Pinehurst #2 Restoration

[iacas]

Yippee! I can't say for sure but I'm nearly certain I really, really like these changes.

We're honored to have the renowned firm of Coore and Crenshaw Inc., working with us to return both the natural and strategic character to our championship No. 2 course. We will provide periodic updates through the entire process so you too can share in the excitement of this project.

http://www.pinehurst.com/no2update.php

[jamo]

I love Donald Ross courses, so this is way up there on my list of courses to play in my lifetime. The changes look pretty cool, has anyone played there before?

[Tar Heel]

I've played the course a few times and will be very excited to see the changes in person after completion. Interesting indeed.

[Shanks A Million]

Those changes look great... nasty, but great. I love waste areas, like World Woods in Brooksville. As if Pinehurst isn't hard enough! Roll the greens up a touch faster, and you've got golfers turning into hammer throw competitors with their putters.

Iacas, you've played Delray Municipal, right? How does it stack up to Pinehurst? I haven't played there for a while, but the greens were pretty great I recall. I've got several guys at the course on the west coast here from Pinehurst, including the new pro, and they rave about how the greens are there, so hard to hold. The pro was telling me if you fire at pins at #2, you're looking for double or worse. That's insane. The greens at Magnolia are all raised like that, but not as severe. Heck, Magnolia is 76/141 for the tour pros, that's insane!

Also, what's really cool, is they're doing the mens' and womens' opens in tandem again. Can't wait to see that. Heck, I can't wait till the next major comes to Florida. Sure, we have 6 PGA tour events, but we need majors!

[Ben]

Wow, that's a bit harsh! You won't find that much waste area on other combo of holes. However, that corner of the course is lacking that natural habitat look. I just think they could scale it down a little to match the rest of the course. I don't see the junk coming into play too much on 14. One would have to miss their tee shot considerably right to find themselves in the junk there. 13 however, that will be tough. I've played #2 four times and have been in the left rough three times. Right in the spot designated to be waste area.

[DavidFehertysBike]

its gonna llook like pine valley south...

[RC]

Exactly... PIne Valley if they get the greens running. No. 2 has always been on my bucket list. My friends that have played it rave about the place as one of those top 10 kind of hallowed grounds.

[iacas]

Wow, that's a bit harsh! You won't find that much waste area on other combo of holes. However, that corner of the course is lacking that natural habitat look.

I think that's a recent change, since they're calling it a restoration, after all. It must have been like this at some point.

Exactly... PIne Valley if they get the greens running. No. 2 has always been on my bucket list. My friends that have played it rave about the place as one of those top 10 kind of hallowed grounds.

While you're there, play Pine Needles. If I had ten rounds to play at PN and P2, I'd play seven at PN and three at Pinehurst #2.

Of course, if you play it with this restoration stuff in place, it's not the same question, and my answer may change.

[nevets88]

Have never played #2, but I love Pine Needles. Especially 4, 5, 6, 10 and last time I played, I lipped out an eagle putt on the last par 5. I hear was it #4 or #7 that are more interesting than #2, at least pre-restoration. Obviously, given that it's a resort, that the people are very nice, but they seem to be genuinely nice. Nice range too.

[RC]

Pine Needles added to bucket list. Must be a great track.

This thread caused me to think about something I had not really thought about before. Background: Pine Valley is famous for being the hardest course in the world. It is not long at all, short by today's standards. But it requires precision, amazing precision. The new thought, which I think is true, is that one reason the course is so hard is that the waste areas are sometimes in exactly the places where you would want to hit your shot -- so it forces you to play the shot it demands, not the shot you want to hit. While devilish, there is a certain amount of admiration you have for a course that tells you no matter how you want to attack a hole, the course says show me you can hit this particular shot and the one to follow.

[iacas]

Really looking forward to it now based on some of the shots in that video.

[Lefty-Golfer]

I had the privilege to play #2 10 days ago. I have the score card and a flag hanging in my office right now…when I get pissed off I look over at them and use them to remember why I do this job!

Few places are as good as their reputation. In this case #2 is one of the places that is every bit as good. I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to play some great courses both public and private and honestly #2 is the greatest course I have played. It is user friendly from T to green, you could even argue it is easy…and then you get there. The first time you have to bump a ball into the side a green and let it run…that is not typical for most US golfers. It certainly isn’t for me. I am still better closing a wedge and running it off of that regardless of what my caddie tries to tell me!!

