How to Play Pinehurst No 2: Tee Times, Ballots and Booking

The short answer

You play Pinehurst No 2 as a guest of Pinehurst Resort. Outside major championships there is no public access and no walk up tee time on No 2; instead you book a stay, generally with a two night minimum, and most golfers do so through a stay and play package that bundles the golf, a room and meals. A standalone No 2 tee time, stripped of any package, is indicatively around 470 dollars in 2026. Many packages include one No 2 round, and those that do not typically add it for a surcharge of around 250 dollars, with a second round on No 2 dearer again, around 595 dollars in peak season. Always confirm current fees directly before booking.

Treat the resort booking as the trip itself. Because No 2 access flows from staying on property, the order is simple: choose your dates, book the package that includes No 2, and the rest of Pinehurst's celebrated courses, including the new No 10 that Tom Doak opened in 2024, come with it. Reserve well ahead, as the spring and autumn windows fill fast.

How to book, step by step

Start with the stay, not the tee time. Because No 2 is open only to resort guests, the booking begins by choosing dates and reserving a Pinehurst package that includes a No 2 round; the resort's golf packages bundle the green fees, lodging at the Carolina Hotel or the village inns, and meals, and they are the cleanest way to lock in the course. If your chosen package does not already carry No 2, add it for the surcharge, and consider a caddie, which on a course defined by those repelling greens is genuinely valuable on a first visit. Reserve months ahead for the prized spring and autumn dates, when the Sandhills are at their best and the resort is busiest.

Make the most of being on property. Pinehurst is a resort of many courses, so a two or three night stay easily pairs No 2 with the restored No 4, the Doak designed No 10 from 2024, the short and brilliant par 3 course known as The Cradle, and the village itself. A trip planner can sequence the rounds, secure the No 2 time within the package, and handle the room and transfers so the golf runs in the right order.

When to go, and what to expect

The Carolina Sandhills play best in spring and autumn, roughly March to May and September to November, when the air is mild and the turf firm; high summer is hot and humid and the deep winter cooler and quieter, both bringing lower rates. Whenever you come, expect the most demanding green complexes in American golf: Ross's crowned, turtleback putting surfaces shed anything less than a precise approach into collection areas and tight, sandy lies, so the test is one of strategy and short game rather than brute length. The 2010 to 2011 Coore and Crenshaw restoration stripped the rough and returned the natural sandy waste and wiregrass that frame the holes. Play it from sensible tees, respect the greens, and savour a round on one of the genuine cathedrals of the game.