Most noticeable during the 2026 golf season is the fresh look and delicious new taste of the dining operation at Pine Needles. Cory Owen took over as executive chef in November 2025 and has been busy rewriting the menus for the lodge’s upscale Crest Dining Room and casual In The Rough Lounge.
Owen moves to Southern Pines from Charlotte and has more than two decades in the restaurant and cooking arenas.
“I saw the potential that Pine Needles has, it’s such a diamond in the rough and just needs to be polished up a little bit,” he says. “It can be an awesome place, and our goal is to get it back on the map. I’ve had the opportunity to dine at some of the really good restaurants in town. Chefs are doing an amazing job in the Sandhills. I just want to add to the offerings and showcase what we have here.”
The properties have a new general manager in Matt Chriscoe, who came in September 2025 after 24 years at Pinehurst Resort (most recently as director of hotel operations), and a new director of sales in Jonathan Campbell.
“The property itself is in a great position,” Chriscoe says. “Some of the things Cory and our staff are doing is to refine it and take it to another level. We want our guests to have enough variety in the menu and the experiences to be happy to dine multiple times. One of the things we noticed was we had one menu and one dining experience. There was not a lot of creativity and options.”
Guests will find the biggest changes in the Crest Dining Room.
“We’ve basically remade it from scratch,” Chriscoe says. “It’s very exciting what’s going on there. Our guests are enjoying it, and local residents are taking notice.”
The dinner menu includes prime rib, salmon, braised short ribs, pan-roasted chicken with a cherry-pepper demi-glaze and pasta dishes such as linguini with bolognaise and black-truffle ravioli. Owen is working to establish his relationships with area farmers and food purveyors so that he can access the best produce throughout the seasons.
Three meals a day are available in the In The Rough Lounge, and the breakfast menu includes dishes off an a la carte menu such as eggs benedict, French toast and smoked salmon as well as traditional favorites like eggs cooked-to-order with all the trimmings. The bar now offers a more robust wine list and more creative cocktail options.
Age-old favorites such as fried chicken with banana pudding for dessert are served for special occasions, including during the resort’s women’s golf schools known as Golfaris.
“I think it’s going to change the dynamics of this town,” says Kellyann Miller, marketing director at the resorts and granddaughter of the resort’s longtime owners, Peggy and Bullet Bell. “There are not many places where you get that cozy and inviting southern hospitality right when you step in. It’s inviting, it’s comfortable. That will always be our differentiator.”