The must-play course at Pinehurst Resort is hidden this week

PINEHURST, N.C. — Finest is subjective. So is most enjoyable and most thrilling. However we are able to say, with confidence, that the one must-play course at Pinehurst Resort is hiding in plain sight this U.S. Open week.

With the newly unveiled Tom-Doak designed Pinehurst No. 10, there at the moment are 10 (Ten!) 18-hole programs on this sprawling property. And whereas the enduring Donald Ross-designed No. 2 will host this week’s championship, there’s a ton of selection in the remaining, together with No. 4, which was redesigned by Gil Hanse and is likely one of the different favorites right here. However the course you want in your radar, the one you have to play if you happen to ever go to this quintessential southern getaway, is definitely this week’s driving vary.

The Cradle quick course, which was additionally designed by Hanse, debuted in 2017, as did the close by Thistle Dhu, the 75,000-square foot 18-hole placing inexperienced that’s 4 instances bigger than the one it changed. The Cradle is 9 holes and performs to simply 789 yards. Holes vary from 56 to 127 yards, and it’s all laid out over the identical sandy soil that Dr. Leroy Culver used to create the resort’s first 9 holes again in 1898.

However what makes The Cradle stand out is its laid-back environment. On a typical day right here, music performs over loudspeakers. You possibly can merge teams to go from 4 to eight to 12. The greens are dynamic and enjoyable — the Punchbowl third is a private favourite — and there’s even a grab-and-go cease for snacks and drinks you’ll come upon, the Cradle Crossing, which changed the Pinecone, a picket barcart on wheels.

The Cradle Crossing additionally boasts a TV and firepit full with Adirondack chairs and a sitting space. Oh, and we forgot the very best half: it’s simply 50 bucks to play The Cradle however that’s good for all the day. Children below 17 are free if enjoying with an grownup (and solely $15 with out an grownup).

Though this week’s vary sitting atop The Cradle isn’t any oversight. Actually, it was designed this manner. The north facet of The Cradle is lengthy, elevated and flat, which is ideal for viewing and/or company or resort features that want tents or catering, and so forth. However that’s additionally splendid for a driving vary of a professional golf match, like it’s this week. Now, as an alternative of 9 distinctive golf holes for hackers to play, execs have 9 totally different targets to select from when going by means of their bag. A fence on the finish — some 340 yards away — retains the lengthy balls at bay.

On Tuesday, Hideki Matsuyama chipped balls onto the ninth inexperienced, whereas Viktor Hovland blasted irons to the seventh and eighth greens. Behind them, a whole lot of spectators appeared on. The world’s finest gamers have been merely loosening up. The followers watching have been salivating over an opportunity to play these rollicking, hidden 9 holes.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of many sport’s most-read information and repair web sites. He spends most of his days writing, enhancing, planning and questioning if he’ll ever break 80. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF.com in 2015, he labored at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State College in Mankato, Minn., he resides within the Twin Cities together with his spouse and two youngsters. You possibly can attain him at [email protected].