Buggies and Caddies in North Carolina

The short answer

The single most useful thing to understand about North Carolina golf is that the Sandhills around Pinehurst are walking and caddie country, and the rest of the state is mostly cart golf. In the Sandhills, the classic Donald Ross courses were laid out long before electric carts on firm, sandy, walkable ground, and the resort runs a full caddie program. Pinehurst No. 2 is the showpiece, a course built to be walked with a caddie to decode its famous crowned greens, and Mid Pines, Pine Needles and the other Ross designs nearby are every bit as walkable. If a caddie experience is the reason you are coming, this is the place.

Away from the Sandhills the picture shifts to riding. The coastal resort courses around Wilmington and the Brunswick Islands, and the inland and mountain courses around Asheville, are largely cart golf, with the buggy usually included or expected and the hills making walking the exception. The smart plan is to lean fully into walking and caddies for the Sandhills leg of a trip, and to expect to ride elsewhere. Knowing which North Carolina you are playing, the walking Sandhills or the riding coast and mountains, is the thing to settle before you travel.

Caddies in the Sandhills

If a caddie round is the reason you are coming to North Carolina, the Pinehurst Sandhills are the heart of it. The resort runs a full caddie program, and a caddie is the classic way to play No. 2, where the firm, repelling, crowned greens reward a local read more than almost any course in America. Caddies are arranged through the resort and are best requested in advance, particularly in the busy spring and autumn seasons. Indicative 2026 figures put a double bag caddie at roughly 100 dollars per player as a base fee, and a forecaddie at around 40 dollars per player, before the customary tip, which runs about 50 dollars per bag for a caddie and around 30 dollars per bag for a forecaddie. Treat those gratuity figures as a minimum for good service.

Use the caddie as the expert they are. Ask for the line off the tee, the read on the crowned greens and the pace, and listen on the famous holes, where local knowledge saves shots. Walking is part of the privilege in the Sandhills, so resist the urge to ride on the classic Ross courses unless you genuinely need to, and where a cart is unavoidable, keep it on the path and out of the way of those walking. The other Ross courses, Mid Pines and Pine Needles in Southern Pines, are joys to walk and also take caddies on notice.

Riding the coast and the mountains

Beyond the Sandhills, North Carolina is mostly cart golf. The coastal resort courses around Wilmington, Bald Head Island and the Brunswick Islands are spread out and built for riding, with the cart usually included in the fee and walking the exception. The mountain courses around Asheville and the High Country are hillier still, with elevation changes that make a buggy the sensible choice for most golfers. On any cart round, follow the posted rule, whether cart path only or 90 degrees, especially after rain or overseeding, and expect to park and walk in to the ball at times. Carry water in the summer heat and humidity, which can be considerable on the coast.

Etiquette and how to plan around it

The usual courtesies apply statewide: keep pace, repair pitch marks, replace or sand divots, rake the bunkers, and keep carts away from greens and tees. In the Sandhills, the caddie culture adds a layer of etiquette, so tip well, listen to your caddie and let them help with pace and reads. Dress codes at the resorts and better courses mean a collared shirt and proper golf shoes. The smart way to build a North Carolina trip is to plan the Sandhills leg around walking and caddies, with any caddie requests locked in well ahead, and to plan the coastal or mountain legs around cart golf. Settle the walking, cart, caddie and dress questions before you travel, and the golf takes care of itself.