Commentary by Rick Rodriguez
It promised to be a very long day. I was to wake early about 4am and drive from Wilmington, North Carolina to Pinehurst Country Club, home of the famed Pinehurst No. 2 golf course for a 9am tee time, and then afterward drive northeast to Virginia Beach, Virginia. All toll perhaps some 6 to 7 hours of driving and 18 holes as a break in between. I was in Wilmington for a golf tournament and after 5 days of golf one more day at Pinehurst Golf Club seemed like an overdose but heck this was Pinehurst, I had to do it!
But I digress, playing a tournament at Magnolia Greens Golf Course in Leeland, North Carolina was the main purpose of my trip. There, I was treated to a fine course near the town of Wilmington and for the ensuing five days the pars, birdies, bogeys, and others came and went. Forming new friendships and visiting small towns like Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina further highlighted the trip. But at the end of my week in Leeland, stood the carrot, the jewel, Pinehurst!
After an uneventful 2.5 hour drive, I arrived at Pinehurst Golf Club, parked, and went into the clubhouse. Seemingly obligatory at most famed golf clubs, the hospitality is rarely exceeded and this place was no different. Guests are treated with extraordinary care and the service level is high. After cleaning up a bit and changing in the men's locker room, I strolled about checking out the memorabilia adorning the walls and hallways of the club. In a short time, I was on the practice range hitting shots into a wide practice range. I found the fairway on my 1st tee shot and a pleasurable afternoon ensued. As I strolled down the fairway, I wondered about all the greats that had walked these same fairways that Donald J. Ross had originally designed in 1907 and how here I was enjoying the privilege myself.
"Ross's most famous designs are Pinehurst No. 2, Aronimink Golf Club, Seminole Golf Club, Oak Hill and Oakland Hills. He displayed great attention to detail. Often he created challenging courses with very little earth moving; according to Jack Nicklaus, "His stamp as an architect was naturalness." His most widely known trademark is the crowned or "turtleback" green, most famously seen on Pinehurst No. 2," and as I stood over a 165 yard shot I pulled a 7 Iron, gazing at the target, without the benefit of GPS, I hit a shot the soared high and directly at the flag, I watched as it bounced and disappeared from my sight. I wondered if I had fallen victim to the turtleback greens that Mr. Ross had made famous here. It wasn't until I was very near the green that I noticed my ball three feet away from the cup. It was one of few memories Pinehurst Golf Club would give me that day. "Ross often created holes which invited run-up shots but had severe trouble at the back of the green, typically in the form of fallaway slopes. In the 1930s he revolutionized greenskeeping practices in the Southern United States when he oversaw the transition of the putting surfaces at Pinehurst No. 2 from oiled sand to Bermuda grass."
I was in the midst of hot Carolina afternoon, when the early rise and 6th consecutive day of golf caught up to me. I limped off the golf course and into the relaxing confines of the clubhouse, showered and headed off to lunch. Shortly thereafter, I was headed up to Virginia Beach.
My experience at Pinehurst Golf Club's No. 2 golf course was everything I thought it would be! I'll recall Pinehurst as a necessity for all aficionados of great golf courses world-wide. Though I was disappointed with the speed of the greens, and the course wasn't as intimidating as I had anticipated, the overall experience was excellent. The white sand fairway bunkers place a premium on hitting the fairway and even then hitting the green doesn't guarantee par! The course was set for amateur play and I can only imagine how fast greens would make putting a nightmare!
"In 2011 Pinehurst #2 completed a $2.5 million, year long renovation by a group led by Ben Crenshaw. The goal was to revert the course back to the original Donald Ross design.
In an unprecedented move, the USGA will bring both the men's and women's U.S. Opens to Pinehurst #2 in 2014. The men will play their Open at its normal time, ending on the third Sunday in June, and the women will play the following week.
The resort now has eight golf courses, three hotels, a spa and extensive sports and leisure facilities. In 1996 Pinehurst was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior."
Now, that I've experienced Pinehurst, watching the upcoming U.S. Open's there will be a more familiar and greater treat!
