Pinehurst

Pinehurst occupies a singular position in American golf. The village was purpose-built as a resort community in 1895 by James Walker Tufts, a Boston soda fountain magnate who hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design the landscape. Golf arrived shortly after, and the relationship between the village and the game has been continuous and defining ever since.

The centrepiece is Pinehurst Resort, which operates nine courses across the property. No. 2, redesigned by Donald Ross in 1907 and restored by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore in 2011, is the course that anchors Pinehurst's reputation. It has hosted more single golf championships than any course in America, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Amateur, and Ryder Cup. The 2024 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open were held on consecutive weekends on No. 2, the first time the USGA staged both events at the same venue in the same year.

But Pinehurst is not a single-course destination. The Sandhills region surrounding the village contains more than 40 courses within a 15-mile radius. Mid Pines, Pine Needles, and Tobacco Road are independently operated layouts with distinct identities and design pedigrees. The concentration of quality per square mile rivals any golf region in the country, and the variety of design styles across the area is broader than most golfers expect.

The village itself is compact and walkable, centred on a traffic circle with shops, restaurants, and the resort's main buildings arranged along tree-lined streets. The pace is deliberate. There is no nightlife to speak of, no beach, and no theme park. Pinehurst assumes you are here for golf, and it is correct. The non-golf offering is limited but genuine: the area's longleaf pine forests support excellent walking trails, and the village has enough dining to sustain a four-day trip without repetition.

The climate is temperate, with playable conditions year-round. Spring and autumn are the preferred seasons, with warm days, cool evenings, and the longleaf pines at their most atmospheric. Summer brings humidity that softens the greens but tests the golfer. Winter is mild by northeastern standards, with occasional frost delays but rarely a lost day.