Golf is in the DNA of the Sandhills of North Carolina
PINEHURST, North Carolina – It doesn’t take long on the drive into the Sandhills of North Carolina to get the feeling that golf — like the scent of pines — is in the air.
The region was once ancient beach dunes when the ocean was higher or the land was lower, and those conditions, along with the forests of trees that have grown over the centuries, make it ideal as a palate for great courses and good times on the links.
If you need any reminder that the Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen area is focused on golf, those cues are readily available – signals of the game’s importance here are everywhere. The region is home to more than 40 golf courses, with 90 percent of the play coming from outside Moore County, helping to make the region truly the “Home of Golf.”
Visitors from around the globe will flock to the area to watch the greatest golfers in the world play one of the world’s iconic courses, and many will be looking for ways to satisfy the urge to play some themselves while in such a golf-centric, historic and bucolic atmosphere.
The famed Pinehurst Resort, which has hosted both the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens, is the home to 11 great courses and is undoubtedly the hub of golf in the region, with tracks designed by the likes of Donald Ross, Ellis Maples, George Fazio, Rees Jones, Tom Fazio and Jack Nicklaus.
As great as it is, the resort is not the only option here for golf, with many of the courses offering challenges, beauty and playability for all levels of players.
The perfect introduction to the best of golf in the Pinehurst area is at the Talamore Golf Resort, which features three splendid and challenging courses and fantastic accommodations.
Talamore GC, designed by Rees Jones, opened for play in 1991 with the gimmick of having llamas (yes, llamas) as caddies. In the two decades since, the llamas have been phased out for pace of play concerns but Jones’ course – playing to a par of 71 and at 6,840 from its back set of four tees – has shown that it is able to stand on its own merits.
Jones fashioned a course that is visually striking and exceptionally enjoyable; it was ranked as one of the top five new courses in America by Golf Digest upon its opening. Talamore is a shotmaker’s course, but doesn’t take the drive out of the player’s hand. Golfers need to manufacture shots, but the routing – sticking to what makes the area so ideal for golf – is not extreme.
Strategically placed sand traps, sculpted grass mounds, elevated tee shots and rolling fairways lined with thick pine forests help create the setting at Talamore. There is 180 feet of dramatic elevation change over the routing, and the holes conclude at interesting and sometimes tricky greens complexes. The track is plenty challenging for even the best golfers.
Talamore has won numerous Top 20 state rankings over the years by regional and national publications and was named “North Carolina Golf Course of the Year” on numerous occasions. Golf Digest regularly hails Talamore with 4½ stars in its ratings.
Guests at the Talamore Golf Resort can also play the Mid South Club, a rollicking Arnold Palmer design routed through longleaf pines and over gently rolling hillsides as the centerpiece of a 545-acre private residential golf community.
Originally known as Pinehurst Plantation, the Mid South Club offers a visually beautiful, challenging, yet enjoyable championship layout on which to test the golfers’ perspicacity. Mid South’s elevation changes, native wetlands and numerous lakes are seamlessly weaved into a design that some consider one of the King’s best layouts.
The course has 11 acres of bunkers, so be prepared to play some shots out of the sand and is carded at a par of 72 and at 7,003 yards from the tips.
The Mid South Club has hosted a bevy of prestigious tournaments and qualifiers, including those for the U.S. and U.S. Senior opens and U.S. Amateur. Pinehurst Magazine has ranked Mid South as the No. 1 Private Course in the Pinehurst area and it’s a blast to play.
The newest golf course in the Talamore family is Legacy Golf Course. Originally crafted by the legendary Nicklaus Design, Legacy GC isone of only three courses in the celebrated Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen area to have hosted a USGA National Championship — a distinction that speaks for itself.
When Legacy joined Talamore Golf Resort as its third course in 2024, it sparked a top-to-bottom transformation that has elevated the entire property to an exciting new level. The course itself has been dramatically reimagined — featuring meticulously rebuilt bunkers, and more than 25 acres of fresh sod that deliver playing conditions worthy of championship distinction.
New cart paths and bridges complete the on-course upgrades, ensuring a seamless, premium experience from the first tee to the final hole.
The routing itself has been boldly reshaped. Hole 16 was been converted to a demanding 443-yard par 4, while the 18th now plays as a sweeping 556-yard par 5, closing out the round with the kind of drama that leaves golfers talking they leave.
The excitement doesn’t stop there. Legacy is set to debut “The Cub” in spring 2026 — a charming three-hole par-3 loop nestled between the clubhouse and the scenic lake that borders holes 9 and 18. Perfect for a post-round loop for end of the day fun and settling of bets, The Cub promises to become an instant favorite our guests.
Guests at the Talamore Golf Resort stay in their choice of the charming Villa at Talamore or the luxurious Lodges at Mid South. These two- and three-bedroom condominiums feature full kitchens, bathrooms for every bedroom, gracious living rooms, flat-screen televisions, complementary WIFI and maid service.
The Talamore Golf Resort is located up different roads from the charming Village of Pinehurst, which is one of only two towns in the nation to be designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Village of Pinehurst offers a quaint array of shops, boutiques, restaurants and art galleries and is a quiet and lovely place to spend the day.
Just east of the courses profiled here is the charming town of Southern Pines, which also boasts a substantial golf pedigree. Southern Pines is also well-known as a major equestrian community, hosting show jumping, carriage driving and numerous other such events.
The town’s tree-lined main street is home to cafes, pubs and gourmet restaurants, as well as boutiques, a wine-tasting room, galleries and an old-time theater.