Golf Digest 2008 "Best Places To Play" Ratings:

In 2008, all 31 of the golf courses rated in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area were given 3-stars or greater, and 74% of those (or 23 courses) were rated 4-stars or better. Pinehurst No. 2 remains the only course in North Carolina to be designated with the 5-star rating.

Pinehurst Resort is No. 1 – Again:

That news comes straight from the readers of Travel + Leisure Golf Magazine, who, for an unprecedented third time in 2008, voted the historic North Carolina resort as the best golf resort in North America.

This is the second year in a row that Pinehurst Resort was chosen No. 1, and the third time in four years. It has consistently ranked higher than such well-known locations as Pebble Beach Resorts, Kiawah Island Golf Resort and Bandon Dunes, all of which are in the list’s top 10.

Golf Magazine Releases 2008 List of Top 100 Golf Courses You Can Play:

The 100 golf courses on this list are among the best public golf experiences in the country. Four golf courses in North Carolina made the list, and three of them are located in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area! To see the complete list click here.

  5. Pinehurst No. 2

43. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club

94. Pinehurst No. 8

Southern Pines-Pinehurst Area Ranked #2 Dreamtown in NC:

The Southern Pines-Pinehurst area has once again received national accolades as one of the nation's most desirable places to live. Following on the heels of independent research firm POLICOM's recent 2008 ranking of the area as 27th in Economic Strength out of 577 micropolitan areas in the United States, American City Business Journals (ACBJ) has ranked Southern Pines-Pinehurst as the No. 2 best “Dreamtown” in North Carolina and the 35th best in the nation out of 140 smaller communities evaluated throughout the United States.

ACBJ's study looked at communities with populations of more than 10,000, but less than 50,000 to identify the nation's most attractive areas based on quality of life criteria. It gave the highest scores to those with less traffic congestion, solid economies, moderate costs of living, strong educational systems, and easy access to the offerings and attractions of metropolitan areas.

Pinehurst No. 2 Tops Golfweek's List of Best Courses You Can Play in NC:

Golfweek's 2008 list of the Best Courses You Can Play in North Carolina includes six golf courses in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area. The courses have been selected by Golfweek's national team of 450 raters on the basis of 10 criteria of architectural merit. To qualify a course must make itself available to the general public.

1. Pinehurst No. 2

2. Pine Needles

5. Mid Pines

6. Tobacco Road Golf Club

7. Pinehurst No. 4

8. Pinehurst No. 8

Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area is Home to 7 of the Top 15 Golf Courses in NC:

The North Carolina Golf Panel released their list of Top 100 Golf Courses in North Carolina in the April 2008 issue of BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA. Among the Top 15 were:

1. Pinehurst No. 2
3. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club
5. Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood)
6. Forest Creek Golf Club (South)
10. Pinehurst No. 4
11. Pinehurst No. 8
13. Forest Creek Golf Club (North)

In all, 20 golf courses in our area were ranked in NC's Top 100.

In The News:

2008 marks the 20th anniversary of Golf Magazine's Best Resorts rankings, which are chosen by their Golf.com readers. Pinehurst Resort was included in the list of the 10 finest golf resorts in the United States (Platinum Award), while Pine Needles was awarded a Silver ranking. Pinehurst Resort was also given a Green Award, which honors eco-sensitive facilities. Read more...

Golf.com named Pinehurst No. 8 one of the Top 10 'Sister' Courses You Can Play in the U.S. and says of it, "It can't approach the fabled No. 2 for history and lore, but it's undeniable that for sheer beauty, variety and memorable holes, No. 8 holds its own."

Upcoming Major Events

October 4
AUTUMNFEST & ROAD RACE. Hours: 9am-4pm. Downtown Southern Pines Fair with 1-mile and 5K running races. Sprint races will be held upon the conclusion of the 5K race at approx. 10am for kids 3-12. Arts, crafts, entertainment, concessions and youth activities. Downtown Park, between Broad and Ashe Streets, Southern Pines. (910)692-2463.

October 4
CAMERON ANTIQUES FAIR. Hours: 9am-5pm, rain or shine. More than 300 antique dealers and 13 shops display their antiques and collectibles along Main Street in the Historic District. Cameron. (910)245-1185. www.antiquesofcameron.com

October 11-12
FALL DRESSAGE AT THE PARK. Free for spectators. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd., Raeford. (910)875-2074.

October 18
29th ANNUAL HOLLY ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL. Hours: 10am-4pm. Sponsored by Pinehurst Business Guild. More than 150 exhibitors, crafts, food, entertainment and more. Held outside in the Village streets. Pinehurst. (910)295-7462.