Thanks to Golfweek’s Best rankings, we break out the top public-access courses around Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Looking to play one of the top golf regions in the world, with great courses stacked alongside great courses? Look no further than Pinehurst, North Carolina.
From classic dream layouts to modern works of art, there are a dozen courses within a half-hour’s drive of Pinehurst that rank among the top 20 public-access courses in North Carolina.
For this exercise, we used Google Maps and punched in each course as of a Saturday morning to determine drive times. And included with this list is a general map of where to find all these courses. Each one on the list below is represented with a number on the map – keep scrolling to see the numbers.
And keep in mind, the numbers represent how the courses are ranked, and it can become a bit confusing as the courses at the famed Pinehurst Resort are named numerically. For example, Pinehurst No. 2 ranks No. 1 on this list, and it appears accordingly as No. 1 on the map.
Included with each course is its position in North Carolina on the Golfweek’s Best public-access list. For any course that appears on our other popular rankings lists, those positions are included as well.
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop discounted hotels near Pinehurst, NC” link=”https://www.sportgotravel.com/hotels/city/800049691?campaign=wGekekGlGw&cid=efsnlWPalo”]
A little background: The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
The courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or casino, by staying at an affiliated hotel or purchasing a golf vacation package. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required, although Pinewild Country Club is a special case on this list with an editor’s note below.
(Google Earth/Golfweek)
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop discounted hotels near Pinehurst, NC” link=”https://www.sportgotravel.com/hotels/city/800049691?campaign=wGekekGlGw&cid=efsnlWPalo”]
No one could mount a charge to challenge the elegant and unflappable Minjee Lee.
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — After three days of some of the lowest scoring in U.S. Women’s Open history, a fight broke out at Pine Needles.
Challenging hole locations, an uptick in wind and the biggest purse in women’s golf history finally brought things to a boil.
Only the battle wasn’t at the top, as no one could mount a charge to challenge the elegant and unflappable Minjee Lee, who entered the final round with a three-stroke lead and finished at 13 under, four ahead of American Mina Harigae to claim her second major title. The 26-year-old Lee became the first Australian to win the U.S. Women’s Open since Karrie Webb triumphed at Pine Needles 21 years ago.
When the Women’s Open was held here in 2001, World Golf Hall of Famer Peggy Kirk Bell, who won an LPGA major as an amateur and, along with her husband Warren “Bullet” Bell, built Pine Needles into what’s become a cathedral for women’s golf, invited Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Kathy Whitworth to give a clinic.
The entire purse that week was $1.2 million, and Webb earned $212,500 for her efforts. Whitworth wrote in her memoir – The Gift of Golf – that it was money the legendary foursome couldn’t comprehend.
“We were amazed at the lifestyle these girls have on tour today,” Bell wrote. “They have babysitters, free meals and courtesy cars!”
What would Mrs. Bell have said then, of Lee’s $1.8 million payday, the largest in women’s golf history to date? (The winner of CME Group Tour Championship in November will earn $2 million.) Coming into this week, no one on the LPGA had crossed the $1 million mark so far this season.
The only real drama of the day centered on second place, as this marked the first time in women’s golf history that two women would earn seven-figure checks. As the back nine unfolded Sunday over the revamped Donald Ross design, three players—Lydia Ko, Hyejin Choi and Harigae—battled over a $1,080,000 paycheck.
Harigae, who only two years ago felt the walls closing in as she fought to keep her tour card and pay the bills, finished solo second. Her previous biggest payday on tour was $268,657.
Consider that while the LPGA took a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, Harigae won $2,300 for winning a mini-tour event on the Cactus Tour by 16 shots with a closing 61.
Choi was solo third at 7 under. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko shot a 71 on Sunday to claim solo fourth. Lydia Ko bogeyed her last two holes to shoot 72 and finish solo fifth. World No. 2 Nelly Korda, competing in her first event since early February after being sidelined with a blood clod that required surgery, finished with a 73 to tie for eighth.
Born in Perth, Australia, Lee was introduced to the game by her parents. Her mother, Clara, was a teaching professional near their home and her father was a fine player in his own right. Her younger brother Min Woo, 23, will compete in his first U.S. Open later this month at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. A two-time winner on the DP World Tour, Min Woo tied for 14th in his Masters debut in April, where Minjee caddied for him in the Par 3 Contest.
Minjee and Min Woo are the only brother-sister pair to win USGA titles, with Minjee winning the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior and Min Woo claiming the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur.
