Until this spring, the room off the Main Clubhouse hallway was an event space, much like the one across the hall. Greensboro-based Design Environments turned it into a restaurant. Interior designer Teal Laughlin told The Pilot the goal was "something warm and rich while bringing in touches of the Sandhills region." The room has a craftsman feel and is meant to be refined but not formal. It also kept the room dividers from its event days, which is why it can still seat large parties.
That room is Wiregrass, and it opened April 29, 2026. One week later the Carolina Dining Room closed for a full renovation. The timing matters for anyone in the Village who books Resort tables for anniversaries, visiting family or a dinner after a round. For the rest of 2026, the Resort's main dinner room is one its own listing describes as "Open to the public." Every venue around it posts different rules on access, dress and reservations.
Why the Center of Gravity Shifted
The Carolina Dining Room closed May 6, and the Resort says it expects to reopen it in late December. Hotel guests have been eating breakfast in the nearby Cardinal Ballroom in the meantime. While the dining room is out of service, 1895 Grille at The Holly Inn has been serving dinner seven days a week. The Resort hasn't released any design or concept details for the renewed room yet. It says only that it will share more "in the months ahead."
The Spa at Pinehurst is on a similar schedule. It closed June 15, 2026 and stays closed through December, with a limited treatment menu offered in the renovated East Wing of The Carolina Hotel. Two of the hotel's signature spaces are offline in the same season. So for most of this fall, Resort hospitality has been happening in other buildings.
Our State's September profile of Wiregrass calls it the Resort's "primary dining option as the Carolina Dining Room closes for renovations." That profile is labeled as sponsored by Pinehurst Resort. Still, it describes the arrangement the Resort itself set up.
A Menu Built Not to Repeat
The kitchen is run by someone local diners may already have eaten from. Executive Chef Geoffrey Kenney grew up in the area and has been with the Resort for more than four years. He's also executive chef for The Deuce and the members club. He works under Director of Culinary Thierry Debailleul, and Sandhills Sentinel's opening coverage named Balla Camara as sous-chef.
Kenney told The Pilot the menu is meant to change constantly:
"We're trying to be as local as possible and thoughtful about the ingredients we're using. Sustainable agriculture is very important to us."
He calls the menus hyper-seasonal, meaning they can change several times within one season depending on what's available. Our State reports that dishes change week to week. Each menu also features a "farm of the week" that shows which grower or purveyor the kitchen is working with. If you liked a dish in May, there's a good chance it's gone by now. The Resort's own posted menu is labeled a sample that may not reflect current offerings.
Because the menu turns over so quickly, the suppliers are the steadier thing to know. Across the opening announcement and later coverage, these names come up:
- Joyce Farms chicken, which on the opening menu came thyme-roasted with minted pea purée, leeks and crispy country ham
- Brasstown beef, in short rib croquettes and a 14-ounce New York strip
- Cheshire pork, served as a dry-aged chop with muscadine gastrique, and Sunburst trout
- Shipley Farms in Vilas, Chapel Hill Creamery and Pamlico County's Tidewater Grain Company
- Pinehurst Brewing Co., which Our State places less than a mile away, on the beer list
Our State's fall example is a fig salad topped with Lady Edison country ham and a local-honey vinaigrette. It also reports that Kenney often shops the Sandhills Farmers Market looking for new suppliers. At the bar, The Pilot describes the approach as "garden to glass," with house-made syrups, mocktails alongside cocktails, and smoked cocktails on request.
Same Resort, Different House Rules
With the dinner crowd split across several buildings, many Resort-dinner habits now depend on which door you walk through. Each venue's page posts its own rules on public access, hours and dress, and some pages leave those questions open. The table below shows what each official page listed when we checked this fall. Several of those pages were last updated before July, so hours may have shifted since.
| Venue | Public access, as posted | Hours, as posted | Dress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiregrass, Main Clubhouse | "Open to the public" | Dinner 5–9:30 p.m. daily; bar 4–10 p.m. | Elevated smart casual; collared shirts, closed-toe shoes; shorts allowed, no T-shirts or hats |
| 1895 Grille, The Holly Inn | Non-guests book through the dining line | Breakfast 6–10 a.m.; dinner 5:30–9 p.m. | Smart casual; no shorts, T-shirts or hats |
| The Deuce | Non-resort diners book through the dining line | Sun 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Mon–Wed 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Thu–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | Resort casual |
| Carolina Vista Lounge | Page doesn't say | Dinner menu 5–10 p.m. | Page doesn't say |
| PL8TE, Pinehurst No. 8 | Page doesn't say | Breakfast 6–9:30 a.m.; dinner 5:30–9 p.m. | Page doesn't say |
| Station 21, Pinehurst Sandmines | "Open to the public" | 6 a.m.–7 p.m.; kitchen closes 5:30 p.m. | Resort casual |
| Pinehurst Brewing Co. | Page doesn't say | Opens 5 p.m. Mon–Tue, 11 a.m. Wed–Sun; weekend brunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m. | Page doesn't say |
Two rows deserve a closer look. The first is dress code. Shorts are allowed at Wiregrass but not at 1895 Grille, so a group heading out straight from the course can be seated at one room and not the other.
The second is 1895 Grille's reservation policy. The Resort's FAQ says reservations there are required, while the restaurant's own page says they're recommended. The number for both is 855-235-8507, option 6. Since it's one of the two main dinner rooms this fall, it makes sense to call ahead either way.
Regulars still looking for the Ryder Cup Lounge won't find it under that name. The Resort replaced it with Carolina Vista Lounge, which serves food all day and a dinner menu in the evening.
Breakfast Moved Too
Dinner wasn't the only meal that moved. The Resort spread breakfast across the property for the rest of the year. PL8TE at Pinehurst No. 8 serves a Southern-style breakfast buffet, and Station 21 added enhanced breakfast for golfers playing No. 10 at Sandmines. Breakfast at The Holly Inn continues as usual.
Station 21 is the easiest of these for someone without a room key. Its page says it's open to the public, with a breakfast buffet from 6 to 9:30 a.m. and the kitchen open until 5:30 p.m. PL8TE takes dinner reservations at 844-345-1098, option 6, but its page doesn't say whether non-guests can come for the morning buffet. If you're meeting out-of-town guests for an early meal, calling ahead saves an awkward turn at the door.
What Changes After December
The Carolina Dining Room is scheduled to reopen in late December. That's the Resort's only stated timeline, and it hasn't said what the room will look like or serve. The Spa is also scheduled to reopen after December. Neither announcement says what happens to Wiregrass's role once the original room reopens. For now, Wiregrass is a permanent restaurant, not a stand-in for the closed room.
More change is coming to Sandmines, home of Station 21, the Resort's other explicitly public venue. Pinehurst No. 11, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is scheduled to open March 29, 2027. The Resort has broken ground on an eight-bedroom Cabin expected in Summer 2027 and a 26-room Lodge to follow in Fall 2027. A new clubhouse for No. 11 is also scheduled to open in 2027.
Until then, Wiregrass takes dinner reservations at 866-966-5685, option 6. It's at 80 Carolina Vista Drive, serves dinner every night from 5 to 9:30, and keeps the bar open until 10.
If you're hosting family this fall and someone at the table starts asking what it's like to live here, Rose A Ward would be glad to help answer those questions after dinner. Let's Connect.
