Wayne Freedman
Wayne Freedman
Pinehurst #8
Pinehurst, NC•Private
Awards
Panelists Score
Pinehurst #8
100 Centennial Boulevard
Pinehurst, NC 28374
United States
Overview
Cut from a nature preserve about a mile north of the resort, Pinehurst #8 is one of Tom Fazio's most versatile designs, as each hole plays differently from the previous. The front nine is mostly tree-lined, the back more open, with both touching ponds, marsh and Pine Valley-like sandy wastelands. For putting surfaces, Fazio built crowned greens with greenside swales, intended as a salute to Donald Ross and Pinehurst #2. #8 is also the most secluded of the resort's nine courses, with no homes or development touching it (Tom Doak's Pinehurst #10, opened in 2024, is equally secluded on the resort's new Sandmines site). Fazio returned to #8 in late 2022 to touch up elements of the course that needed burnishing, and the course plays as fast and firm as its older brethren.
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Golf Digest Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 Greatest / Best In State Scores
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Reviews
Review
“Pinehurst No. 8 doesn't just share a lot of the positive, important features as some of the other premier courses at Pinehurst - the soil isn't as firm, the mounding and undulations aren't as present, the hazards aren't as varied or as severe, and the greens and green surround aren't nearly as interesting. Pinehurst No. 8 struggles in terms of shot options and risks and rewards. There are a few really good holes out here, including numbers 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, and 17, but the good here aren't nearly as good as the good holes on some of the others in the area. There are a bunch of holes that just don't offer a lot in terms of shot options or risk and reward, including 1, 2, 3, all of the par 3s, 10, 11, 16 and 18. I think if you want to enjoy what Pinehurst No. 8 is, you would play that on one of your first days at the resort so you don't realize how good some of the other golf is. It is difficult not to compare No. 8 to some of the other offerings at Pinehurst Resort and around Pinehurst. When I played No. 8, it was the day after No. 10, two days after No. 2 and the same day as Southern Pines and it is a stark contrast to the amount of fun you have at those other courses. The golf isn't as engaging, it is a completely different feel from the rest of the resort, and the holes and conditions are just so much different and that isn't in a good way. No. 8 is one of the courses that I would skip on my next trip to Pinehurst and I don't think I would recommend it to others if they are making the trip. It is difficult for me to see why some still think No. 8 is the best course at the resort. The golf at Pinehurst No. 8 is straightforward, traditional American parkland golf. There are a couple of good, challenging holes that peak your interest (4, 9, 12, 17) but they're scattered about and you don't feel overly engaged throughout the round. The bunkers are manicured and groomed unlike others at the resort which makes them more difficult to get into and easier to get out of. The greens have some slope but it is target golf and the ball flies and stays mostly where intended. There isn't anything on No. 8 that will strike fear into the golfer like the built-up greens of No. 2 of the undulations and use of the land like No. 10. Pinehurst No. 8 is narrow in spots (hole 2, 6, 10, 11) that makes it challenging at times to find the fairways. The trees aren't trimmed up allowing for heroic recovery shots like many of the other courses around. Directionally, Pinehurst No. 8 does a nice job of shifting elevation and direction to keep you moving about the parcel of land. There is plenty of elevation change on the property, but it seems to be used but a single hole or two during the round (3, 4, 7, 9, 10) instead of using the elevation to the advantage of the course. The greens are mostly boring and forgettable. Hazards are varied with the use of width (or lack thereof), trees, sand blow outs, bunkers, wetlands, water hazards and deep grassy hollows. Pinehurst No. 8 is a traditional parkland course with tree lined fairways, white sand bunkers and gently rolling fairways. There are a couple of wetlands and water hazards that are in play as well that continues the parkland golf theme. The clubhouse sits on the top of the hill and the patio at No. 8 might be the best at the resort. Cart paths line the fairways and aren't hidden well enough. The tall trees are really nice in spots and claustrophobic in others. Despite not having a lot of precipitation in the previous week, the greens and fairways were soft of ideal. The result was fairways that didn't roll out, shots that hit and stuck on greens, and a course that didn't play as intended. The greens rolled relatively true, but there were some spots and greens with a lot of pitch marks and bare spots. No. 8 is an interesting addition to the Pinehurst lineup - it is distinctly parkland, lies on a completely separate piece of land than the other courses at the resort, doesn't share many of the characteristics of the other courses at the resort, and plays completely differently than the others. No. 8 feels more like a retirement community than a golf resort. It is like Pinehurst No. 8 has different DNA than others in the Pinehurst area."
