Pinehurst No.2

The 1999 U.S. Open Card

Pinehurst; No.2: This North Carolina layout is considered the masterpiece of the highly regarded architect Donald Ross. Born in Dornach, Scotland, Ross moved to the states after an apprenticeship under T. Morris at St.Andrews. He was hired by Bostonian, James W Tufts, to design the course on his Carolina resort. Ross's method was to walk on the sight for as long as it took his imagination to gel and here he created a classic. It has been compared to a Bach fugue with its recurring themes of mounds guarding green entrances, wire grass and pine needles lurking off the fairways and greens that fall away at the edges. All its elements are orchestrated into an intricate and balanced whole. Sequencing and variety of holes build with the harmony and logic of a fine symphony. With the wisdom of a master, Ross left the pine needles and cones which cover the sandy soil where the clumpy wire grass penalize poorly struck shots. Sand bunkers were used sparingly, but strategically and there is water on only one hole. The greens are shaped like upside-down saucers so that they fade away to the sides and back making for a smaller target than is apparent. The mounding around the greens makes possible an infinite variety of nasty short shots that no other form of hazard can supply. Thus good long-iron play and insightful club selection are rewarded. The margin for error is greater from the tee. Fairways are wide, offering imaginative routes and a chance to "let out the shaft". Placement can be crucial though, to avoid approaching the greens from agonizing angles. Often the most obvious landing areas offer the least opportune approaches to the greens. The 17th, a 190 yard, par-3 epitomizes the qualities of Pinehurst. Vertical walls of proud pines crowd around a well protected green requiring a gutsy long-iron that must stop on a small target. Long regarded as a players' course, Tommy Armour once said, "The man who doesn't feel emotionally stirred when he golfs at Pinehurst beneath those clear blue skies and with the pine fragrance in his nostrils is one who should be ruled out of golf for life. It's the kind of course that gets into the blood of an old trooper." Lanny Wadkins has called it the "purest and the best". Ross himself stated philosophically, "The real capacity of every great course lies in its enjoyment value." Pete Dye, the notoriously famous contemporary golf course designer, refers to Ross and his course with almost spiritual reverence calling it his first inspiration and an ever present influence. Although Pinehurst has no one "signature" hole, it has no weak ones either. Always included high on the lists of top courses in the world, No.2 truly is one of the most stringent and aesthetically satisfying tests in the United States.

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Artists' Golf is a conceptual work of art Copyright 1995 - 2008 by David B. Lewis and all original paintings, drawings and art works are Copyright by David B. Lewis. All rights reserved.  Maps of existing courses are original artistic interpretations and impressions from a variety of sources and are not intended to be accurate renderings or representations of the actual courses.  They indicate my interest and study and are intended purely for the pleasure and information of the viewers and are not for sale or profit.