Magic In These Hills: Pinehurst
There is a small subset of golf courses in the United States that stand in a league of their own that armature golfers can play and are a available to the public . The short list of public accessible courses subjectively would consist of Pebble Beach, Pinehurst No. 2, Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straights. I spent a few minutes looking up best golf courses in the Unites States articles and I found all of these courses on those lists, in variance of orders. The great thing about building a list like this are there are many enticing options to choose from.
Golf courses have memorized me for sometime, more so as I have gotten older and wiser. Anytime I travel I try to use it as an opportunity to play a course in that area. This by no means make me a good golfer. I have a reverent appreciation for the history of the sport, the difficulty by which it takes to be successful, and the elegant almost transfixing beauty that a golf course has. So when an opportunity came up to visit Pinehurst it sent some immediate chills down my spine. I knew of Pinehurst from the obvious - past major championships and the unique layout of pine-straw based rough on No 2. Having knowledge of history of a place is one thing, experiencing it first hand is another. When an opportunity is acted upon, it turns into an experience. This turned into one incredible experience which every golf enthusiast should put high on their list. I believe firmly that you do not have to like golf to love Pinehurst.
So with that being said, what makes this place special?
The History
The few days I spent on the grounds of Pinehurst opened my eyes to so much more than my limited base knowledge of the history coming in. Pinehurst has been host to numerous US Opens and other Championships through the years and is set to host the US Open again in 2024. In fact, Pinehurst has hosted more Championships than any other course in America to date. There is something magical about having the ability, all be it for a few sheckes, to tee it up on a course that has hosted multiple US Open’s and in line to host more down the road. In 2014 they hosted the Men's and Women's US Championships in consecutive weeks, quite a feat that had never been done before and should probably win some kind of award for the logistic efforts they had to pull off for that.
The number of Championship's through the years at Pinehurst really puts into perspective the history of the grounds..
Similar to Augusta National, you can really feel the history just by walking the grounds. I had a chance to refresh myself on the past Champions during my visit. The stand out year being the epic ending duel in 1999 between Phil Mickelson and the late Payne Stewart. Stewart went on to capture the tournament by holing a 15 foot put on 18. A short time after the dramatic victory, he tragically passed away in a plane crash. Many look at 1999 at Pinehurst as one of the most memorable US Open finishes in history and Payne's legacy is forever etched in the grounds.
A statue of Payne Stewart and his famous pose after finishing the 18th hole of the 1999 U.S. Open sits outside the Pinehurst Clubhouse.
The Cradle
Before setting foot on No. 2, I had a chance to play Pinehurst's short par 3 course, known as The Cradle. I was treated to a clear crisp winter morning and a marvelous introduction to Pinehurst. The Cradle draws its name from Pinehurst being considered the Cradle of American golf. The layout of the 789 yard course would draw similar in taste and flavor to that of No. 2 with many greenside bunkers and the unique rough layout.
The Cradle, symbolizing Pinehurst as the home of American golf
It goes without saying, if you're hitting out of the rough on a par 3 course, that is a sign of trouble. Centered next to the clubhouse, driving range and No. 2, The Cradle should be on your list to play while here. It can be played in under an hour and would be a good experience for any level of golfer. There is also a bar on the 8th hole, which I would imagine turns into quite the roaring good time on warm Summer or Spring days. After a warm up nine on the short course, it was time to take it over to No. 2.
Morning light breaks through on The Cradle opening up the majestic beauty and layout of Pinehurst
Pinehurst No. 2 and What Makes It Special
The Opening Tee Shot
Playing The Cradle was a great lead up and introduction to Pinehurst No. 2. I tossed and turned the night before the tee time with excitement, unable to sleep. The next morning felt like a special holiday, one not marked on the calendar, but very well should be. Walking up to the first tee, like any round of golf carried a lot of nerves, but on this day there was an extra level of nerves. On this day I was left thinking about the legendary golfers who had made this same walk to the first tee and all the moments that have etched No. 2 as one of the most known courses in the United States. My goal was to get off the first tee, which thankfully I did with a decent drive in the fairway. The opening hole is also an interesting in that the fairway is fairly open. Course Architect Donald Ross did not want golfers to get too discouraged after one hole I suppose, though the course will test every level of golfers game as it was intended, most notably, the greens.
