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Afterward , hit up The Cradle Crossing , a full on-site bar that opened late in 2021 . The Transfusion — a refreshing mix of ginger ale , grape juice , vodka and lime juice — is the drink of choice .
THE TRADITION
Of course , there ’ s plenty of traditional 18-hole golf to explore as well . In Golf Digest ’ s latest ranking of America ’ s top 100 public courses , six in the Pinehurst area made the cut .
Topping the area list at No . 6 is Pinehurst No . 2 , the host of numerous U . S . Open Championships . The event will make its way back to the course in 2024 .
Others in the top 100 : Pinehurst No . 4 ( 32 ), Tobacco Road Golf Club ( 49 ), Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club ( 73 ), Pinehurst No . 8 ( 76 ), and Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club ( 93 ). Where else can you spend a week and play six of the top 100 layouts in the country ?
“ While these courses are the core of any bucket list trip to the Pinehurst area , we have a wide variety of quality courses from which to choose that offer an amazing golf experience for a number of price ranges ,” said Phil Werz , president and CEO of the Convention and Visitors Bureau .
Tobacco Road is a favorite among visitors . The memorable design from the late Mike Strantz ( who designed Virginia courses Royal New Kent and Stonehouse ) incorporates sound golf design principles ,
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Pine Needles # 3 BELOW : Pinehurst No . 4
strategic shot values and an old abandoned sand quarry to create one of his greatest works . Tobacco Road also features a short course — El Camino — that checks in at 994 yards with nine par-3 holes ranging from 63-167 yards .
MORE HAPPENINGS AT THE RESORT
Of the Pinehurst Resort courses , none has undergone a more drastic makeover than No . 4 , which through multiple redesigns
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had strayed from its original Donald Ross roots . Hanse again was involved in the project , teaming with Jim Wagner to both modernize the layout while maintaining its Ross roots .
Over the years , No . 4 lost land to real estate and expansion of the iconic No . 2 course . Hanse set out to restore some of the Ross charm to the property while understanding that it was impossible to fully recreate the original layout due to the land constraints .
In Links magazine , Hanse explained that No . 4 was one of the larger earth-moving projects his crew had ever undertaken . What was left was a new No . 4 with wide fairways , large undulating greens that are more receptive than No . 2 ’ s turtleback greens , and large sandy waste areas in place of the small pot bunkers Tom Fazio had introduced in the 1990s .
What else is new at the resort ? By the time Pinehurst hosts the U . S . Open again in 2024 , a new boutique hotel is set to open near the Cradle in a space currently occupied by the resort ’ s croquet lawns , which will be moved to another part of the resort .
CHANGES AFOOT
Two other clubs in the area underwent extensive restorations , including Southern Pines Golf Club and Dormie Club , which is owned by the same group that owns Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke .
Kyle Franz led the efforts at Southern Pines , which was purchased by the same ownership group that owns Pine Needles
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COURTESY OF PINEHURST RESORT |