Number 8: Pinehurst No. 2

Ceiling: 96.5

Rating: 94.5

Trend over Time: 6.5

Another one for Donny Ross. His masterpiece. Pinehurst No. 2. Or just No. 2. The deuce. Whatever you like. One thing I know is that this golf course, I like. Pinehurst No. 2 has many attributes of a golf course that I think make it truly one of the world’s greats. Is it on the best piece of land? Relative to most of the next 7 courses in my ranking, no. It is on a good piece of land but it can’t stack up to Cypress Point or Shinnecock. Given that, all the more reason to be so endlessly impressed with what Ross was able to do in the North Carolina Sandhills. Even though its tagline is US Open anchor site, and to me, probably a top 3 US Open venue, what makes it so special is the fact that it’s actually highly playable for all skill levels. My least favorite thing a golf course can give rise to is a divergence in challenge between good and bad players. Harder for bad, easier for good. The flip side of that coin is a golf course like No. 2 that converges skill levels and is relatively harder for good players and relatively easier for bad ones.

Culture:

There inherently is going to be a different cultural feeling to a public course than to a private one. It will have more to do with simply the course itself and the surrounding area in the absence of a club. Well, the course rocks and the town of Pinehurst also gets high marks in my book. Being in Pinehurst is truly tranquil. I kind of hate the term “time slows down” but that is how Pinehurst feels. People love golf, and clearly everything in the town in centered around the culture of the game. The peace, tranquility, and warming feeling of the town of Pinehurst is juxtaposed by No. 2 in certain ways. While playing through the pines is a wonderful experience, what takes place regarding the clubs and balls I wouldn’t quite describe as peaceful, calming, nor tranquil. Maybe that’s why I like No. 2 and the town of Pinehurst so much. It’s like a sweet and salty combo. Stark contrast is a necessity for greatness.

Competition:

No. 2 is probably about as battle tested as any course. Having already hosted 3 US Opens, a PGA, a Ryder Cup, US Women’s Open, 3 US Amateurs, the annual North South Amateur series (men’s women’s, senior, junior), an annual college event, and notably 5 US Opens are scheduled between 2024 and 2047. Part of this has to do with the robust nature of the golf course. It has a rugged aesthetic with its bermuda grass, sandy waste areas, and firm style that makes it immune to being beat up by competition which is a big part of what allows the course to host as many events as it does. Another part of what makes it a great host is the aforementioned convergence of skill levels. You can send anyone out there and dial the conditions into the proper spot for the level of play. Low single digits sub-par for a US Open? You got it. Not too demeaning for junior golfers? It can do that too. The difficulty is driven so much by firmness and greens speed so it doesn’t have to be overly difficult when it doesn’t need to be like a course that is super tight with long rough. In many ways No. 2 is the ultimate chameleon of competitive golf.

Architecture:

No. 2 gets you in two ways. One, death by 1,000 paper cuts. Rarely are you screwed. You almost always have a shot, just not a good one. Which is where the second way comes in. You think you can pull off a shot from a waste area which is when you miss somewhere that you simply can’t and shoot yourself in the foot. The genius of the course is that almost never is a decision made for you. You spend the whole day weighing risks and rewards. On many US Open style setups with long rough and narrow fairways, there is no decision to be made when buried in 6 inch rough. It’s a layup. But at No. 2, you constantly think you have a chance to pull something off, you just probably won’t. If you go out with the “no doubles” mentality, you’ll be fine. However, we as golfers can’t get ourselves to play that way. And that is the brilliance of Pinehurst number 2. Mess with the bull, get the horns. And them horns be sharp…