Nov 14

Nov 14 Pinehurst No.2 - An amazing golf course

A profile of Pinehurst No.2 Golf Course

Pinehurst Resort is a golf resort in the United States, located in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments including three U.S. Open Championships, one U.S. Women's Open, three U.S. Amateur Championships, one PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

Pinehurst No.2 - A Golf course for the big hitters

Pinehurst Resort - How the Courses are setup

Pinehurst consists of nine 18-hole golf courses, each named simply by a number, and a 9-hole short course. Pinehurst No. 2 has consistently been ranked as one of the top courses in North Carolina and among the best in the United States.

In addition to the golf courses, Pinehurst has three hotels, as well as many villas, condos, restaurants, and other leisure facilities. With so much history at this resort, it is hard to put it all into one article, so today we will be talking about Pinehurst No. 2 specifically.

Famous Features at Pinehurst No.2

Pinehurst No. 2, the most famous course at Pinehurst Resort, was first opened in 1907 and designed by Donald Ross. Pinehurst is considered to be Ross' best work and he continued to perfect it until his death in 1948.

The course is famous for its exceptionally difficult green complexes which were a signature of Ross designs and many of the greens are crowned, causing shots that are short to roll off the green, leaving a difficult chip shot. Johnny Miller once famously compared trying to land a shot on a Pinehurst green as "like trying to hit a ball on top of a VW Beetle”.

Pinehurst, like many Sandhills courses, was without long rough for much of its early history but in 1974 a redesign by RT Jones led to the installation of thick Bermuda rough throughout the course, which lasted until a restoration in 2010 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who removed all of the rough and reshaped the fairways and bunkers to restore the course to its original Ross design. In lieu of rough, golfers now find hardpan sand and native scrub bordering the fairways.

Historic Holes at Pinehurst No.2

The 2nd

The second hole at this course is a par 4 reaching just over five hundred yards with the new tee box created within the last decade. You read that right, a par four over five hundred yards. This is certainly a course designed for professional golfers, which is why it has been host to many different tournaments over the years, but that is something we will discuss in more detail later on.

The 4th

That is not the only ridiculously long par four on the course, the four-hole plays at a yardage of anywhere from five hundred and twenty-nine yards to five hundred and fifty-six. It is absolutely insane that this hole is considered a par four instead of a par five, but I guess that is why Bryson DeChambeau focuses so much on his distance. Even with a three hundred yard drive, you have half the hole left to play on your second shot.

Besides these holes, there are not many special holes amongst the course. On average the par fours do play over four hundred and fifty yards, so if you are just an average golfer good luck with this distance. Now let’s talk about the historic tournaments that have been played here.

Historic Tournaments at Pinehurst No.2

The 1999 United States Open Championship was the 99th U.S. Open, held June 17–20 at Pinehurst Resort Course No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Payne Stewart won his second U.S. Open and third major championship, one stroke ahead of runner-up Phil Mickelson.

The unforgettable conclusion of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, with Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods there at the end.

After a birdie at the penultimate hole to regain an outright lead, Stewart sank a 15-foot (5 m) par putt on the final hole for 279 (−1) and avoided a Monday playoff. He redeemed himself at the U.S. Open, after losing a four-stroke 54-hole lead the year before in San Francisco. Stewart did not get a chance to defend his title in 2000, as he died four months later in a plane crash. The U.S. Open was his eleventh and final PGA Tour win.

This was the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst, which returned in 2005 and 2014. Previously, it hosted the PGA Championship in 1936, the Ryder Cup in 1951, and the North and South Open from 1902 through 1951. More recently, it was the site of season-ending Tour Championship in 1991 and 1992.

A Summary of Pinehurst No.2

Overall, this course has had some major renovations but is still a timeless course. It is full of extremely long par fours, so not the friendliest course for an average golfer. It has also been the host of many different majors, but most importantly the 1999 U.S. Open. I hope you enjoyed learning about Pinehurst No.2!

Pinehurst No.2 Yardage