Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club

This is my favorite course in the Pinehurst area. The combination of an outstanding course at a price that is a third of #2 makes this one you can't miss.

You can see right away the course layout is a key reason they have hosted the most Women's US Opens. It is an old Donald Ross with all the best features. The greens aren't as tricked up as #2 and is much more playable day in and day out.

The staff was extremely friendly. Spent time talking to us on and off the course about what can be done to enhance our experience. They walked us through the course and the history before we went out, which helped us enjoy it even more.

Conditions were great. Fairways and greens were pristine. Saw the maintenance crew throughout the course working on bunkers and trees too, so no resting on their laurels.

I could not recommend playing Pine Needles enough. The course is the star here, but the staff helped set the right stage to enjoy it all.

I'm not sure where all of these 5-star reviews come from. Maybe I just hit a really bad day for the course, but I was pretty unimpressed. This place obviously caters to an older crowd, and the pace of play was miserably slow. We ended up quitting and just going to our next destination because we were just sitting in the cart for an extraordinary time between shots. It was horrible. There was nobody pushing pace-of-play and those who refuse to keep up with the group in front of them were allowed to do as they please. The course was in great shape, the staff was nice as can be, but if you expect a 4 hour round, find somewhere else. The combination of oblivious hackers and elderly make a pace-of-play here a disaster.

Our group of 9 mid-handicap golfers played Pine Needles for the first time this year. Of the 15 or so courses we have played in the area, we may have liked this one the best. Conditions were flawless, and as the starter indicated, none of the holes have hidden surprises that you wished you knew about when you hit your tee shot. The only difficult aspect to the course is the Donald Ross greens. It's tough to land an approach or even a chip shot close to the pin, and there are opportunities to roll a putt clear off the green with some pin placements. Definitely recommend the course if you are considering options above $200 in peak season

Course was in excellent condition and very challenging. Course played longer than yardage indicates. Rolling hills, dog-legs, and well bunkered with classic Donald Ross greens. It takes a few times to get the hang of where to and where not to hit the approaches to the greens. Staff was very friendly and it was a great experience.

Pine Needles is another Ross sample in the Pinehurst area. It has a championship pedigree and the clubhouse has many artifacts. The club has all the amenities that you could want.

The course is in great shape and the greens were also in great condition. This is another Ross gem complete with turtle back greens. I found this to be more challenging than Mid-Pines. Find the correct side of the fairway to attack the greens. They were firm and fast when I was there but ground options existed. Unlike Pinehurst, Pine Needles has some elevation changes and big hitters are rewarded by conquering The upslopes.

If in the area, this is another to place on the itinerary. They have deals through here or Mid Pines for stay and play. Enjoy 36 and start to unlock the best strategies.

Of the two courses, Pine Needles and Mid Pines, Pine Needles is certainly the more playable and perhaps more fun. There's no shortage of great holes out there, and the greens are certainly a little less severe. Like Mid Pines, it's been wonderfully restored in recent years and is a classic Sandhills experience through and through, from the great old clubhouse and practice facilities, old school locker rooms and dining room to the golf course. In short, I liked every hole out there, from the great variety of par 3s to the finishing stretch.

Played this course for the 1st time. Greens and fairways and sand traps are in excellent shape. Greens are still a bit firm, but they are fast and true. Do not go over the green as you will be penalized. Course seemed to play longer to me. Now that I have played it once, I will be better prepared with my aiming next time around. Great range. Course was packed solid, so pace of play was kinda slow - 5 hour round. Play this course right now as course conditions cannot get much better.

This course during our maiden trip to Pinehurst three years ago and this time around it was just as great as the first time. The course was in spectacular shape as usual and the layout is still one of my favorites in the Carolinas. You get a nice feel of this being a Donald Ross course by the waste areas in almost every fairway that gives you a subtle Pinehurst #2 look. The tee boxes, fairways and greens were all in spectacular shape and condition wise this course rivaled Pinehurst #8 which we played earlier in the week. There are so many reasons for you to play this course including condition, value and customer service that you really must put it on your itinerary when you're heading to Pinehurst. Make sure you stop in to the clubhouse and check out the bar area for some pretty cool artifacts as well

It seems like every single green is crowned and surrounded by bunkers.. I found more than a few, yet still had a blast playing here. Great layout, course was in great shape even with a recent cold-spell. Great Donald Ross track.

Played in late feb weather was great and course looked really good. They overseed most of the course so looked nice for feb. course has a really good fun layout. Greens were fairly new really firm and a little on slow side. Another year the greens will be nice. I had super high expectations for this course cause i had been here for the last woman's us open so was a little let down, not fair to compair but its a really good course with lots of history. The old lodge is great with the pics and historical stuff bar was awesome good food. We played for a discounted rate of $69 and it was worth that. I think peak season its would be about $ 100 to $ 125 course. Dont think i would pay the $200 or more. All in all nice place cant wait to check out mid pines across the street

Great golf day. Temp in 60's with light wind. Not crowded and place of play very good. Played with 3 women who all enjoyed the course. Greens moderately fast but typical Donald Ross difficulty. Sand bunkers were variable with some quite fluffy others very firm.

We could not play #8 as bunkers were under repair and fairway blocked by equipment. Played #1 again as make up hole.