Lee now has eight LPGA titles worldwide, including the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, where she came from an LPGA record-tying seven strokes back to win in a playoff.
She’s the first Aussie to lead this championship through 54 holes since Karrie Webb in 2001 – at Pine Needles.
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — When Travis Kreiter arrived on the 13th tee at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club with fiancé Mina Harigae, he figured it was time for a pep talk.
Hey, this is the U.S. Open. You never know what’s going to happen.
Harigae held a one-stroke lead when she walked off the ninth green on Saturday at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. By the time she got to that 13th tee, however, she trailed Minjee Lee by four.
“In the past, the round could’ve gotten away from us after 12,” said Kreiter, who has caddied for Harigae for over four years now.
Instead, Harigae enters the final round three back of Lee, a world-class ball-striker and major champion who won the most recent stroke-play event on the LPGA, the Cognizant Founders Cup held last month.
Beating Lee remains a tall order for anyone in the field, though Harigae is the only one within shouting distance. Bronte Law posted a third-round 68 to get to 7 under, but she’s six back of Lee, who at 13-under 200 sits poised to break the all-time scoring record of 16 under, set by Juli Inkster at Old Waverly Golf Club in 1999. A seemingly unflappable Lee carded a 67 on a near-perfect day amidst the Carolina pines.
Mina Harigae confers with her caddie at the 14th hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
When asked if she could remember another time when she was in this kind of position, Lee said, “No, it’s the U.S. Open.”
Lee put the pedal down with birdies on Nos. 9, 10, 11, and 12, all from 13 feet or less. She’s the first Aussie to lead this championship through 54 holes since Karrie Webb in 2001 – at Pine Needles.
Lee, the No. 4-ranked player in the world, didn’t think to ask Webb for advice ahead of this championship but said she has enjoyed seeing her mentor’s picture up all over the place here. Webb did send her a text message yesterday that said, “Keep it going, let’s go Aussie.”
Lee has a bit of history on her side, too, as the man by her side this week, Jason Gilroyed, caddied for Cristie Kerr when she won at Pine Needles in 2007.
A seven-time winner on the LPGA, Lee looks to move closer to World No. 1. Harigae, meanwhile, is a thirty-something who hasn’t yet won on the LPGA let alone a major. It was just a few years ago that she was running out of money fast, fighting to keep her tour card.
Last year at the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, Harigae held a share of the lead going into the weekend at Carnoustie. She shot 76 on Saturday to fall out of contention, ultimately finishing tied for 13th.
But her strong play earned her a captain’s pick at last year’s Solheim Cup, and Kreiter said the experience at Inverness on a pressure-packed stage played a significant role in handling her nerves this week. Even the 5-and-4 singles loss to Celine Boutier, he said, was a good learning experience.
After bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12, Harigae stuffed her tee shot on the par-3 16th to two feet to give herself a better chance on Sunday.
Harigae has been pleased with how she has handled herself emotionally this week, saying she’s a different player than she was in her 20s.
How did she get there?
“Just a lot of self-awareness, a lot of butt-kicking from my caddie,” she said with a smile. “A lot of good hard talks. But I just realized if I wanted to get to the next level, I really had to get a hold of myself emotionally.”
The 77th U.S. Women’s Open is underway and we have rounded up the best apparel to help you celebrate and follow the action in style.
If you like pine cones, you’re in the right place. This list will be full of the pine cone logo of the tournament’s host course, Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Fanatics is running a free shipping deal all weekend for any order more than $24. Just use the code “24SHIP” and enjoy free shipping on your 2022 U.S. Women’s Open apparel and accessories.
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Wie West teared up as she came up the 18th, knowing it would be one of her last times taking such a walk.
SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – Michelle Wie West tried her hand at Wordle for the first time on Friday morning and guessed the word on her second attempt.
“I thought I was pretty undefeatable today,” she said, laughing, “and then it was a gradual decline after that.”
The word?
P-H-A-S-E.
How appropriate given that the second round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club marks the end of a chapter for the one-time prodigy. The 32-year-old wife, mom and businesswoman heads into the next phase of life after this week. She’s not calling it a retirement, but Wie West doesn’t plan to compete again until the Women’s Open goes to Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time in 2022.
After all, it’s only fitting that one of the most influential players of the modern game caps her career on an iconic course during an already historic week. What a celebration it will be.
In a way, Friday felt more like a see-you-later than a goodbye as it’s technically not her final event. Plus, Wie West plans to stay involved in women’s golf, maintaining relationships with her sponsors and investing in new ways to amplify the game.
