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The Global Golfer Top 100
Pinehurst Resort — No. 2 Course
Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA · #39 in the World
Location: Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA | Ranking: #39 — The Global Golfer Top 100
Type: Sandhills | Designer: Donald Ross (1907), restored Coore & Crenshaw (2011)
Editor’s Note: The 2011 restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw removed all the peripheral rough and irrigation plantings that had accumulated over decades — returning Pinehurst No. 2 to Ross’s original Sandhills vision of firm, sandy waste areas framing natural wire-grass corridors. The result was revelatory. The 2024 US Open’s drama confirmed No. 2 as the defining American parkland test: the crowned, turtle-back greens reject everything but the most precisely struck approaches.
Contact & Booking
- Website: pinehurst.com | Green Fees: From $350 | Rating / Slope: 77.0 / 150 | Nearest Airport: Raleigh-Durham (RDU) — 1h 30m.
Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 35 |
| Yards | 414 | 451 | 340 | 555 | 482 | 223 | 399 | 490 | 180 | 3,534 |
Par 4
Par 3
Par 5
Total
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
| Yards | 621 | 460 | 444 | 193 | 478 | 399 | 531 | 194 | 465 | 3,785 | 7,588 |
Key Strategy Notes
- The Crowned Greens: Ross’s turtle-back greens slope away in every direction — anything not struck precisely at the target will feed off into wire-grass waste. The standard approach is one club less than the yardage suggests and aiming for the centre.
- Hole 5 — Par 5, 482 Yards: The most reachable par 5 on the course — a birdie opportunity that most players squander by attacking the crowned green too aggressively. Lay up to 80 yards; wedge in from the short stuff.
- Hole 18 — Par 4, 465 Yards: The Payne Stewart statue stands at the 18th green — where he raised his fist after his legendary 1999 US Open putt. A par here is worth cherishing.
The 19th Hole
- The Carolina Hotel (5★): Golf history since 1901 — the rocking chairs on the porch after 18 holes at No. 2 are a perfect American golf moment. Book via Expedia →