Staff was very friendly and we were using discounted CGA fees .

Fairways were wide and receptive.

Overall great experince for course i have wanted to play and hope to come back.

Terrific course and layout, with greens that made me want to scream. I could never figure them out. I was either racing them by 10", or leaving them 10' short. Definitely slow down and enjoy the walk/ride up to the 18th green. The Inn and back patio looking out over the 18th is incredible and feels like something you'd see on tour. I want to go back and actually stay in one of the Inn's, as opposed to staying elsewhere. Incredibly friendly bar room staff and pro shop. Definitely worth the price of admission, with the history attached to it.

I must admit that perhaps I was expecting too much because of A) the location within one of my favorite golf meccas, and B) because of the history of the course, which has hosted several women's major championships. But I was a bit underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong. It's a nice enough course, but it would not be in my top handful of favorite courses to play in the region and I honestly don't think it is worthy of it's lofty ranking in the top half of America's Top 100 public courses. The course is rather short and there isn't a lot of trouble awaiting off the tee. In my opinion, like most Ross courses, this is a second shot golf course. While these turtle-back greens aren't as penal as their cousins across the street at Mid Pines, you can get in trouble on them. Three putts can sneak up on you. I really like the Lodge itself. There is just a feeling I get when I am in a place with so much history. From the dim lighting to the creaky staircase, this is neat spot to spend a little time exploring. I also really liked the practice area. We were relegated to hitting off mats on the driving range due to the cold temps, but it was actually pretty cool hitting out of the individual stalls that look like a horse stable. And one thing you absolutely must do if playing here: find your way to the other side of the range, near where the private instruction area is. There you will find a 4-hole short course, which includes three par 3s and a par 4. I actually enjoyed playing it more than the course itself. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from giving Pine Needles a spin. In fact, they have renovated all the greens since we played, so it may be better than I remember. But if I had one round to play on either of this facility's courses, hands down I'm playing Mid Pines.

Just when you think you might be in good shape on a hole, the greens bite you straight in the rump.

I had two inch roll outs on my driver and 15 yard roll outs on my wedge shots. I putted off the green more than once. Brutal stuff.

The place is gorgeous and just about as cozy as it gets. The starter is super and the staff is friendly.

Bring your A game.

An old fashioned layout that will suit all of your golfing wishes. Will "test" your game, but not overly so...go play !!

PS If you have the time, stop at the bar on the lower level, the young bartender impressed even wise old vets with his expertise and nice sense of humor.

When you pull up to this course you get the feeling its going to be an amazing day. You walk into what is an amazing and extremely high class old school club house with a masters clubhouse feel, its amazing. Little lounges and amazing locker rooms and great, i mean great staff that are more than friendly. Im a younger guy (27) so i usually expect to get treated a little worse than the older guys but they treated me like a king. The facilities are great, titleist range balls and a great putting green. The front nine is less than aw inspiring. The holes were pretty straight forward with plenty of burnt out spots. It does get better on the back nine and the lady at the turn was awesome, they have cold towels and apples and anything you can drink. The back nine seems to be well though out and it was fun. But to be honest, you can play the same golf course for $80 less at Southern Pines. But everything else about the course is amazing. Staff, Facilities, Food, everything was great, but the course was underwhelming.

I can not begin to tell you how great everything was at Pine Needles. The staff was great, the practice facility was in fantastic shape and the course, well WOW. We got off the plane in Raleigh and drove straight to Pine Needles for our first round on this trip and afterwards we could have just gone home satisfied. I can see how Pine Needles has hosted some large events as it is a phenomenal course. The tee boxes, the fairways and the greens were all in amazing shape and the layout is one of the best I have ever played. I would recommend this course to anyone going to Pinehurst for a golf trip. Don't forget to stroll the clubhouse and lockerroom area as well, it will make you feel like you are in an exclusive country club, which you are.

This was the 2nd time I played Pine Needles. I really enjoy this Donald Ross gem. The 2 courses (Pine Needles & Mid-Pine) at this wonderful resort are amazing. Outside the Pinehurst Resort, this is the best 1,2 punch in the Sandhills.

The Pine Needles Course is a fun challenging test of your game. It has great tee box locations for the short and long hitters. You will find it to be in good condition most of the year and make sure you save time for breakfast in the club before you go out and play. This resort is a stones throw from downtown Pinehurst and I feel a little more quiet and less busy than the Pinehurst Resort.

The Pine Needles staff are friendly and helpful and make the whole experience complete. If you are heading to the Sandhills of NC check this place out. You will not be disappointed.,

Pine Needles, a Donald Ross original dating to 1928, has hosted three U.S. Women’s Opens. The quality of the winners, Annika Sorenstam (1996), Karrie Webb (2001) and Cristie Kerr (2007), certainly matches the merits of the 7,015-yard course. The terrain of the Sandhills at Pine Needles gently rises and falls. Big-hitters can challenge doglegs but only at their peril. Ending up in the pine straw under the mammoth pine trees is just asking for trouble. The doglegs left at No. 10, a par-5 reachable in two, and No. 17, a par-4 barely reachable in two, are particularly strong.
The classic look of Pine Needles complements the newly renovated Mid Pines Golf Club across the street. Combined for a weekend getaway, they're two of the best golf experiences of the Sandhills.