Pinehurst Resort

Perhaps the most fun laid-back Par 3 course out there as it is a bundle of short shots and tons of fun. If you are in the area or at the resort, unwind with a putter and a wedge in the Cradle.

I played the Cradle Par 3 short course at Pinehurst Country Club for the first time last week.

Walked on and was joined by a nice threesome.

The starter Curt is helpful, friendly, and professional. He exchanged my bag for a Sunday bag. I brought a few clubs.

The longest hole is 110 yards. You tee from mats. The rest of the Cradle is manicured turf just like the others at Pinehurst Country Club.

This is the most fun you'll ever have on a par 3 course! Greens are fast and undulating . Bunkers are deep. I hit 9 iron successfully out of 2.

There is a bar at the 9th hole (yes, I had a beer) and piped in music to create a fun party atmosphere.

On the 9th green, people sit in Adirondack chairs, booing bad shots, cheering good ones.

I hit a 5 wood to 15 feet on the fringe. I asked one of the "gallery" how the putt broke. Took their advice and sank the putt for birdie. They cheered!

Great course for $50 that I would play every time in Pinehurst!

For all levels, beginners, and families!

You'll have fun!

Walked 18 in less than four hours. Terrific conditions and fun, challenging greens. More modern course than some others in the area, with larger greens and more terrain changes. Highly recommended!

What a disappointment. No one to greet you after struggling to find the Clubhouse. Your first sighting is the sales office for what you’ll later see - a lot of cookie cutter houses (they do try to disguise them with different finishes) jammed on top of each other. This is a money grab not classic charm like the other 8 courses.

Carried our bags to check in staging. Girl at desk had no idea what our rate was and was shocked at how much we were paying (230 pp). Paid but not thanked-she literally walked away and we followed her thinking there’d be some sort of handoff like instructions to driving range etc…found that on our own. Starter literally had not one thing to share. Said no one was playing (1:30pm on a Sunday). Said their members like afternoon football and Sundays are slow. Ok. Thought it might be good pace of play until third hole running into two bag carrying people we waited on the rest of the day. It tuned out they were waiting for the two ahead of them. A single behind us. Why allow twosomes if pace of play is going to be so slow? Saw players assistance at hole 3. No hello. Just looked at us- slowed-and kept going. Finished at dusk. No one in sight. Drove bags to car and returned cart and still not one person to welcome us back. Nothing.

Total waste of money. Would have rather been on any other course in area. Course condition btw was just ok. No comparison to any other Pinehurst course but same price. Go elsewhere!

This course was a lot of fun with wide fairways but a challenging layout. There is plenty of variety on the course with elevation changes and dog legs, and down hill par threes over water. The fairways are wide enough to make them easy enough to hit, but there are plenty of trees, pine straw and OB to collect wayward shots. Greens had been sanded recently but still quite true. They hard to judge speed and the holes repel even good putts. Maybe they will be a little easier after the sand works but I wouldn't count on it.

This is a nicely designed course with plenty of interesting holes. But the only thing that makes it a $240 course is the Pinehurst name. And they know that is what you are paying for. This is why when the course isn’t in good shape, like it was today, they don’t change the rates or even let you know when you check in to expect some problems. Why should they? This is Pinehurst and you should just be happy to play here. Greens had been sanded 2 days ago and were really inconsistent and many putts left a rooster tail of sand. Bunkers were rock hard with about ¼ inch of loose sand on top of hard pan. Fairways had big brown patches on every hole. Just not in good shape. And certainly not worth big $ except to say you played it. The emperor has no clothes.

The last stop on our North Carolina trip was at Pinehurst No 8, another course located off the main campus. Again, a slightly different style to the famous Pinehurst look. In this case, a little more traditional parkland course, but with some elements of the more sandy style. Certainly one thing that stands out about this course is how lush it is. Really a premium course in terms of conditioning.

The layout is also a fun challenge. There are well placed bunkers to keep you honest, and a nice variety of looks. I particularly enjoyed the par 5s on this course. The par 3s were a bit same-y and shorter, but was nice they weren't all 200+ yds either.

I would put this course just a notch below No 2 and No 4, but several people in our group had this as their favorite of the Pinehurst courses we played. We all agree it's a must for your Pinehurst trip.

Pinehurst No 6 is different than the other Pinehurst courses we played. It's away from the main property, and tucked into a neighborhood. Most holes are lined with houses (and OB) on left and right. The clubhouse is small, and the practice areas aren't much to write home about.

That all sounds like a recipe for not a very fun day, but the layout is still a lot of fun. It's much more typical parkland style golf, as opposed to the linksier/sandy style of say No2 or No4. It's not a bad change of pace.

There are some nice elevation changes, and a little water here and there.

We hit this course as the second half of a 36 hole day after playing No 2. It was a much more laid back round and this course fit that vibe perfectly. It's a pretty average course overall, but still very enjoyable.

The third round of our trip was the first at a Pinehurst course. After the much hyped restoration, I couldn't wait to play No 4, so I'm glad it was first on our schedule.

The main campus for Pinehurst is a feast of golf. The pro shop, the practice green, the putting course, the short course, etc... It's basically Disney for golfers.