Looking down course on the first hole of Pinehurst No. 2, a Par 4, the wide open fairway was a friendly start that wouldn't last.
The Greens
The Greens on No. 2 were unlike anything I had ever experienced. I have described them to people I have spoken to recently as a pointed tent; if you do not land the ball in the exact right place, there are high odds that your ball will roll back off the green. If you're lucky, your ball will roll back onto the fairway, but on No. 2 there are pretty good odds of playing your next shot out of a bunker. The greens affected every other aspect of how you manage the course In addition to having ultra tight windows in which to land approach shots, you really had to adjust your short game. Pitching and chipping became an arduous task, knowing that if you left shots short on certain slopes you may be back where you started from. Taking an approach to bump and run shots around the green and create a lowered trajectory was the way to go. The greens themselves were incredibly slick. At times, two puts would feel like moral wins. These greens and green complexes were built for Championship golf. After a few holes, I could see how even the best golfers in the world may run into some issues over the course of a four day tournament, like one John Daly.
One of my better approach shots on the day, look closely and you'll see where my ball landed
The John Daly Hole
As we were walking up the 8th fairway some of the guys I was playing with started recollecting the 1999 Open and how this hole had become famous for a John Daly meltdown; imagine that, a Daly meltdown. I got some of the high level background of the occurrence while we played and recently read up on what happened to get the full background. As fate would have it, Daly had a great first round of the Open and was only one shot off the lead entering Friday. On round two, Daly became every amateur golfer to play the sport for a few minutes as he teed off on number 8. After a series of shots and puts that he landed near the hole but rolled back into the rough, he proceeded to hit a ball still rolling down the green in frustration. As Phil Michelson learned fairly recently, hitting the ball while moving is not legal. Daly ended up carding a 11 on the fateful eight hole, taking a two stroke penalty for this act. I suppose somewhat ironically I missed the fairway off the tee and ended up having a dreaded hole. I can relate to Mr. Daly when it comes to the eighth hole on No. 2. and the ensuing frustration that comes with it.
A view of the 8th green from near the ninth tee box, disaster waits
The 'Rough', Sand, and More Sand
There is no rough on Pinehurst No. 2. In 2011 there was a renovation project to remove 35 acres of rough from the course. If you miss the fairway on your tee shot you will find yourself in some form of combination of sand, pine straw, and weeds; more commonly known as a natural area. For the most part, I had decent lies when hitting out of the so called second cut. Playing out of the natural areas presents many variables and often times just depended on the lie, so goes the sport of golf. With all the brush, your ball could end up in some awkward lies making for difficult next shots as one would expect. In addition to the rough sand, there are a significant number of normal green side bunkers, which I was seemingly was in for most of the day. With all the sand, Pinehurst No. 2 carries a unique rule in which you are allowed to ground your club before you swing, contrary to the normal rule where your golf club is not to touch the sand prior to hitting the ball. When you have hosted the most major golf championships in history of the United States, you can alter a rule on your course should you choose.
A perfect imagery on what life looks like if you miss a fairway on No. 2
Water Hazards?
One of the most interesting things I found about No. 2 is that there was one water hazard on the entire course, pictured below near the 16th tee box. I did not lose a ball the entire round, which is somewhat rare for me. Keeping the ball in the fairway is certainly key to a successful round on No. 2. I can recall playing courses with no water, but cannot remember a course with one, seemingly pretty small, water hazard. I found the lack of water very fitting given the course is built on and designed and built specifically around and in the North Carolina sand hills.
No. 2's one water hazard comes off the tee on the 16th hole
A Reason To Come Back
I've built up No. 2 specifically in my writing, as that was what I had a chance to play. It should not be overlooked that there are seven other courses on the grounds. I guess it just means I will have to go back and play them. Maybe Pinehurst will read this and hire me to come write for them, because they certainly won't hire me for my golf skills. Until that time comes, I depart with that famous visual image of the No. 2 flag waving in the wind supported by the white and red checkered flag stick. A look that will no doubt be frequented by television cameras in 2024 with the worlds eyes on Pinehrust. I can now surround that visual image with real memories of these hallowed sand hills and whispering magic of legends past andfuture on the storied grounds that is Pinehurst.
The famous finishing hole on No. 2