Golf: Observations from Pinehurst

By Vincent Musco Sports Central Columnist

Few words inspire golfers more than the word "Pinehurst." Anyone who knows anything about the sport knows that Pinehurst, North Carolina is home to a great deal of golf and its history. I spent last week in the Pinehurst area observing what makes this golf metropolis so special.

Here's what I found.

No. 2: Overrated?

Home of the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens, and host of the 2007 U.S. Amateur, the No. 2 course at Pinehurst Resort is the most famous track in the area. It was the site of perhaps the greatest final day in U.S. Open history, as well as arguably the greatest putt in golf history, Payne Stewart's 15-footer for par on the 18th hole to win the '99 Open by a stroke.

But you wouldn't realize that by talking to the locals.

Almost everyone I spoke with during the week told me that there are better courses in the area. Pinehurst No. 4, No. 8, and Pine Needles all were touted by the residents as better courses than No. 2. They say that No. 2 is very straightforward tee to green, and that the only challenge is the greens, which are shaped like turtle-backs. Very unfair, most say.

Pinehurst No. 4, however, was rumored to be the top choice for the 2005 Open until the Pinehurst Committee realized that logistically, No. 2 was the better choice. No. 8 is considered a much more interesting test of golf than No. 2, and the greens are not as tricked up, making it a fair course for all players. And Pine Needles is no stranger to USGA Championships, as it has hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice in the last seven years and is designed by Donald Ross, the same man who created No. 2.

So could it be true? Could No. 2 be overrated?

Not so much. As a course, perhaps the $335 dollar green fee (that works out to over $400 when the caddy fee is included) is a little high for the design that awaits you. No. 2 will not take your breath away like Pebble Beach or inspire awe like Augusta National. It's greens, which putt and hold shots like the hood of a Volkswagen, are more frustrating than anything.

But then you walk around the 18th green, just paces from where Payne Stewart holed his Open-winning putt. You see Payne's statue, strategically placed between the green and the clubhouse, in which he is in his celebratory pose, the same pose he held four years ago after his magical putt, just months before he would die in a plane crash.

You remember Tiger Woods' bid for his first U.S. Open coming up just short, one year before his dominance at Pebble Beach. And you remember the victim of Payne Stewart's magic, Phil Mickelson, carrying a beeper the entire tournament, ready to withdraw immediately and fly to his pregnant wife should her labor begin.

That's the sort of golf history that is, for some of us, too much to pass up. No. 4 might be better, No. 8 might be nicer, and Pine Needles might the best value, but No. 2 is still number one.

Pinehurst, Jr.

Speaking of Pine Needles, I got a chance to play the Donald Ross design during my trip. After dealing with the slightly-domed greens and the strategically placed bunkers and mounds around the green, I dubbed the course "Pinehurst Junior."

Very similar to No. 2 in almost all aspects, Pinehurst, Jr. has a playability and fairness that No. 2's greens and length prevents it from having. The fairways are generous, but the greens are difficult targets that will only accept finely struck approaches. But because the course is so much shorter than No. 2, you'll hit a lot more short irons than long irons on most of the holes.

Missing the greens is easy to do, thanks to Donald Ross's brilliance, but getting up and down is not as daunting at Pinehurst, Jr. For $79 a round, Pinehurst, Jr. is a must-play while in the area.

Leigh Ann Hardin

The Women's North and South Amateur Championship, played at Pinehurst since 1903, was in progress while I was in town. To all male golfers out there who don't think women belong on a golf course: women can play.

I've always felt that the top women players in the world had more beautiful swings than men. The reason is their tempo. They swing long and graceful, not trying to overpower the ball the way the top men sometimes do. The amateurs I followed at the North and South were no different. They might be amateurs, but not for long.

No one impressed me more than Leigh Ann Hardin, a recent graduate of Duke University. She has all the tools to become a top player on the LPGA Tour someday, but that's not what convinces me that she's a lock to be among the elite very soon.

She's a winner.

Leigh Ann won 18 AJGA tournaments as a junior golfer, won nine state titles in four years of high school between golf and basketball, was named to the AAU All-American Team in basketball, three Academic All-American teams at Martinsville High School in Indiana, and an All-American golfer at Duke. People with this kind of success rate and such impressive skills on the course are destined to be great. Although she did not win the North and South, this is no exception.

What Else to Do?

Okay, so Pinehurst isn't exactly Vegas. Outside of golf, there is very little to do in the area. Sure, there are some restaurants, but the nightlife leaves much to be desired. This is why the resorts at Pinehurst, Pine Needles, and MidPines are so successful. They offer amenities available only to resort guests. Golf, tennis, spas, black-tie dinners, and the ever-interesting croquet matches on the front lawn of the Pinehurst resort are all there for the taking of those who stay at the resorts.

If you're real smart, however, you'll find a beautiful home on a picturesque lake that offers fishing, swimming, and fine dining, all for free. For this, however, you may need to know someone in the area (thanks Tim, Denise, Timothy, and Brewster).

But my journey to Pinehurst was a successful one, much like my trip to Bethpage Black, host of the 2002 U.S. Open. Which makes me wonder: where shall I go next summer? Pebble Beach sounds nice. Maybe it's time Sports Central sent me on a trip to investigate the Monterrey Bay area and the golf found there. Please send an e-mail to my wonderful editor, making this request.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.