Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club

Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club occupies a stretch of Midland Road in Southern Pines directly across the street from Mid Pines, its sister property. Donald Ross designed the course in 1928, seven years after Mid Pines, and the later design benefits from a maturity in Ross's approach that is evident in the routing. The course moves through longleaf pine corridors with a naturalness that conceals the strategic complexity beneath each hole.

Four U.S. Women's Opens have been played here: 1996, 2001, 2007, and 2022. The USGA returns because Pine Needles provides what modern championship venues often struggle to deliver: a course that tests the best players without relying on extreme length. At 7,015 yards from the tips with a par of 71, the course plays at distances accessible to a wide range of golfers while presenting strategic questions that scale with ability. Longer hitters gain advantages on the par 5s. Shorter hitters find that accuracy and green-reading compensate on the approach-driven par 4s. The design rewards whoever is playing the best golf on a given day, which is precisely what a championship venue should do.

The Ross greens here are more receptive than those at No. 2, with less severe crowning and more putting surface available to well-struck approach shots. The contouring is still present, and misses still gather in collection areas, but the transition from fairway to green is gentler. For golfers who find the short game demands of No. 2 exhausting across 18 holes, Pine Needles offers a Ross experience that balances challenge with enjoyment more evenly.

The property includes a 74-room lodge, and stay-and-play packages with both Pine Needles and Mid Pines represent strong value. Green fees for outside play vary significantly by season, ranging from approximately $155 in summer to $295 at peak. The seasonal swing is wider than most Sandhills courses, making timing a meaningful lever in trip budgeting.

The combined offering of Pine Needles and Mid Pines, two Ross courses separated by a two-lane road, each with on-site lodging, creates a golf trip within a golf trip. Two nights at either inn with a round at each course delivers an immersion in Ross architecture that no other combination in the Sandhills can match at this price point. The experience is quieter and less formal than the Pinehurst Resort campus, which for many golfers is not a compromise but a preference.

Know before you go

Located at 1005 Midland Rd, Southern Pines, NC. Sister property to Mid Pines, directly across the street. On-site lodge with 74 rooms. Stay-and-play packages available for both courses. Green fees vary substantially by season. Four-time U.S. Women's Open host (1996, 2001, 2007, 2022).

What stands out

Championship pedigree at accessible scale. The course has hosted the best players in women's golf across four decades and continues to deliver a meaningful test without extreme distance. The Midland Road pairing with Mid Pines creates a two-course, two-day Ross experience that is one of the best values in Sandhills golf.