How long is Pine Needles?

Pine Needles plays 4,897–6,917 yards across 5 sets of tees, to a par of 71 from the back tees.

How difficult is Pine Needles?

Its slope rating ranges 109–134, with a course rating up to 73.9. The back nine plays tougher.

Which tees should I play at Pine Needles?

A mid-handicap golfer (around 15) best fits the Regular Tees tees at 5,966 yards. Match your own driver distance or handicap with the tee selector on this page.

Is Pine Needles walkable?

It's a gently rolling walk, with roughly 295 feet of total elevation change over 18 holes.

How many bunkers does Pine Needles have?

Pine Needles has 72 bunkers, and water comes into play on 4 holes.

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Southern Pines, NC · Course intelligence

Pine Needles

1005 Midland Rd, Southern Pines, NC 28387, USA

Directions ↗Official site ↗

56Linksmith Test · Moderate

6,917Back tees · yds

109–134Slope

71Par

5Tee sets

Gently rolling295 ft climb

72Bunkers

Tap a hole for its details · gold dots = bunkers, blue = water · the Wind and Elevation buttons color each hole by today’s wind and by climb · OpenStreetMap

01Overview

The lay of the land.

How the course above sets up: its routing, character, and what to expect.

LengthChampionship6,917 yds

DifficultyStiffslope 134

WalkGently rolling295 ft climb

BunkeringAverage72 bunkers

WaterOccasional2 of 18 holes

Tougher nineBack 9by course rating

Pine Needles is an 18-hole golf course in Southern Pines, NC, playing 4,897–6,917 yards from 5 sets of tees (slope 109–134, course rating up to 73.9).

It's a gently rolling walk, roughly 295 feet of total climb over 18 holes.

Expect 72 bunkers, with water on 2 holes; the back nine plays tougher.

02What golfers say

The word on the course.

How golfers talk about it, summarized from public reviews. Their opinions, not our scoring.

A celebrated Donald Ross design golfers consider one of the best public courses in the country, prized for its classic routing, complex crowned greens, and emphasis on strategy and playability. A multiple U.S. Women’s Open host with a stable bucket-list reputation.

Best forBucket-listShot-makingWalkableScenery

Consistently praised

Vintage Donald Ross greens with false fronts, slopes, and tricky collection areas.
A strategic, varied routing that rewards creativity, with a well-regarded caddie program and strong walk.

Worth knowing

The crowned greens punish long misses, so recovery from over the green is brutal, and it is a premium, big-name round.

Golfers recommend

Play the right tees and favor below-the-hole approaches into the Ross greens.
Walk it with a caddie if you can, for the full classic experience.

Pairs withMid Pines Club →

Summarized from public golfer reviewsWorldgolfer GolfPass

03Your game

Tee fit & expected score.

Set your handicap for the right tees, a realistic score, and the holes where you'll get a stroke.

Your handicap index: 15

Play the Regular Tees tees, 5966 yds (or Ross Tees)

14course handicap~85typical score126slope

How to play it

Front 936.5

Back 937.4tougher

Attack (1)Hold (5)Play it straight

Scoring chances at #1, so make your birdies count.
Card-wreckers at #2, #6, #7, #14, #17. Bogey is fine here; don't compound mistakes.
4 par 4s over 440 yds, a course that rewards length off the tee.

04Scorecard

Tagged scorecard.

Per-hole tags for hazards, length, and scoring chances from your selected tee.

Handicap index Course handicap at Medal Tees: 21. You get a stroke on the dotted holes.

Hole	Par	Yds	SI	Notes
1•	5	500	11	Reachable
2•	4	465	5	Long 4
3•	3	145	17
4•	4	395	9
5•	3	209	7	Long 3
6••	4	450	1	Long 4Tough
7••	4	445	3	Long 4Tough
8•	4	352	15	Birdie
9•	4	377	13
Out	35	3338
10•	5	521	4
11•	4	412	12
12•	4	431	14
13•	3	204	16	Long 3
14••	4	439	2	Tough
15•	5	523	6
16•	3	177	18
17•	4	455	8	Long 4
18•	4	417	10
In	36	3579

All tees & ratings

Tee	Yards	Rating	Slope	Par
Medal Tees	6917	73.9	134	71
Ross Tees	6372	70.8	129	71
Regular Tees	5966	68.6	126	71
Executive Tees	5341	65.5	115	71
Forward Tees	4897	63.9	109	71

05Conditions

Conditions & terrain.

Today's wind by hole, the climbs and drops, and a seven-day playability outlook.

Wind today

Calm. 6 mph from the SE, not a factor today.

Climbs & drops

#2↓ 62 ft

#10↑ 46 ft

#9↓ 36 ft

#8↑ 33 ft

#14↑ 33 ft

#3↓ 30 ft

Tee→green elevation change, estimated from terrain.

7-day outlook

Best window this week: Wed 10-07 · 100/100

Wed10-07100good47–79°F6 mph SE0% rain

Thu10-0896good59–87°F9 mph WSW1% rain

Fri10-0990good60–78°F12 mph NE1% rain

Sat10-1068ok60–66°F13 mph ENE60% rain

Sun10-1165ok66–79°F13 mph SE78% rain

Mon10-1269ok61–80°F14 mph WNW54% rain

Tue10-1395good61–85°F9 mph W5% rain

06Hazards

Where the trouble is.

Sand and water by hole, plotted from OpenStreetMap.

410

211

412

313

414

815

216

517

318

water in playbunker count

Most bunkered: #1 (8) · #15 (8) · #8 (7) · #2 (5). Water on 2 holes: #3, #10.

07FAQ

Frequently asked.

How long is Pine Needles?: Pine Needles plays 4,897–6,917 yards across 5 sets of tees, to a par of 71 from the back tees.
How difficult is Pine Needles?: Its slope rating ranges 109–134, with a course rating up to 73.9. The back nine plays tougher.
Which tees should I play at Pine Needles?: A mid-handicap golfer (around 15) best fits the Regular Tees tees at 5,966 yards. Match your own driver distance or handicap with the tee selector on this page.
Is Pine Needles walkable?: It's a gently rolling walk, with roughly 295 feet of total elevation change over 18 holes.
How many bunkers does Pine Needles have?: Pine Needles has 72 bunkers, and water comes into play on 4 holes.