John P. Kane
Courtesy of the club
Ryan Barnett/Courtesy of Southern Pines
Southern Pines Golf Club
Southern Pines, NC • Public
Southern Pines Golf Club
290 Country Club Cir
Southern Pines, NC 28387-6504
United States
Telephone
Overview
Southern Pines used to be a course that only locals and architectural bookworms played. Designed in the early 1900s by Donald Ross, the affordable public course occupied a wonderful, bucolic piece of land and seemed to have buried treasure underneath. After a change in ownership, Kyle Franz completed a major 2021 renovation that added plenty of razzle-dazzle to the design in the form of new greens and painting the layout with the kind of scruffy sandscapes indigenous to the Pinehurst region (and to Pine Needles and Mid Pines, where he’s previously wielded his art). The work has elevated this formerly modest public course to the level of its more prestigious neighbors.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest Public: Debut appearance in 2023-'24.
Previous ranking: 72nd.
2025-'26 ranking: 98th.
Best in State: Ranked in 2023-'24: 17th.
2025-'26 ranking: 22nd.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Probably the most fun of the "Pines" courses. Must play if traveling to the Pinehurst area."
Read More2026
Review
“Lots of nice rolling terrain, a lot of trees were removes a few years ago to reveal a treasure of a course. Holes are framed and punctuated by prevalent bunkers and tall pine trees"
Read More2026
Review
“Should absolutely be seen if in the area"
Read More2025
Review
“Just a fun day with a ton of charm! Some will say it is a bit goofy, but Southern Pines Golf Club is a must-play classic in the North Carolina Sandhills, blending over a century of Donald Ross heritage with a revitalized presentation that now stands proudly alongside its more famous neighbors in Pinehurst. Kyle Franz's restoration offers a lovely day through the region’s rolling knolls and sandy terrain, offering a layout that rewards creativity off the tee and precision into greens that are boldly contoured, with natural elevation changes giving each hole its own personality and challenge."
Read More2025
Review
“These are some of the more difficult and complex greens out there. Firm and fast with some incredible contours and compartmentalization. Great layout through the property. Great variety of holes. Bunkering is in great shape. A very challenging course."
Read More2025
Review
“These are some of the more difficult and complex greens out there. Firm and fast with some incredible contours and compartmentalization. Great layout through the property. Great variety of holes. Bunkering is in great shape. A very challenging course."
Read More2025
Review
“This is a great course and a good value. It's an awesome layout, with variety and some history too. The clubhouse and staff are very nice and they have great breakfast sandwiches and a putting course if you have time to kill before your tee time. This is a "must play" if you're in the area."
Read More2025
Review
“Easily top five course (or better) in the Pinehurst area and definitely best course for the money. Great layout, tons of variety and really good greens, but overall maintenance is an issue because there are so many bunkers to maintain."
Read More2025
Review
“Southern Pines Golf Club sends a not-so-subtle message---that what made a great golf course in 1906 still holds in modern times. Today, it plays 300-yards longer from the tips than when Sam Snead won here in 1946. While equipment has evolved, the facility stands a test of time. Three years since an adaptive redesign by the late Mike Strantz, we have a winner. The routing is sensational and its challenges, technical, all determined by the rolling landscape this course lays upon. The front-nine is more difficult than the back. It will get your attention. On both sides, we have unique and memorable adaptations from the original Donald Ross design. They are unique, checking all of our boxes. There are short hole and long holes. They move left, right, uphill and downhill. They present a variety of lies, forced carries, blind, and straight-forward challenges. It's an engaging golf course with a perfect, hole-to-hole rhythm. Nothing feels unnatural, unforced, or unfair, but it's tough. The bunkering? Perfect. I first played here in after the reopening in 2022. Since then, the facility has matured as work continues. We returned on a morning in 2025 severe storms rendered many of the bunkers unplayable. Give them a pass. Southern Pines Golf Club deserves safe standing on our list Top-100 of public golf courses."
Read More2025
Review
“Overall, the course terrain is not typical compared to the other Pinehurst area courses. It is quite open and very hilly comparatively. The fairways are relatively generous and wide; the mounding is definitely a Ross-designed course. The yardage is relatively short and the shot selection often dictates how much risk one wants to take to get closer and in a better position for the next shot into the green. I walked the course hoping to have a better understanding and appreciation of the layout, as well as enjoy the round more. I walked away from the course with a nice day, with a good course, and good memories of a renovated Ross classic. One part that does not get mentioned enough is The Lost Hole; Ross had added a fun par three in 1911 to make a quick 9 hole loop back to the clubhouse. They restored this hole, between holes #4 and #5, it is a really cool part of the renovation!"
Read More2024
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