Pinehurst No. 2

Lore & Background

Pinehurst No. 2 was completed in 1907 to designs by Donald Ross. The course hosted its first PGA Tour major, the PGA Championship, in 1936, won by Denny Shute. In 1951, the Ryder Cup was held at Pinehurst Resort but on Pinehurst No. 4, not No. 2. The 1999 U.S. Open was won by Payne Stewart, and a statue of his victory pose stands behind the 18th hole. In 2014, the USGA held both the men's U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open on the course in consecutive weeks.

In Their Own Story

The wind off the sandhills carried the smell of cut pine and dry sand across the 17th green as the last group of the third round trudled in from the fairway. A caddie, knees bent, wiped grit from his gloves and muttered a quiet prayer to whatever saint guarded the back nine. The flagstick on 17 stood in a bunker's shadow, the cup barely a yard from the lip, and the crowd—mostly locals in faded caps and sunburned necks—leaned over the rope with the patient, knowing silence of people who had watched a hundred players die on that green. A young player, still in his second professional season, lined up a nine-iron and whispered, 'Just hit it in the middle.' He did. The ball stopped six feet from the cup on a green that had swallowed a dozen putts that afternoon. The crowd exhaled. The caddie smiled. And the pines, indifferent and eternal, kept swaying.

Reader's Guide

Pinehurst No. 2 is a par-72 course playing approximately 7,500 yards from the championship tees. The course features crowned greens that repel errant shots, and after the 2010 restoration, it has hardpan sand and native scrub instead of rough. The course is grassed with Tifway Bermuda tees and fairways and Champion Ultradwarf greens. Golfers should prioritize accuracy over distance, especially on approach shots.

Did You Know?

• Pinehurst No. 2 was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1907.
• The course hosted the 1936 PGA Championship, the first PGA Tour major at Pinehurst.
• A statue of Payne Stewart celebrating his 1999 U.S. Open win is beside the 18th green.
• In 2014, Pinehurst No. 2 hosted both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open in consecutive weeks.
• The course underwent a $2.5 million renovation in 2011 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to restore it to Ross's original design.