Breaking down the 4 most troublesome greens on Pinehurst No. 2

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, however the perfect recommendation stands the take a look at of time. In GOLF.com’s new collection, Timeless Ideas, we’re highlighting a number of the best recommendation lecturers and gamers have distributed within the pages of GOLF Journal. Immediately, we glance again at a breakdown of essentially the most troublesome greens at Pinehurst No. 2 from our June 2014 challenge. For limitless entry to the complete GOLF Journal digital archive, join InsideGOLF today; you’ll take pleasure in $140 of worth for under $39.99/yr.

Pinehurst No. 2 is in contrast to most golf programs you’ll play. It’s obtained no tough, and it’s practically not possible to lose a ball. It’s not exceedingly lengthy, and there aren’t a ton of dramatic elevation adjustments. Standing on most tee containers you gained’t end up very intimidated, however as you get nearer to the greens, the problem will get increasingly more extreme.

Therein lies the genius of the Donald Ross gem. The course is extraordinarily playable, however good luck posting a low rating. Getting the ball close to the greens isn’t a lot of an issue. Getting the ball within the gap feels not possible. Practically all of that problem comes from the topped Bermuda greens.

Bold golfers journey from far and large to deal with this problem day by day. This week, we’ll get to observe the world’s greatest do the identical. Forward of the 124th U.S. Open, we dug into our archives for a breakdown of the 4 most troublesome greens on Pinehurst No. 2, courtesy of architect Bill Coore and Pinehurst’s director in fact administration, Bob Farren.

No. 3, par 4

Bob Farren: “The inexperienced is drivable below the best circumstances, however in case you go over, you’re in a sand areas, not grass. The left facet of the inexperienced tilts to the left and all the way down to the bunker, so gamers have to be cautious to not spin their strategy pictures again into that bunker. There’s sufficient slope and pitch on the inexperienced to make placing troublesome, too. I really feel that this and No. 5 are amongst Ross’ best greens as a result of they’re proper subsequent to the home the place he lived. He spent a lot time there, he gave his full consideration to them. After I’m on the course, I envision him on his porch, smoking his cigar and watching golfers putt on the third and fifth greens.”

Invoice Coore: “Off the tee, the opening entices gamers to get as shut as doable, nevertheless it’s powerful to stand up and down from anyplace round that inexperienced. Because it cants severely again to entrance, the worst factor is to hit it over the inexperienced. It’s spectacularly contoured and topped to simply accept a pitch shot.” 

No. 5, par 5

Farren: “It’s a reachable par 5, or a short-iron third shot, however your complete left facet of the opening is a prepare wreck. The left two-thirds of the inexperienced breaks so onerous that quite a lot of balls get putted off it. [USGA executive director and U.S. Open setup major domo] Mike Davis wished to see this as a par 5 in order that they might use nice gap places that had been just too troublesome when it was a par 4.”

Coore: “I’ve by no means seen something like this inexperienced, which is topped so severely you could solely place the pin within the center. Keep in mind when some golfer in contrast hitting the inexperienced on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to attempting to land the ball on the hood of a automobile? Properly, that is actually like that, nevertheless it’s a Nineteen Forties automobile with an elongated hood. I’m unsure there’s a inexperienced in golf the place the usable sq. footage for gap places is so small relative to the general dimension of the inexperienced. I can’t think about that any greater than a 3rd or perhaps a fourth of the inexperienced is pinnable. It’s pure Pinehurst.”

No. 14, par 4

Farren: “Since this can be a lengthy par 4, the inexperienced isn’t as extreme as a number of the others, nevertheless it has sufficient pinch in it to make each putt and chip fascinating. Any ball that winds up above the opening will make for a fragile subsequent shot; getting the pace proper shall be a problem. There’s loads of fairway in entrance of the inexperienced, which is able to give gamers the liberty to run the ball up onto the placing floor, but when it goes over, it’ll roll far-off. In the event that they hit the best facet of the inexperienced, the ball might slide into the inexperienced facet bunker — and that bunker is essentially the most penal. Relative to the inexperienced, it’s as deep as nearly any bunker on the course.”

Coore: “This inexperienced is superbly designed to suit the shot hit to it: deep should be hit firmly sufficient to deal with long- or mid-iron approaches however with much less undulation.”

No. 15, par 3

Farren: “This nice par 3 has two comparatively new gap places, one about two-thirds of the way in which again, on a plateau that wasn’t there earlier than, and the opposite one middle-right. That one was introduced again into play by transferring the inexperienced nearer to the best inexperienced facet bunker. The appropriate facet of the inexperienced has quite a lot of pitch to it, and your complete entrance third has quite a lot of slope. In the event you discover your ball above the opening, it’s unhealthy information.”

Coore: “We expanded the inexperienced again to the place it had been years in the past, to accommodate some pine placements that had been misplaced. The professionals will see a right-side pin nearer to the inexperienced facet bunker that wasn’t there in ’99 and ’05, when gap places had principally been in the course of the inexperienced.”

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and modifying. Previous to becoming a member of the crew at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Staff USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers newbie and ladies’s golf. He will be reached at [email protected].