A Donald Ross masterpiece dating to 1927 and recently restored to perfection by John Fought Pine Needles is home to venerable and hugely popular teacher Peggy Kirk Bell who owns the place By today s standards Pine Needles is not a long golf course The par 5s can all be reached in two shot by long hitters The course s stretch comes from its variety or medium and short par 4s that wander over hilly terrain In order to score well players must position their ball carefully The third hole a beautiful 145 yard par 3 requires players to hit over a pond and wetland area to a green that slopes hard from back to front Large bunkers await like catcher s mits to the right and short of the green ready to grab any shot that misses the putting surface The 218 yard par 3 fifth hole is situated at the highest point of the course The combination of swirling wings and a crowned green making birdies rare and bogies common The 421 yard par 4 18th hole forces players to hit a short iron approach from a downhill lie to a green that is extremely undulating The smart play is to hit a punch shot to the front of the green and allow the ball to release regardless of where the pin is located Tucked in amid magnolias hollies dogwoods and longleaf pines and throw in some brilliant azaleas in springtime Pine Needles is pure delight yet a strong enough test to have hosted the U S Women s Open in 1996 2001 and 2007 The course ranked 45th on the GOLF Magazine Top 100 Courses You Can Play list in 2006 The resort itself has been named to GOLF Magazine s Silver Medal list on several occasions