Pinehurst No. 9

Jack Nicklaus designed what is now No. 9 in 1989 as the National Golf Club, a standalone facility. Nicklaus renovated the course in 2012, and Pinehurst Resort acquired it in 2014, integrating it into the resort's portfolio as the ninth numbered course. It remains the only Nicklaus design in the Sandhills, which gives it a distinct identity on a campus dominated by the Ross aesthetic.

That distinction is evident from the first tee. Nicklaus's design language favours bolder shaping, more pronounced elevation change, and green complexes that present their challenges visually rather than concealing them in subtle contour. The greens run on Penn A-1/A-4 Creeping Bentgrass rather than the Bermuda surfaces found on most resort courses, a difference that affects putting speed and grain reading. Players accustomed to the Bermuda greens elsewhere on the property will notice the change immediately.

The routing covers 7,118 yards from the tips with a slope of 135, placing it in a similar difficulty range to No. 8 while delivering a different experience. The holes move through pine forests and across more varied terrain than the relatively flat resort core. Several doglegs require strategic tee shot placement, and the par 5s present clear risk-reward options that favour the golfer who commits to an aggressive line.

No. 9 fills a specific role in a multi-round Pinehurst trip. After a day on No. 2's crowned greens and an afternoon on No. 4's strategic demands, a round on No. 9 provides contrast. The Nicklaus design speaks a different language, and the bentgrass greens change the putting equation entirely. That variety, within a single resort campus, is part of what separates Pinehurst from destinations with a more homogeneous course offering.

The $275 additional-round surcharge matches Nos. 6, 7, and 8. For golfers playing three or more rounds during a resort stay, No. 9 earns its place by offering something the other courses do not: a break from the Ross and post-Ross design vocabulary that defines the Sandhills.

Know before you go

Resort guest access only. Penn A-1/A-4 Creeping Bentgrass greens, Bermuda 419 fairways. Additional-round surcharge of $275. Originally opened as National Golf Club in 1989. Acquired by Pinehurst Resort in 2014.

What stands out

The bentgrass greens and the Nicklaus design sensibility. On a resort campus where Donald Ross's influence touches nearly every course, No. 9 provides genuine stylistic variety. The greens putt differently, the holes look different, and the strategic questions change. For golfers playing multiple rounds, that contrast is valuable.