John P. Kane
Ryan Barnett/Courtesy of Southern Pines
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: Not previously ranked.
2023-'24 ranking: 72nd.
Best in State: Not previously ranked.
2023-'24 ranking: 17th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
Reviews
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
Review
“Southern Pines has been brought back to life by Kyle Franz. With a strong layout and very challenging green complexes, SP is right up there with its sister courses of Mid Pines and Pine Needles. A great mix of holes starts with a nice handshake on #1 and builds quickly to the very stout Par 3 third. Don't miss this DR green right or short! 4 thru 6 is a nice mix of 4,5,4 that all play to their handicap of 3,5, and 1. #6 is a stout 450 yard par 4 playing across a hazard and up a steady slope to a huge and severely sloping DR green... take your 4 and run! The very unique and potentially drivable Par 4 11th wraps around the lake providing a nice scoring opportunity with trouble long and right. The 415 uphill Par 4 12th is nearly as tough as #6. #14 completes a great set of Par 3's! If there is a weakness at SP it's #18... a shortish uphill 4 that lacks some of the interest of the rest of this wonderful layout. SPGC is back... and better than ever!"
Read More2024
Review
“Not the longest course you'll ever play, but this old Donald Ross design that was recently restored by Kyle Franz will test your game. Approach shots must be precise to these elevated greens to avoid three-putting. The greens are fast with run-offs on most sides. Beautiful piece of property with a lot of elevation changes and natural waste areas. Definitely should be on your list if playing in the Pinehurst area."
Read More2024
Review
“A fun course, and one to hit when in the area. Newly restored, it now holds a well-deserved place back in the rota of places to play in Pinehurst."
Read More2024
Review
“Really well done restoration at Southern Pines does a great job of exposing a great routing and lots of land movement. The result is a little scruffy, quirky at times, and a lot of fun!"
Read More2024
Review
“Among the three courses available at the resort, Pine Needles and MidPines are much better and more playable than Southern Pines."
Read More2024
Review
“Shot options: The non par 3's typically have multiple options for placement, but since the risk of using driver on most holes was that high, but didn't see the tee shot options as all that high. Most greens have multiple locations, creating nearly Excellent shot options. The par 3's all have outstanding shot options. The best hole out here in the category is #17, its about the only hole that you have to think about whether driver is a good idea, especially if the pin is left - you miss the fairway and you can't get near those pins. #7 is also a good hole, with a tough pin in back left on one day, and a relatively easy pin on front right. ; Challenge: I didn't find the tee shots outside of par 3's to be that challenging, as I didn't think too much about hitting anything but driver, and if I did miss the fairway, it wasn't overly penal. The greens are much more of the challenge, as most greens have locations that can make birdies very tough, although there are plenty of spots that are easily accessible. The par 3's are much tougher than the other holes. The best holes in this category are 6, 7 and 17, while 5, 8, 10 don't present much challenge. Overall, I didn't think this course was better than Very Good. ; Layout variety: Variety was quite good, with an even balance of uphill, downhill and flat holes. Even though I rate 10 holes as being straight, there is always some nuance that doesn't make it play like a straight one. The holes go mostly in varied directions, and even if they were, the swirling winds within the trees gives it great variety. The ways in which is isn't varied include 1) 3 longer par 3's, and no short ones, 2) no longer par 4's, and 3) only medium length par 5's. ;Aesthetics: We played Tobacco Rd, Mid Pines and Pine Needles on this trip, which are all on visually pleasing pieces of land, but this course stood out. The only courses I can think of that are better are Cal Club, Monterey Peninsula and Riviera. ; Conditioning: We played in April, so far enough into the season to expect near-perfect conditions. The course was pretty firm, but saw firmer on other courses during our trip. The greens rolled quite true, but could have seen them better. ; Character: I felt this course was special most of the way through the round. While the landscape and vegetation is similar to that of its neighbors we played, I see the character of this course as standing out from them. ; Fun: We were playing behind an event, and our round took 6 hours 25 mins (a special thanks to The Golfers Journal for putting an event in front of us), which normally makes my borderline psychotic (actually, its not borderline, its all the way over). Instead, I, along with my friends, all thought the course was tremendous amount of fun. There aren't that many courses I have had more fun playing in a while."
Read More2024
Review
“Kyle Franz did a complete makeover and is a significant upgrade to the course in keeping with the Pinehurst/Southern Pines tradition. It even has the "lost hole" restored."
Read More2022
Review
“I never played before the renovation in 2021, but I can say that after the Franz renovation, the new Southern Pines is terrific and one of the best courses in the Pinehurst area. The hole variety is strong and the layout is extremely well-routed and fun. Highly, highly recommend Southern Pines."
Read More2022
Review
“Very nice Donald Ross layout with lots of potential. Conditions need work and that is in process now. The layout is very good, but some of the greens have to much undulation for Champions Bermuda. It makes them unplayable when the speeds are fast. Some remodeling needs to be done on a couple for greens. A real fun course to play however, has lots of potential."
Read More2022
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