Pinehurst No. 7

Few destinations in American golf carry the weight of Pinehurst, and No. 7 — designed by Rees Jones and opened in 1986 — holds its own distinct identity within that storied resort. Where No. 2 is revered as a purist's examination of Donald Ross's genius, No. 7 is more openly dramatic: Jones leaned into the natural elevation changes of the Sandhills terrain to produce a layout that feels bold and visually arresting, with several tee shots playing from elevated positions over waste areas and native wiregrass rough. The greens are large and contoured in the Pinehurst tradition, demanding precise approach play and patient putting reads.

The course earned a reputation as one of the stronger offerings in the resort's numbered rotation, and it plays to a stiff challenge from the back tees — rewarding length but punishing imprecision far more than pure distance.

Pinehurst village itself is unlike anywhere else in American golf: a purpose-built golf retreat in the North Carolina Sandhills, where longleaf pines frame nearly every hole and the sandy soil drains almost instantly after rain, keeping the courses in near-constant play year-round.