Pinehurst No 4
For years No 4 lived in the shadow of its famous neighbor. Then Gil Hanse stripped away decades of renovation, brought back the native sand and built a course many now call the most enjoyable round at Pinehurst, a wide, rough free test that asks for angles rather than muscle.
Photo: Pinehurst No. 4 via Google.
The verdict
Pinehurst No 4 began as a Donald Ross layout and passed through several hands before Gil Hanse completed what he called a retrovation in 2018. He tore out the heavy handed elements of earlier work, restored the sandy waste areas and wire grass that define the Sandhills, removed trees to open the corridors and rebuilt low profile greens with bold internal contours. The result is a course that finally looks like it belongs to its sandy ground.
It is a generous, joyful round. There is no rough, the fairways are wide, and a wayward drive is rarely lost, yet the strategy is real, because the angle into each green matters far more than the length of the drive. Strong enough to help host the 2019 U.S. Amateur and named Golf Digest's best new course you can play in 2018, No 4 is the round at Pinehurst that visiting golfers most often come off smiling about.
Pinehurst No 4 at a glance
- Reopened
- 2018
- Designer
- Gil Hanse
- Origin
- Donald Ross
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 7,226 yds
- Green fee
- From about $350
Design history, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the resort and course databases. No 4 was originally a Donald Ross course and was reimagined by Gil Hanse in 2018, playing to par 72 over roughly 7,226 yards. Green fees are indicative resort rates, often around 350 dollars or more in the spring and autumn high season and lower in summer and winter. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The genius of the Hanse rebuild is in the green complexes. There is no rough to stop a ball, so a slightly wrong angle leaves a putt or chip across a tilting surface that can run away from you, while the bold drive into the correct quarter of the fairway opens a clear line. The course defends itself with contour, not with penalty.
The sandy waste areas are everywhere and they are part of the playing surface, not a hazard to fear. You can find a flat lie and advance the ball, or catch a wire grass clump and have to chip out. It rewards the player who studies the ground and picks a side off the tee.
It plays firm and fast in the dry Carolina seasons, so the running approach and the bump along the ground come back into the game. On a soft week after rain it lengthens and the greens hold, a course that changes character with the weather more than most resort layouts.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A resort course at Pinehurst, open to resort guests and the public through the golf shop, walkable with a caddie or forecaddie |
| Green fee | Often around 350 dollars or more in the spring and autumn high season, with lower summer and winter rates and resort stay and play packages (indicative) |
| Booking | Book through the resort well ahead for spring and autumn; stay and play guests get the best tee time access across the nine courses |
| On the day | Caddie and forecaddie programs, a full clubhouse and the resort's wider practice facilities; walking encouraged |
| Getting there | In the village of Pinehurst in the North Carolina Sandhills, around 75 minutes from Raleigh Durham airport |
| Best months | April to May and September to November for firm turf and comfortable temperatures |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with the club or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Pinehurst Resort runs its own hotels, from the grand Carolina to the Holly Inn and the cottages, and a stay and play package is the simplest way to string several of the nine courses together with caddies and dining included.
The village of Pinehurst and nearby Southern Pines add independent inns and the neighboring Mid Pines and Pine Needles courses, so a Sandhills week can mix the resort with the classic Ross designs just up the road.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Pinehurst No 4.
Build a Pinehurst golf trip
We package No 4 with No 2 and the best of the Sandhills, book the caddies and tee times in the right order and sort the resort stay. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Pinehurst No 4 questions
What is the par and length of Pinehurst No 4?
Pinehurst No 4 plays to par 72 over roughly 7,226 yards from the back tees, a wide, rough free Sandhills course where the angle into the green matters more than raw length.
Who designed Pinehurst No 4?
No 4 was originally a Donald Ross layout and was reimagined by Gil Hanse in a 2018 retrovation that restored the native sand and wire grass and rebuilt the greens with bold contours.
Can visitors play Pinehurst No 4?
Yes. No 4 is open to resort guests and the public through the Pinehurst golf shop. A stay and play package gives the best access across the resort's courses, and the course is walkable with a caddie.
How much does it cost to play Pinehurst No 4?
Indicative 2026 green fees often run around 350 dollars or more in the spring and autumn high season, with lower summer and winter rates and package pricing. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
Related
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Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Design history, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.