Best public golf in North Carolina.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

The most-storied course in the Sandhills, where Donald Ross's turtleback greens send anything less than a perfect approach trickling away. Two US Opens this decade and counting.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

Gil Hanse tore up the old No. 4 and rebuilt it wild, with native wiregrass, raw sand waste, and a bolder personality than its famous neighbor right across the way.

NC · West End · Semi-private · Par 71

A rugged, rolling Sandhills layout near Pinehurst that rewards bold lines, now welcoming select play through the Dormie Network.

NC · Linville · Resort · Par 72

A revered Donald Ross design in the High Country, open to guests of the historic Eseeola Lodge. Cool mountain air and classic Ross greens.

NC · Southern Pines · Resort · Par 72

One of the best-preserved Donald Ross designs anywhere, kept almost exactly as he drew it in 1921. Stay across the street at Pine Needles and play both, they're sister gems.

NC · Southern Pines · Resort · Par 71

A gentle, gorgeous Donald Ross layout that has crowned US Women's Open champions four times over. Precise, fair, and lovely, the kind of course that rewards a smart round over a long one.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

A bold Rees Jones course on hillier, sandier ground away from the village core. Among the toughest tests at the resort.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

The quietest round at Pinehurst, threaded through dense pines with not a single house in sight. Fazio built it for the resort's 100th birthday and it still feels like a private walk in the woods.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

Formerly the National Golf Club, a rolling Jack Nicklaus design folded into the Pinehurst Resort. A muscular complement to the famous No. 2.

NC · Corolla · Public · Par 72

A Rees Jones design out on the Outer Banks where six holes run along Currituck Sound and wild horses roam the dunes nearby. Bring your camera and a tolerance for sea breeze.

NC · Asheville · Resort · Par 70

A 1926 Ross design tumbling across the mountainside at Asheville's grand old stone resort, with Blue Ridge views and a guest list that once included Bobby Jones. Mountain golf with a century of history.

NC · Durham · Public · Par 72

A Robert Trent Jones design on Duke's Durham campus, long and tree-lined with a true championship pedigree. Open to the public and rich in college-golf history.

NC · Greensboro · Resort · Par 72

The stouter of two courses at this Greensboro resort, with rolling Piedmont terrain and resort-grade conditioning. A reliable Triad stay-and-play.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 70

The oldest course at Pinehurst, a short, strategic Donald Ross original that rewards placement over power. A gentle, historic round.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 68

A compact Donald Ross course that is all about wedges and the famous crowned greens. A quick, fun loop in the Sandhills.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort · Par 72

A handsome, tree-lined Ellis Maples course threading the heart of the resort. One of the best of the lesser-numbered Pinehurst courses.

NC · Southern Pines · Public · Par 71

Kyle Franz's 2021 restoration brought this 1906 Ross back to life, and unlike its resort cousins it welcomes the public. Walkable, classic, and a steal for a course this good.

NC · Southern Pines · Public · Par 71

A solid Rees Jones Sandhills layout best known for the retired caddie llamas grazing near the 14th. Friendly, public, and a fun stop between the heavyweight Ross tracks.

NC · Sanford · Public · Par 71

Mike Strantz carved this out of an old quarry and held nothing back, with blind shots, chasms, and greens stretched into shapes that shouldn't exist. You'll either love it or argue about it the whole drive home.

NC · Browns Summit · Public · Par 72

A Rees Jones gem with 97 bunkers and seven holes along Lake Townsend, all for a green fee that won't dent the trip budget. Tournament-tested and seriously underpriced.

NC · Burnsville · Public · Par 72

A cool, scenic valley course beneath Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. A mountain-air escape at a public price.

NC · Sunset Beach · Resort · Par 72

A Dan Maples course at a 54-hole resort near the South Carolina line, part of the value-packed Brunswick Islands golf scene. Friendly and walkable.

NC · Clemmons · Public · Par 72

A genuine rarity: a public, county-park Jones course that hosted the 1974 PGA Championship and a US Senior Open. Rugged bunkering and real championship history at an everyman price.

NC · Pinehurst · Resort

A nine-hole short course by Gil Hanse on the resort's original ground, where music plays and everyone smiles. The most fun nine in American golf.

NC · Asheboro · Public · Par 72

Routed straight through boulders, creeks, and ridges at the edge of the Uwharrie forest, Tot Hill Farm is raw and punishing. Restored with fresh zoysia greens and reopened in 2023.