Golfers will soon be flocking back to the famous Pinehurst resort to play their infamous No. 2 course.
It is a layout that offers very little forgiveness for the wayward shotmaker with no rough to catch and, more importantly, stop miscued shots.
In some instances, this might see an off-centre drive get you closer to the green, but you are nearly guaranteed to have a horrible lie in either an actual bunker or a sandy waste area.
If you have been watching the US Open on TV and thought, how hard could it be, you need to check out this video from ‘average’ golf influencer Birdogey.
What makes Pinehurst No. 2 so hard to play?
“It’s just a really tough test. It’s firm,” Former US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy says.
“It’s actually not like a normal US Open venue in that it doesn’t rely on being narrow (with) long rough. It’s quite wide. But you can see from the pictures it’s pretty bad if you do miss the cut surface, you’re in some sandy, long, gnarly sort of grass. Lots of sand everywhere.
“But the real challenge at Pinehurst No. 2 is the greens are all upside-down saucers. They repel the ball on all four sides. Almost all 18 greens, if you’re sort of towards the edge of the green, the ball is gonna roll off the green.
“That sets up a real apprehension in your mind, it makes you nervous. You really start aiming at the middle of the greens and they start seeming smaller and smaller. It’s just a test, it’s relentless. It keeps coming at you.
“It’s like it’s seemingly built for the US Open and the USGA, Pinehurst No. 2,” Ogilvy said. “You could play 365 (days a year) at Pinehurst No. 2 and have a US Open. It’s that sort of course. It’s always difficult.”
Wyndham Clark said of the layout as it stands in 2024: “I mean, they are extremely fast. If they get any firmer and faster, the greens, I mean, they’d be borderline. They already are borderline.”
He added: “I find myself hitting uphill putts six feet by, six, seven feet by. Common theme in our group. I mean, multiple guys putted off the green. Multiple guys hit putts, they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh’. Definitely the defence right now (from the course against low scoring) is the greens.”
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