River at Country Club of Whispering Pines

The River Course at Country Club of Whispering Pines is an Ellis Maples design located in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, an area known for its sandy soils and pine forests that have made it a significant golf destination since the mid-twentieth century. Maples, a North Carolina native who worked extensively throughout the Carolinas, designed numerous courses in this region during his career, often creating layouts that work with the natural rolling terrain and incorporate the native vegetation characteristic of the Sandhills.

The course takes its name from its relationship to the local waterways that thread through the property, a common feature in Maples designs where he integrated natural water elements into the strategic demands of play. The routing likely moves through stands of longleaf and loblolly pines with fairways carved from the sandy soil that provides firm playing conditions and good drainage year-round. Maples typically favored traditional design principles with straightforward holes that rewarded accurate shotmaking rather than relying heavily on artificial hazards.

Country Club of Whispering Pines serves as a private club facility in a community that developed alongside the growth of golf in the Pinehurst area. The club operates multiple courses, with the River Course representing one component of the overall golf offerings available to members. The setting provides the quiet, wooded character typical of Sandhills golf, where the game unfolds among the pines with minimal intrusion from surrounding development.