Pinehurst No. 3

Few places in American golf carry the weight of Pinehurst, and No. 3 occupies a particular niche within that storied resort — the quiet, walkable layout that regulars treat as a daily-driver while visitors chase the fame of No. 2. Opened in 1910, it was redesigned by Donald Ross in 1917 and plays as a more forgiving expression of his philosophy: wide fairways, the resort's characteristic sandy waste areas, and those subtly crowned and runoff-inviting greens that punish anything but a centered approach. It's shorter and less severe than its celebrated sibling, but Ross's fingerprints are unmistakable.

The Village of Pinehurst sits in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, where longleaf pine forests, sandy soil, and a mild climate created conditions that made this one of the earliest — and most enduring — golf destinations in the country. The landscape itself dictates the style of play: firm and fast, with the ground game very much alive.