of tees and plays to a par 71. The opening hole is a par five with the next par five not being found until the start of the back nine. The front nine carries away from the clubhouse with the course not arriving back to the front part of the property until number 18. Pine Needles is challenging Championship course with a classic Sandhills lay out and greens as challenging as any in the area. Pine Needles is one of the most memorable courses I have played from a beauty and aesthetics standpoint with its lush green fairways, gentle rolling hills and silky smooth greens. There’s a reason it’s been selected multipe times for one of the most prestigous majors in golf.
Early morning views of Pine Needles do not disappoint. Pine Needles has been a multiple time host to golf majors.
The Differentiator
The lodge, clubhouse and grounds of Pine Needles all really stood out to me. The clubhouse is old but very well kept and it almost has a feel of stepping back in time to its 1950’s reconstruction. The halls carry a smell of old wood lined with a half lit cigar somewhere in the distance. I remember walking through the clubhouse and thinking I could have been content spending the day inside with a hot cup of coffee and a book. The clubhouse and lodge bleed into one expansive building. On the backside of the clubhouse the magic continues. To the right is a large driving range with a expansive putting green centered in the middle and to the left are the first hole tee box and eighteenth green. I really liked having some of the key components to the property all within a short walk of each other. The property also contains a four hole short course known as the loop. The whole area brought a peaceful sense of golf community to me and we had not even stepped up to the first tee box yet. We were on our last 18 holes of our trip and the morning was a bit rushed but all I could think about was how nice this place would be to make home for a few days and the thought of soaking in a cocktail or two in this old school clubhouse after a round on a beautiful course.
Pine Needles is one of the more aesthetically consistent and pleasing courses I have played in this region. Pinehurst No. 2 was an incredible experience and it tops the list for the area without a doubt, but I played it during December vs. Pine Needles in peak September conditions.
Signature Holes
Number 3: 135 Yards, Par 3*
*Yardages are from the Regular Tees
The signature hole happens to be quite picture perfect and you will find a similar photo to the below for Pine Needles with any kind of course research. The short par three comes early in the round after a opening par 5 and par 4. From the tips this hole maxes out at 145 yards. Ross really designed a beautiful golf hole here. Don’t let the short yardage fool you. A small ponds leads up the front of the first of three green side bunkers. Should you be fortunate enough to find a green in regulation here, a two put is a great takeaway. The green is a large one with a number of undulations. I like that Ross put this hole early in the round as it provides really a captivating view but also a deceiving one as the hole plays harder than may appear at first look.
The par three third is a early preview of some of the picture perfect course aesthetics of Pine Needles. While it is the second easiest handicap hole on the course, don’t let the short yardage be deceiving here with a large green surrounded by bunkers on three sides.
No 10: 460 Yards, Par 5
Number ten was my favorite hole on the golf course. The front nine carries you away from the clubhouse so the start of the back nine is set peacefully away from everything. The tee shot and second shot decision are really what make this a great golf hole. The tee shot here requires carry over water, though it should not come into play. Big hitters will look to cut the left hand corner over the last standing bunker before the hole dogs hard to the left. The non aggressive line is a straight away tee shot holding to the left side off the hole, anything off to the right off the tee makes this a much longer hole. Ross bring strategy and likely doubt into the golfers mind as they contemplate their second shot. A large native area cuts through a large portion of the fairway in the general area of where a lay up may take you. This forces the golfer to plan a longer shot or a relatively short iron. Clear the sand and shrubs and your left with a fairly straight forward shot to an open green.
Number 10 is a excellent par five and fun way to start the back nine.
In conclusion
I would recommend putting Pine Needles on your course list if you are planning a golf trip in this region. It would even be a great home base to work out of with reasonable lodging rates and a world class golf facility and clubhouse to make your backyard for the end of each day. It also sits only five miles from Pinehurst resort so you really are in a great location to get to many wonderful golf courses. The Sandhills is a special region of the country and Pine Needles is part of the heartbeat that make this a specular golf meca.