Hidden Gems Itinerary

 

Take it easy on your arrival day. Why? Because this is the best way to let all that is Pinehurst just wash over you. You’re in no rush here. Keep that in mind.

Whether you are staying in our flagship hotel, the historic Carolina Hotel, or the stately and bright Manor Inn just up the road from Pinehurst Brewing Co., you’ll find that all of the accommodations at Pinehurst blend the charm of yesteryear with the luxuries of fully renovated lobbies and rooms.

Check in that afternoon, then make your way over to the main clubhouse. We suggest an evening on The Cradle when you arrive. A couple of wedges and a putter with friends is the perfect entry – or re-entry – into golf at Pinehurst. The mood is laid back and fun. Music is playing, the Cradle Crossing bar is open, and perhaps so is an Adirondack chair. Sit a while and watch others try to spin wedges into the cup as the sun sets before your eyes.

After that keep the casual good times rolling. Visit Pinehurst Brewing Co. – especially if it’s Monday or Tuesday and the Railroad Ribs are available – or retire to the Deuce.

 

It’s a full day at Pinehurst. Let’s make it count.

Choose breakfast at any of several locations – a Taterman Tots breakfast buffet at the Deuce? A southwestern-styled breakfast at Station 21 at Pinehurst Sandmines? A biscuit buffet at PL8TE at Pinehurst No. 8? Choose one for today and prep yourself for another one tomorrow. You can’t go wrong.

This is the day golf can be its most plentiful for you. Maybe play 36? Or test yourself at Pinehurst No. 7, the only Pinehurst course Tiger Woods has won a tournament on. Some might argue that No. 7 is not only the most beautiful of all of Pinehurst’s courses  – every tee offers a magnificent view of the hole ahead – but that it might actually be the Resort’s most challenging as well.

Or go a different route. Play Pinehurst No. 1 after breakfast, and wind through an original Donald Ross course that dates back to 1901. Meandering around horse stables and the local harness racing track, No. 1 is a wonderful walk or ride through classic golf stylings and architecture.

A round on No. 1 can still be challenging, but it is never taxing. Finish around midday and take advantage of the Lexus Guest Drive program. Reserve a Lexus model perfect for your group and venture around the area. Maxie’s is a good Pinehurst bar where the caddies – and conversation – always hang out, and the vibrant, charming downtown Southern Pines is a short 5 miles away. Retreat back to the Resort and enjoy our newest dining experience, our popular new and fresh farm-to-table restaurant, Wiregrass. That will be your best meal here.

 

Here on Saturday or Sunday? Don’t miss Pinehurst Brewing Co.’s Brunch menu. Try the Cornbread Pulled Pork Waffle. Or the Keilbasa Breakfast Bowl. Or the Smoked Brisket and Sweet Potato Biscuit. There’s a mimosa flight or a Sunday Bourbon Bloody to start your day off right.

It used to be mentioned that the best Hidden Gem of golf at Pinehurst is to play No. 3. That secret is out among the golf community, but that doesn’t mean you should let it slip by.

A par-68 that tops out at 5,155 yards must be a pushover, right? Hardly. No. 3 might be the most challenging little golf course there is. Remarkably, you’ll likely still play every club in your bag. You’ll be greeted with some of the most devilish little greens you’ve ever seen. Blind tee shots, drivable par-4s, 200-yard par-3s mixed with 99-yard par-3s. It has everything, including the charm of a course dating back to 1910 with so many of Donald Ross’s stirring flourishes amidst the sandscape and wiregrass Pinehurst is so well known for.

Truly, this might be the course you talk about the most with your friends when you return home. Trust us.

No. 3’s pin flag might be the most unique of all of Pinehurst’s flags, so pick one up to bring home from the Golf Shop – or any other number of not-to-be-found-anywhere-else merch.

Have one last lunch at the Carolina Vista Lounge. Allow Shipsticks to take care of sending your golf bag home with no fuss. Let the shuttle take you back to RDU.

Finally, tell Larry or Ray, your new best friends at the bag drop, when you’ll be back.

After all, there is still so much more left to experience.

Day 1 – Arrival

• Check-in
• Golf – Afternoon round on Pinehurst No. 3, the hardest – and most enjoyable – par-68, 5,100-yard course you will ever play.
• Dinner – Go casual with dinner at Pinehurst Brewing Co.

Day 2 – The Full Golf Day

• Breakfast – Biscuit Buffet Bar at PL8TE is a perfect start.
• Golf – Go big for your round by playing Pinehurst No. 8, a course that’s like no other at Pinehurst, where towering pines meet marshland and one of the best three-hole finishes in all of Pinehurst.
• Keep going big – Choose an afternoon round on Pinehurst No. 7, where you probably can’t match Tiger’s winning score from when he won an amateur event when he was 16.
• For dinner, you don’t even need to leave the clubhouse. Enjoy farm-to-table freshness and a warm welcome to Wiregrass.

Day 3 – Finishing Touches

• Breakfast – Grab and Go from the Coffee House in The Carolina, where pastries, breakfast sandwiches and all sorts of fresh items are wrapped and ready.
• Golf – A morning on Donald Ross’s best Hidden Gem in all of Pinehurst – the classic routing and charm of Pinehurst No. 1.
• Enjoy lunch at the Deuce at the main clubhouse before a spin around The Cradle, then Thistle Dhu before retiring to the Adirondacks at the Cradle Crossing for one last look at Pinehurst – for now, until you make plans to come back.

Day 1 – Arrival

• Check-in
• Golf – A casual, fun round on The Cradle and a spin around Thistle Dhu. After that, watch the sun sink low from the Cradle Crossing with a drink in hand as music plays.
• Dinner – A quick beer in the beer garden at Pinehurst Brewing Co. before returning to the Carolina Hotel for the stylish Carolina Vista Lounge.

 

Day 2 – The Full Day

• The Breakfast Biscuit Bar at PL8TE is calling.
• Golf – Few areas in all of Pinehurst are as mystic and natural as an early round on Pinehurst No. 8.
• Make some time for yourself during the afternoon. Enjoy a day touring the area – you may want to retire here one day. Take advantage of the Lexus Guest Drive to explore the charming and vibrant downtown of Southern Pines.
• Return to the Resort for your reservation at Wiregrass, Pinehurst’s new farm-to-table experience in the historic clubhouse.
• You still have time for a nightcap. Enjoy a wide selection of bourbon selections at the North & South Bar, a place unlike any in Pinehurst.

 

Day 3 – Finishes Touches

• Enjoy a Southwestern Style Breakfast Buffet and the quiet ambiance of Station 21 at Pinehurst Sandmines.
• Golf – Back to the main clubhouse, allowing some time to capture the golf experience at Pinehurst under a Carolina Blue sky. Pinehurst No. 3 – Pinehurst’s Best Hidden Gem – awaits.
• Enjoy a fun Deuce lunch with a craft cocktail before one last spin around the Golf Shop.