The main thing I can say about No 4 is that it was fun. The greens were definitely challenging, but not difficult. There were hazards, but also options. Overall making this a very approachable course for any skill level, but still tricky enough to engage the better player.

It's a must play on your Pinehurst trip.

greens and first cut around the greens were extremenly inconsistent.

once putt off the green would get stuck and another would fly.

I loved No. 5 for its playability, diverse design and, ultimately, what felt like a laid back vibe. The course features fairly wide corridors and gentle greens that we found pretty receptive and scorable compared to No. 8. The only warning I would give is that the conditioning in the fairways and bunkers is not on the level of some of the other courses (No. 4 and No. 9). I think this course would benefit from a mild facelift and you can see the potential on the 18th hole where they dressed up the fairway waste area and the green (the 18th hole looks more like No. 4 than the rest of the course). Overall, I had FUN which is the point really and you're not getting beat up over and over on No. 5. Will definitely play again and I think this pairs very well as an afternoon round after a round on No. 2 or No. 4.

The golf course is well conditioned and has a good variety of design throughout. I cannot fault this golf course as a true test of a great player but in comparison to some other Pinehurst courses (No. 4, No. 9) it isn't as fun. The greens, while not wild or terribly undulating, are hard to read and subtly fall off and repel shots constantly. As a mid single digit handicap I found this to be much tougher to score on than No. 4, No. 5, and No. 9. The stretch of holes on the back from No. 14 - No. 18 is particularly brutal. Again, I think this course is just designed for very good players and as someone who is not there yet, it wasn't much fun. The staff were very nice and, again, it is a well run golf course but is much harder than I gave it credit for.

This place is special. Enjoyed it much more than #2 and didn't have a bad thing to say about #2. Conditions were immaculate and the course was difficult but manageable. Cannot wait to get back.

We were told the greens would be perfect after being aerated two weeks earlier. They were terrible. The course is 5100 yards. Often playing like a muni pitch & putt.. It’s simply not worth it, whether you’ regularly shoot scratch or 100.

Pitch & putt 9 hole par 3 course. Distances range from 56 to 127 yards. Relaxed atmosphere with speakers playing music. Great undulating holes. #1 only flat hole. A mini version of Pinehurst holes with bunkers and native grasses. Very pleasing to the eye. Didn't like the fact you had to hit off mats, but I understand why....lots of people playing and tees would be constantly tore up. So while it's $50/person for all day play...based on availability (unless you're 17 and younger...then you're free) we were only able to play once as it was totally booked up for the day. We played on a Saturday afternoon so maybe it's less busy during the week. I think they should give you the option of playing just 9 holes and charging $20-$25. For the price they should throw in a complimentary divot tool to fix the ball marks on the green. Greens were in great shape considering the amount of play. For me it wasn't worth $50 to play 9 holes. I had more fun at Thistle Dhu....the free 18 hole undulating putting course next to the Cradle.

Played #4 about five years ago and enjoyed the experience. Was not disappointed with the Gil Hanse changes. Thought the views from the ridge line were great. Caddie was spot on with recommendations. Course was in excellent shape, weather was typical for July in the Carolinas. Great layouts, excellent condition and great service, I’ll be back.

Wow, what a great experience. On our way back down to Tampa from the Northeast, we stopped a a friends house in Pinehurst Village for a couple days for my wife's birthday. We did have any expectations of playing on such short notice. The Pinehurst staff member at golf registration was exceptional. He got us out at 4:30 pm at the twilight rate (1/2 price). The course is plenty tough from the back tees. The pace of play was excellent and the course conditions were magnificent; moreover, the water and ice machines around the course were fantastic. We finished in plenty of time to enjoy the Pinehurst area restaurants.

Pinehurst No.4 is an outstanding overall experience and one of the better courses I’ve ever played. The caddie made it that much more enjoyable since I’m fairly new to the game (2 1/2 yrs). He was really helpful when trying to tackle the very difficult hole #9. (See picture below) I’d highly recommend that everyone experience this course.

It used to be a pair of holes on Pinehurst #3. Then it was the driving range for the 2014 US Opens. Now it may be the best par three course this side of Augusta.

Gil Hanse built an awesome 9-hole course at Pinehurst just steps from the iconic clubhouse and 18th green on #2. It seemed genuinely designed for fun - hidden speakers played country music, cold drinks at the bar on the 8th green, and Adirondack chairs all over the course to sit and watch other groups play.

The course itself is a fun par 3 course with elevation changes and tricky Pinehurst greens. Holes range from 60 yards to 125 yards, so it's easy to walk with just a few clubs. And at $50 for unlimited all-day play, it's the best value at the resort. Each round takes about an hour to play, and we played three rounds with no problem.

Definitely worth it if you want Pinehurst but don't have a million dollars to put a deposit on a tee time at #2.

OVERALL: 8.5/10

I would rate this a strong 4.5 stars. It's not the beast that #2 or #8 can be, but as far as fun golf on a beautiful layout... #3 delivers! Perfect Donald Ross greens and great overall turf conditions. At 5100 yards there is a fair number of short holes, but each has character and the overall experience is just fun. The last 4 or 5 holes can surprise you as the course gets tougher on the home stretch. A wonderful walk on a perfect late May day!