The course changes from what I can tell are actually going to make the course easier for the pros. What I found in the waste areas was for the most you got decent to even good lies and the sand is fairly firm. If you made a solid swing it really wasn’t much of a hazard. It is my opinion after playing the “new “course that the pros will tear it up. I am, in my opinion, a better then average bunker player (I do hope a greenside miss will find the sand) and I don’t believe the pros will have any problem with it. It they were growing the old Bermuda ankle deep as they like to do at the open there is nothing you can do but hack it out. I guess they could grow in the fescue deeper to make the penalty more severe but from what we were told what we saw is what is being proposed. I would expect record low scores at the next open there…8 under maybe even 10 under.

Oh yea started the round with back to back doubles and managed to card an 85…what a great damn golf course. Worth every penny and would drop most anything to rush back there and play it again. If you have chance to play it don’t pass it up…and take a caddy, well worth 75 bucks just for the stories and the way the greens play…forget about it. I had one putt on #16, about 25 feet or so, that I was sure had close to 31/2 feet of break. The caddie asked me what I was looking at. He said no and gave me about 7’ maybe 8’ of break. I stood over the ball looking at the shot, took a practice swing and had to back away. I didn’t know how hard to hit it because I couldn’t believe what I was being told…he was correct as typical and I ended up with a gimmie LOL I still can’t believe it.

[kpaulhus]

Im so pumped to read this. My flight leaves tomorrow morning for Pinehurst. I didnt set up the trip, so Im not sure if we are playing #2, but Im looking forward to playing golf outside of FL. Unfortunately the weather looks like mid 50's with rain...

[iacas]

http://sport.scotsman.com/golf/Inter...?articlepage=2

"It's going to be interesting," says Coore with a smile. "Mike Davis (the USGA's director of rules and competition] has told me

Awesome! I think Pinehurst in its current form, frankly, sucks. Way, way, way over-rated. Really, really looking forward to the changes...

[iacas]

[TheGeekGolfer]

Interesting stuff! The question I have, with Whistling Straits in the not to distant past, is with all that sand, how will they be classified for the tournament? Watching the video, at 1:32 in he says, "and within that sandy area you actually have bunkers". I don't see how you could possibly classify one area of sand within another as a bunker and another as a 'waste area', my bet is they'll go with classifying the vast majority of the fairway sand as 'waste areas' and the ones by the greens could be bunkers?

[Lefty-Golfer]

Interesting stuff! The question I have, with Whistling Straits in the not to distant past, is with all that sand, how will they be classified for the tournament? Watching the video, at 1:32 in he says, "and within that sandy area you actually have bunkers". I don't see how you could possibly classify one area of sand within another as a bunker and another as a 'waste area', my bet is they'll go with classifying the vast majority of the fairway sand as 'waste areas' and the ones by the greens could be bunkers?

I don't know what the rules for the open will be. club rules for normal play say that a bunker is surounded by grass on all 4 sides, if not it is a waste area. when you play the course it becomes very clear which is which.

if you look at the bunker on the video at the 18 second mark, the bunker on left clearly runs out into waste area so the whole thing is a waste area, the bunker on the right appears to be surrounded by grass on all sides and would be an actual bunker.

[TheGeekGolfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty-Golfer

Interesting stuff! The question I have, with Whistling Straits in the not to distant past, is with all that sand, how will they be classified for the tournament? Watching the video, at 1:32 in he says, "and within that sandy area you actually have bunkers". I don't see how you could possibly classify one area of sand within another as a bunker and another as a 'waste area', my bet is they'll go with classifying the vast majority of the fairway sand as 'waste areas' and the ones by the greens could be bunkers?

I don't know what the rules for the open will be. club rules for normal play say that a bunker is surounded by grass on all 4 sides, if not it is a waste area. when you play the course it becomes very clear which is which.

if you look at the bunker on the video at the 18 second mark, the bunker on left clearly runs out into waste area so the whole thing is a waste area, the bunker on the right appears to be surrounded by grass on all sides and would be an actual bunker.

Thanks for the update...I was wondering if the local rules were something like that.  Still think it's a bit weird, though.