Read More2026
Review
“A fun parkland like design, Good use of natural trees and water. Not overly difficult, so acts as a good warm up to #2! Conditioning was solid given recent re-opening and heavy resort play."
Read More2026
Review
“Golf course is good, much more gentle than other golf courses. Worth playing, but 2, 4, 10 are better. Many holes have a similar feel. Golf course is good - but ‘vanilla’ - not a ton of character of golf holes with memorability of holes."
Read More2026
Review
“No. 8 sits off-property from the main resort and differs (in a good way) from the traditional Pinehurst feel found on Nos. 2, 4, and 10. No. 8 is a modern, classic Fazio design: bold, muscular, but rewarding with precise shot execution. The greens might be the best in all of Pinehurst—firm, lightning-fast, and full of movement. In places, they even echo the famed contours of No. 2, with subtle fall-offs and turtleback slopes that demand creativity and touch."
Read More2025
Review
“#8 is eminently fair and playable. The course has a Donald Ross feel with many of the green complexes featuring runoffs and difficult pitches as a result of missed greens. Although not "domed" the greens are large and challenging."
Read More2025
Review
“#8 is eminently fair and playable. Many of the green complexes have a Donald Ross feel with runoffs on several sides. Although not domed, the greens are large and challenging."
Read More2025
Review
“It is challenging and a visually appealing round of golf that allows your game to enjoy a variety of shots."
Read More2025
Review
“A few really great looks aesthetically off the tee...holes 4, 12, 13 ,and 17 come to mind. Great variety of short, long, & medium length holes throughout the round."
Read More2025
Review
“A few really great looks aesthetically off the tee...holes 4, 12, 13 ,and 17 come to mind. Great variety of short, long, & medium length holes throughout the round."
Read More2025
Review
“Pinehurst No. 8 checks the boxes and scores well in our rating system. With its pushed up greens complexes and false fronts, Pinehurst No, 8 feels like a Tom Fazio tribute to Donald Ross. Pinehurst No. 8 has a fine variety of different, interesting, and sometimes technical holes. They move right-to-left, left-to right, uphill, and downhill. Four are blind from the tee. Fairways ran hard and fast, rolling like airport runways. "I love these greens," one of the regulars told us, "....but they can get a little crazy." He was talking about seemingly perfect approach shots or putts that meandered, kept rolling, or even didn't hold a couple of times, tumbling down steep slopes, mystifying those who hit them. They come with the design. Pinehurst No. 8 is fun and a test for expert players. An average or occasional golfer will likely experience a high scoring day. This is a resort course with many first or only-timers. Unfamiliarity and inexperience will cost them. Their trials can slow down a found on the course. The front nine at Pinehurst No. 8 is challenging. The par-5, 454-605 yard 6th is the #1 handicap, and rightfully so. The fairway is narrow, undulating, uphill, and demands three perfect shots to reach a green guarded by a right-to-left, bunkered approach.The left side of the green falls away steeply. It is an excellent hole. The back nine ramps up No. 8's demands. Much of it threads through wetlands. The 297-373, par-4 12th plays up then right around an inside bunkered corner to a beautiful, flirtatious. demanding green. The 396-4454 yard, par-4, 18th can be kryptonite to any player who thinks he bombs the driver. Into a wind on this day, it played like a par-5. This is a strong finishing hole. Pinehurst No. 8's four par-3's make memories. The 132-204 yard 13th looks like an infinity green from the tee. It slopes front-to-back and drops steeply from there. Errant shots can go awol. The 131-187 yard 15th sits inside marshland and played into a cross wind. The 98-148 yard is a respite, It tees downhill, with a picturesque lake on the left. The 155-236, par-3 8th is beautiful, with a forced carry to a deep green. Miss the green by short by even a foot, however, and balls may back down into no-shot land. It's my favorite hole, and not because of the score."
Read More2025