When she visited the Golf Channel Live From set on Wednesday, one couldn’t help but think she’d be back in the game with a headset on sometime in the not-so-distant future. She enjoys the role.
Wie West teared up as she came up the 18th on Friday, knowing it would be one of her last times taking such a walk. Fans packed the grandstands and the Bell Pavilion, and jammed up against the ropes to catch one last look at the most recognized player on the LPGA, at least here in the U.S.
“Definitely had flashbacks of Pinehurst and just seeing all the same people,” she said. “When they come up to me, ‘Oh, I was there in 2014.’ It was just really cool to see everyone here again.”
Wie West shot 73-74 to finish at 5 over for the tournament, and said she felt rustier on Friday than she did in the first round. She tried to make a “hero putt” on the final hole.
“I gave it my all today,” she said.
A five-time winner on the LPGA, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Wie West became a household name due to her many PGA Tour appearances and quest to compete in men’s majors. For years, she was a headline magnet, and there’s no shortage of opinion the road she took and how much she succeeded.
“First off, I want to say I have zero regrets in my career,” said Wie West earlier in the week. “There’s always that inkling of wishing I had done more. But I feel like no matter what, no one is ever going to be 100 percent satisfied.”
Wie West said her husband, Jonnie, plans to caddie for her at Pebble Beach next year. But she isn’t thinking that far ahead just yet. She’ll put the clubs away when she gets back home to her daughter Makenna, who turns 2 years old on June 19. There’s a new puppy to chase after and projects she’s eager to dive into, but not eager to share just yet.
“I have definitely had an up-and-down career,” said Wie West, “but I’m extremely proud of the resiliency that I’ve shown over my career. I’m extremely proud to have achieved the two biggest dreams that I’ve had, one being graduating from Stanford, and the other winning the U.S. Open. To check both those off the list means everything to me.”
Here’s a look at Wie West’s final event of 2022 (and what she insists is her penultimate tour appearance):
Kang, 29, said she has gone through a number of procedures with specialists, and it’s a process of elimination.
SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – For the past two months, Danielle Kang has done everything she can to get to the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. It was her only goal.
But in the grand scheme, her battle to make the cut at Pine Needles pales in comparison to a bigger battle. Kang, who has endured back pain for some time now, has a tumor on her spine.
When asked if the tumor was benign, Kang told a small group of reporters, “I really don’t have the answers now.”
Kang, 29, said she has gone through a number of procedures with specialists, and it’s a process of elimination. She was told she wouldn’t be able to compete in last week’s match-play event or this week’s major, but she proved otherwise.
Kang said she found out that she had a tumor when she returned from the LPGA tournament at Palos Verdes in late April, which she withdrew from after the first round.
“Right now, it’s not as simple as blaming the tumor to be the problem,” Kang said. “It’s not just that I have an issue with my back, there is more to it. The scary part is that, I understand, and I didn’t want to publicize it, but I know it got out. There’s more to it. I just don’t want to really discuss the details of what’s going on in my back.”
Danielle Kang hits a tee shot on the 17th hole during the second round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Friday, June 3, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
Kang carded a 3-over 74 in the second round with a triple-bogey on the first hole. She’s currently 3 over for the tournament, in a share of 67th. The top 60 and ties make the cut.
“I’m not feeling fantastic but I’m playing golf, which is good,” she said when asked if she was playing in pain. “I’m good enough to kind of play. All I wanted to do was compete. I feel like I can, just got a little unlucky out there today, made a crazy triple. Other than that, I actually played really solid.”
As for her future plans, the six-time tour winner said she has already withdrawn from the next two events.
“It could be a week, it could be months,” she said, “I don’t have the answer.”
While many at Pine Needles were battling temperatures in the mid-90s and relentless sun, Lexi Thompson felt right at home.
Notorious for adding seemingly insurmountable obstacles to its championships, the U.S. Golf Association can’t take credit for the heat advisory that had players during Thursday’s opening round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open consistently wiping their brows.
But while many at Pine Needles were battling the elements — including temperatures in the mid-90s and relentless sun — Lexi Thompson felt right at home.
“I’m from Florida. I’m used to the heat. I’d rather be sweating than freezing,” said the Coral Springs native. “I’m definitely used to it, but I drank a water every hole or two holes, so got to stay hydrated.”
