| Photo by WRI |
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No. 6 at the Pinehurst Golf Resort
is sneaky good.
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With eight courses to choose from, deciding where to tee it up at Pinehurst Golf Resort can seem like a daunting task, but it's really quite simple. While most all of the Pinehurst golf courses are worthwhile (they don't call it "the American St. Andrews" for nothing), the even-numbered courses, taken as a group, are the best bets.
After No. 2, the Donald Ross masterpiece that hosted the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2005, our first choice would be No. 4, a Tom Fazio design whose every hole offers unique variety, beauty...and challenge. It's dotted with 180 sand traps, most of which are small pot bunkers clustered near fairway landing areas, at the bends of doglegs, and around the greens.
Nipping close at its heels is No. 8, a slightly more mounded and rolling Fazio design built in 1996 to celebrate Pinehurst's centennial anniversary. Its greens lack the severity of No. 2, yet their subtle crowns honor Ross' memory and roll fast and true. Some would argue that No. 8 deserves second-best status at Pinehurst Golf Resort, and you won't hear us protest too much. In part, we give the nod to No. 4 as it is so easily walkable and located at the central clubhouse.
No. 6 is our choice for the best unheralded course at Pinehurst Golf Resort. Designed by George Fazio in 1979 with alterations by Tom Fazio in 1991, No. 6 commands hilly — often severe — terrain with steep falloffs and thick vegetation bordering several fairways. This is one Pinehurst golf course that consumes golf balls. And, although it's set in a residential community with frequent out-of-bounds, No. 6 remains elegant and picturesque.
If you want more Pinehurst advice, specifically, our off-resort recommendations on where to play, stay, and dine, click here and take a free, two-issue trial to Golf Odyssey in the next five days. As a "thank you," I'll also send you our Pinehurst back issue (normally $17 and only available to subscribers) absolutely free. This issue contains the best off-campus options to supplement a Pinehurst golf vacation.
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