Pinehurst — The Cradle

Few short courses have generated as much buzz as The Cradle, the 9-hole par-3 layout that Pinehurst Resort unveiled in 2017. Designed by Gil Hanse — the architect behind the 2016 Rio Olympics course and the restoration of Pinehurst No. 2 alongside Bill Coore — The Cradle was built in a matter of weeks on land adjacent to the famed Thistle Dhu putting course, and it immediately became one of the most talked-about short courses in the country.

Every hole plays over or around a central green complex area woven through wire grass, native sand, and the kind of rumpled, sandy terrain that defines Sandhills golf. The design is deliberately walkable and unpretentious — pull carts, no caddies required, a beer in hand entirely welcome. Tee times are first-come, first-served at dawn, which gives it a freewheeling, public-green energy that feels refreshingly at odds with the resort's more formal offerings.

Pinehurst itself is American golf's spiritual home, a village purpose-built around the game in the late 19th century. Playing The Cradle is a genuine piece of that tradition — just with shorter clubs and a looser dress code.