While one of her playing partners, Jin Young Ko, used an umbrella for much of the scorching round, Thompson used an eagle just after the turn to finish the day with a solid 68, leaving in her contention to capture that elusive first U.S. Open. She’s placed in the top 10 on five different occasions at this event, including a runner-up finish in 2019.
— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 2, 2022
“It was overall just a very steady day. Just tried to stay in the moment, making sure I committed to my routine and my shots out there and just being relaxed,” she said. “A U.S. Women’s Open Championship sometimes you just have to aim away from pins, take your pars, and get off the hole, and it’s all about patience.”
Lexi Thompson reacts after sinking an eagle putt on the first hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Thompson has been trending in the right direction this season, and even though she trails amateur Ingrid Lindblad by three strokes after the first round of play, she feels there are plenty of scoring opportunities still ahead.
She’s already posted a pair of second-place finishes on the LPGA this year, coming in second at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony in February and then again at the Cognizant Founders Cup two weeks ago, when she finished just two strokes behind victor Minjee Lee.
On Thursday, Thompson added 14 pars to the one eagle, two birdies and one bogey.
“I think there is a few gettable pins that they’ll put throughout the days,” she said when asked what the secret formula is to winning at Pine Needles. “But like I said, just being patient and taking the pars when you can and being aggressive at the pins that you can be aggressive at, because some you can just get bit in the butt if you go for a pin and just miss it by a few yards. So being patient, taking those opportunities when you can.”
The 77th U.S. Women’s Open will be at Pine Needles for a record fourth time.
The 77th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica is June 2-5, 2022, at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Southern Pines, North Carolina.
This will be the fourth time the championship was hosted by Pine Needles, the most of any course.
Yuka Saso returns as defending champion. No one has repeated since Karrie Webb in 2001.
Annika Sorenstam is the only golfer in field of 156 who competed in all three previous Women’s Opens held there. She won the 1996 USWO at Pine Needles.
According to golf stats guru Justin Ray, 15 of the last 17 majors have been won by players who had not previously won a major.
Check out some photos from the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open.
“I was probably one of the longest off the tees and would hit last into the greens,” she said. “Now it’s the reverse.”
SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – On the 15th hole at Pine Needles Tuesday afternoon, Annika Sorenstam hit a good shot and whispered to her husband that her body had started to stiffen up.
Moments later, playing partner Megan Khang, 24, ripped a shot and announced that she was finally starting to feel loose. Sorenstam laughed.
“Here we go,” she said.
At age 51, Sorenstam is twice the average age of the field at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. She’s the only one of the 156 players who competed in all three previous Women’s Opens held here. Sorenstam, of course, won the first one in 1996 by six strokes over American Kris Tschetter. Karrie Webb (2001) and Cristie Kerr (2007) won the other two. Pine Needles is the first course to host four Women’s Opens.
Now, the 10-time major winner is back in an LPGA major for the first time in 13 years. Lydia Ko lives near Sorenstam at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida, and got an inside glimpse at how hard the LPGA Hall of Famer has been grinding on the range.
“My coach Henri (Reis) came to town last week and wanted to fine-tune it a little bit,” said Sorenstam. “I know to play well here I have to really max out my game.”
Sorenstam earned an exemption into the field by winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Open last year in her championship debut. To prepare for this week’s event, she moved back to the blue tees at Nona. The official yardage this week is around 600 yards longer than the setup was for last year’s Senior Women’s Open at Brooklawn Country Club.
Annika Sorenstam autographs a bobblehead doll of herself holding the U.S. Women’s Trophy at player registration during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
In 1996, Sorenstam shot 70-67-69-66 to finish 8 under for the championship at Pine Needles, which has undergone a restoration since it last held a U.S. Women’s Open.
“I was in the zone that week,” she said. “It’s great to be in the zone, but then I don’t really remember – I was in a different zone. So now it’s like, OK, what was I really thinking? I have to kind of create that again.”
When asked about her expectations this time around, Sorenstam said she knows what she’s capable of. That she can hit fairways and greens and make putts.
“Obviously, I’m in a different position now than in ’96, where I was probably one of the longest off the tees and would hit last into the greens,” she said. “Now it’s the reverse.”
It’s a similar feeling to what she experienced when she played on the PGA Tour at Colonial.
“I think this course is quite generous off the tee,” she said, “and it’s more around the greens being precise with your irons. I’m not really going to have a score in mind, but I feel good about my game. I really do.”
