How much does it cost to play the 2024 US Open course at Pinehurst?

Pinehurst No.2 is the heart of championship golf in America – and a round on the famous course doesn’t come cheap.

The famous course is among 10 on the remarkable Pinehurst Resort, which is one of the biggest golf properties in the world.

Pinehurst No.2 is the jewel in their crown and has its place on many golfer’s bucket lists.

Donald Ross, whose designs include East Lake, Pine Needles, Oak Hill and Seminole, arguably did his finest work with No.2, which opened in 1907 and continued to benefit from tweaks to the course until Ross’ death in 1948.

More recently, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore revitalised the course in 2010 with changes that brought the course back into closer alignment with Ross’ original design.

All the Bermudagrass rough that had been planted in the 1970s in folly was destroyed and torn out by Coore and Crenshaw. They created broad stretches of natural hardpan sand, punctuated by wiregrass clumps and scattered pine needles, between fairways and tree lines. To prevent grass from ever growing back in the newly created sandy wastelands, they cut watering to only single rows in fairways.

The 2014 Men’s and Women’s US Opens were held there over the course of two weeks, and thanks to its fast and solid playing conditions, it was a huge success. Golf Digest recognised the course with a Green Star environmental award that year as a result of its water-saving efforts.

The “turtleback” greens that the course is well-known for were inspired by Royal Dornoch in Scotland, where Ross worked as a greenskeeper. The greens are not only a challenge to putt on but can be tricky on the approach.

It is not terribly difficult to get your chance to play No.2 at Pinehurst, but it will cost you a pretty penny.

Resort packages allow guests the option to play the No.2 course if they are staying a minimum of two nights.

If you want to play Pinehurst No.1, No.3, No.5, or the nine-hole course The Cradle, you don’t need to be a resort guest but will need to pay green fees of between $50 to $490.

Pinehurst regularly updates their packages and it is worth checking in on them from time to time if you’re out for a good deal.

At the moment, something like the Donald Ross Package includes the option of a two-night stay starting at $747, including three rounds, one of which can be on No.2.

An alternative to booking stays at the resort would be to become a member of Pinehurst, with five options right now in the Signature, Premier, Classic, Sports and Social plans. The Signature membership carries a reported $45,000 initiation fee and has monthly dues of $620.

For that investment, players are granted access to one of the finest golf facilities in the world.