Lots of reasons to give a 'fore' thought

But there are savings to be had, from traditional golf hotbeds such as Myrtle Beach, S.C., to marquee resorts.

Pinehurst, N.C.

Last month, the US Golf Association announced that the Pinehurst Resort and its No. 2 Course will host the US men’s and women’s Opens on consecutive weeks in 2014, the first time one venue will host both events in the same year.

Why Pinehurst, a resort in the Sandhills region of North Carolina? The USGA thinks enough of Pinehurst that the 2014 men’s Open will mark its third time hosting the event in 15 years. No course has been awarded three Opens in such proximity in more than a century.

USGA executive director David Fay has described it this way: “The United States may not have a St. Andrews, but Pinehurst is the closest thing to St. Andrews [the sport’s birthplace] we have in terms of the history of the game. The whole place just exudes golf.’’

Since it is not a private club, anyone can stay and play at Pinehurst, where eight courses beckon, including four by Donald Ross, who considered the No. 2 course the masterpiece of his more than 400 designs. Ross lived at Pinehurst and tinkered with the layout for decades.

Pinehurst is offering what it calls the Back 2 Back package from Sept. 9-Nov. 7. Golfers will receive two rounds on the No. 2 course, a third round on another Pinehurst course, two nights’ stay, and breakfast and dinner daily. The package starts at $1,265, and those who book a midweek stay receive a $300 resort gift card per room.

Pinehurst also offers the Summer Tee package through Sept. 8, which includes three nights’ stay, four rounds of golf, breakfast and dinner daily, plus afternoon tea, and use of bicycles, pools, beach club, and fitness center, starting at $864. The No. 2 course carries a $175 surcharge on this package. Children age 12 and under stay and eat free with a paying adult, and children 17 and under play golf for free with a paying adult, except No. 2, where a $215 fee applies. www.pinehurst.com, 800-487-4653.

Hawaii’s Big Island