The 2017 Kyle Franz restoration of the Donald Ross design saw the removal of 11 acres of rough. There’s trouble in the form of wiregrass and sandscapes, but most of the headaches will come from around the greens, which Morgan Pressel described as “diabolical.”
“There’s a lot of run-outs,” said Sorenstam. “There’s a lot of undulation to the greens. Knowing the course, I mean, at that time I think I knew a lot of it, but I also hit it where I wanted it. I think that’s the key, is hitting it where you plan to hit it.
“Today I’m standing there with, like I said, hybrids, so maybe 5-iron and maybe 6 or 7, so you have to be a little more precise. I think as far as an approach, I’m going to be aggressive with what I have, but then conservative just hitting greens.”
Sorenstam said that given where she is now in her career, it would be foolish to attack certain hole locations. She’ll have to play smart.
“She was practicing so much before the Gainbridge last year, and I was like, ‘Oh, guys, be careful,’ the GOAT is coming up,” said Ko. “She’s won so many times, more times than all of us.”
Ko finds it cool that Sorenstam wants to do this for her kids, so they can see in real-time what it’s like for mom to play in an LPGA major. This week won’t have the intimate feel of Brooklawn last year.
Son Will, 11, sat on a cooler during her press conference on Tuesday, soaking it all in. Sorenstam said his love of practicing chip shots with a 60-degree wedge back home has paid off for her, as she does it right along with him.
Will she make the cut this week?
Anyone who has followed the women’s game for the past 25 years knows better than to underestimate Sorenstam. She made the cut last year at Nona in her first LPGA start in a dozen years. Her last missed cut in a U.S. Women’s Open came in 1999. The last shot she hit in this championship was a hole-out for eagle on the 72nd hole in 2008.
This major is already unlike any other LPGA major in that it’s a family affair. Before she signed up to compete, her husband and kids had to agree to the notion of mom putting in the hours required. Sorenstam wouldn’t dream of coming here unprepared.
Just before Sorenstam met with the media, son Will, who will pour over the yardage book and dissect every shot she hits this week, said “I love you so much, mommy. I believe in you.”
“That’s what I’m going to keep the rest of the week,” said Sorenstam.
Driving by Pinehurst No. 2, Wie West said it looked cool. She had no idea it was the course that made her a major champion.
SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – Michelle Wie West hadn’t been back to this area since she won the U.S. Women’s Open eight years ago, and well, the memories didn’t exactly come flooding back.
“I walked in Pinehurst Village this morning to get coffee,” she said. “Funny enough, I don’t remember anything about the week. It just looked like I walked for the first time. I didn’t recognize it at all.”
Driving by Pinehurst No. 2, where she won, Wie West commented that it looked like a cool course. She had no idea it was the course that made her a major champion.
“I think I just blacked out that week,” she said with a laugh.
Michelle Wie West decides on how to play a bunker shot during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Wie West met with reporters ahead of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. Last week she told Golfweek that this would be her last event of the season. That she’s planning to step away from the LPGA, returning in 2023 only for the historic Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. She stopped short of calling it a retirement.
“This week I’m just soaking it all in,” she said. “Just seeing all the fans, seeing all the players, walking the walk. It’s pretty cool.”
If Wie West remembers little of 2014, it’s probably for the best, since the last time she played at Pine Needles, it didn’t end well. In 2007, Wie West withdrew from the tournament citing wrist pain after 27 holes. She was 17 over par.
Now a wife and mom, she will move on to her next chapter with five LPGA titles and no regrets. She’s especially proud of the resiliency she has shown over the course of many injuries and a host of controversial decisions, mostly regarding her time teeing it up against the men.
As Wie West prepares her exit, Annika Sorenstam returns to an LPGA major stage for the first time in 13 years. The 10-time major winner earned her exemption into Pine Needles by winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2021.
“I remember her swing was really very powerful,” said Sorenstam of early memories playing against Wie West, “especially her wedge game. She put a lot of spin on the ball, and being 6-foot something like that, I was, like, wow, this girl has got it.
“She still had a great career in many ways. Maybe other people thought she would do more, but it’s hard to win out here. She won a U.S. Open, as you know, and other events. She’s been great for the game.”
Michelle Wie West checks her yardage book during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Certainly, no player on tour right now has been more of a household name than Wie West.
“I had someone come up to me at player dining today saying that they were named after me,” Wie West said, “so that made me feel really young.”
That has happened often to Sorenstam over the years. In fact, a young woman walking with her on Tuesday at Pine Needles was named Annika, born in 1996, the year Sorenstam won a U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles.
