NEWSLETTER
The 124th edition of the U.S. Open will take place at Pinehurst No. 2, one of the most historic golf courses in America. This will be the fourth U.S. Open championship held at this course in the last 25 years. Pinehurst Resort is situated in the quaint village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, in the Sandhills Region of the U.S. It is approximately 70 miles southwest of Raleigh and about a two-hour drive from Charlotte. With its charming New England-style architecture and magnificent longleaf pines, Pinehurst offers a unique and inviting setting and atmosphere.
Pinehurst Resort and Country Club has 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.
It has a classic Donald Ross design, which was restored by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2010 to reinvigorate the historic course with Ross’ original 1930s playing conditions. First opened in 1907, it is considered to be Ross’ best work, and he called it “the fairest test of championship golf I have ever designed.”
Pinehurst No. 2 does not have the typical characteristics of a standard U.S. Open course with dramatic landscapes, sweeping vistas, chiseled bunkers, and breathtaking water hazards. The design of Pinehurst focuses on subtle nuances, where mere inches can result in extremely different shot outcomes. Being on the wrong side of a slope can mean the difference between a par and a double bogey.
The upcoming 2024 U.S. Open will be held at Pinehurst, which has hosted 12 previous USGA events in the last 35 years, more than any other site in the United States. The course features expansive fairways lined with towering pines and no rough, but instead of lush rough lining the course, sandy waste areas with native vegetation await wayward tee shots.
Pinehurst No. 2
The firm and fast conditions will require players to focus on precision and distance control to navigate the challenging green complexes, known for their diabolically crowned shapes. Accuracy off the tee, quality long-iron skills, and adept short-game abilities will be crucial for contenders.
Pinehurst No. 2 is famous for providing a unique examination where approaching greens and mental resilience are key. Additionally, the tournament holds a special significance as it marks the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s dramatic victory in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, shortly before his tragic passing in a plane crash.
The “Carolina Sandhills” course is a challenging par 70, measuring 7,543 yards and located 92 miles east of Charlotte. It is one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour since 2015, ranking as the fifth-longest course in terms of yards per par. The most recent U.S. Open held here in 2014 had an average round played at +3.08, making it the fourth toughest course on the Tour during that period.
Martin Kaymer’s prediction of the winning score being eight-over-par in 2014 turned out to be quite off, as he managed to be the runaway champion with a score 17 shots lower. Pinehurst is known for its challenging nature, as Tiger Woods noted that it doesn’t produce many exciting moments due to its demanding layout.
Pinehurst No. 2 – A Unique Test for the World’s Best
On a positive note, losing a ball at Pinehurst No. 2 is unlikely, with only one water hazard on the entire course and rarely coming into play. The 2011 restoration made the course more forgiving off-the-tee by widening the fairways and eliminating rough. The changes made by Coore and Crenshaw have added strategy and shot-making back to the course, allowing golfers to play their own game with multiple choices on almost every hole, regardless of their play style.
The unique terrain combined with the design features emphasizes the penalty for mediocre shots. The course’s randomness and increased range of outcomes on every hole add to the tournament’s excitement, making for a thrilling and unpredictable playing experience.
Notorious for its crowned greens, Pinehurst requires players to exhibit distance control and precision to make birdies. Players who prefer a more conservative approach can keep the ball on the ground and aim for the middle of each green.
Pinehurst features 40 native sandscapes and 117 bunkers, as well as over 250,000 wiregrass plants. Wiregrass is a dominant warm-season grass in the Carolinas region and is an integral part of the golf course’s layout. Despite its unattractive appearance, wiregrass poses a challenge for golfers but makes it easier to find lost balls.
The randomness injected by the sand and wiregrass adds a unique element to the competition, affecting shots in various ways. Players often need to craft creative recovery shots when faced with wiregrass, requiring skill, flexibility, and a variety of techniques.
In addition to wiregrass, the native areas also pose challenges due to naturally emerged plants such as “pineweed,” which makes it difficult to make solid contact with a ball lying below its canopy. The upcoming U.S. Open will present mental challenges for players, with Pinehurst being known for its stern examination. Avoiding wiregrass, navigating firm greens, and scrambling for par will test players’ mental fortitude.
Pinehurst demands full commitment to shots, with few opportunities for “bailing out.” Errant shots may result in difficult uphill chips, highlighting the importance of a competent short game, especially from tight-lie short-grass areas.
The unpredictability of the native areas means good shots can lead to bad lies. This necessitates mental toughness to overcome the challenges and bad breaks inherent to the course.
