Pinehurst No. 2
Donald Ross's masterpiece - and the toughest greens you'll ever putt.
The Course
Donald Ross built No. 2 in 1907 and spent the next four decades tinkering with it until his death in 1948. It is his life's work in 18 holes. The course was restored in 2010 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who stripped out acres of rough and restored the sandy wiregrass waste areas Ross originally intended.
No. 2 has hosted the U.S. Open four times (1999, 2005, 2014, 2024), plus the historic back-to-back men's and women's Opens in 2014. Payne Stewart's 15-foot par putt to win in 1999 - and his statue behind the 18th green - is the course's defining image.
The genius of No. 2 is its restraint. There is almost nowhere to lose a ball, yet scoring is brutally hard. Miss a green and your chip runs off the crowned surface into a collection area, leaving a pitch back up the slope. It is chess, not checkers.
Signature Holes
Hole 5 - Par 4, 483 yards
A brute. Long, uphill, with a green that repels everything. Par here feels like birdie.
Hole 15 - Par 3, 202 yards
Long iron to a narrow crowned green with trouble everywhere. The 2014 Open was nearly decided here.
Hole 18 - Par 4, 451 yards
Uphill finisher past Stewart's statue. The approach must carry a false front or tumble 30 yards back down the fairway.
Designer
Donald Ross (1907)
Practical Info
Peak rates run around $495; book through the resort for stay-and-play packages that soften the blow. Take a caddie - reading these greens without one is guesswork. The Cradle (9-hole short course) and Thistle Dhu putting course are perfect for the afternoon after your round.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Green fee from | $495 |
| Fee notes | Peak season rate. Caddie strongly recommended. |
| Location | Pinehurst, North Carolina |
| Par / Yardage | 72 / 7588 yards |
| Slope / Rating | 138 / 76.5 |
Worth it?
Yes, especially for students of course architecture. No. 2 won't wow you with ocean views, but it will change how you think about golf course design. And you will three-putt. Everyone three-putts.