Pinehurst No. 2

Pinehurst No. 2 is Donald Ross’s opus, a living document of golf architecture that he tinkered with from 1907 until his death in 1948. While the layout wanders through the whispering pines of the Carolina Sandhills, the real story here is the 2010 Coore & Crenshaw restoration. They stripped away the claustrophobic bermuda rough and returned the course to its rustic roots, reintroducing wide fairways lined with native wiregrass and sand. It looks generous off the tee, but that is the greatest optical illusion in the sport; the width is merely a trap to lure you into the wrong angle for the approach.

Comparison: 5th (The Cathedral)

476 yards

5th (The Cathedral)

A monstrous par 4 where the green is a perfect inverted saucer, repelling any shot that isn't struck with absolute conviction.

The Infinity Green

Royal Dornoch

Infinity Green

Hole 3

Par 4

Yards 413

#Bunkerless #Links #Visual Deception #Old Tom Morris #Scotland

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Architectural Analysis

Ross transplanted the DNA of his home club, Dornoch, to North Carolina; both holes feature 'turtleback' greens that defend par by rejecting mediocrity rather than using water or sand.