Pinehurst No. 2 — Local services in Pinehurst

Great course. Just not worth the price. If it weren't for the history there you would think this to be a really good local track. Other courses are better laid out. If you went in blindly without knowing the history you would have a pretty mundane round, which makes it really not worth the price you have to pay to play it.

Those that say it's too difficult either play from the wrong tees or don't know how to play Donald Ross greens. The tee boxes average 40 yards farther than most courses, so if you move up a tee box you'll be just fine. As far as the greens, there's a municipal course near my home that has same style of turtleback greens, just not as fast. I know it's best to putt, not chip, from 40 yards and in. After 10 holes and the fact my score was 8 less than theirs they finally realized to putt off the green, even having to go uphill. It's counter intuitive for the amateur golfer but it's the only way. I watched one guy chip over the green 3 times before I begged him to putt on and he putted 12 feet from the cup.

The caddie is really neat. I didn't pay for one but two other players in my group did. I listened in while caddie was describing history throughout the course. It was cool that they got Rose, whom is the only female caddie currently working at Pinehurst. I told her she must be a marathon runner because she ran, not walked to spot shots on every hole.

Tips: Walk it. Don't ride. You're going to spend just as much walking back and forth to cart then if you just walk to begin with.

Don't waste your money on a caddie. 9 out of 10 groups have a caddie so listen in to their conversation to save yourself some money.

This is a public course. No guard shack. No id required for entry into the clubhouse. No starter preventing anyone from using the practice facilities. No security anywhere, except at a starter shack at each course. So it's worth the drive just to visit the clubhouse, putting green (best you'll ever see) and the driving range.

Extremely crowed on weekends. If you play Monday through Thursday, especially after 3pm, there is no starter to prevent you from walking onto any course there...including Number 2. While I'm not condoning walking on a course without paying, I am saying that if you happened to be there after 3pm and wanted to walk around without cost there is nobody that is going to stop you.

Play Number 4, forget the rest. Of course play Number 2 because of the history. Number 4 is actually more of what you imagine Pinehurst is supposed to be. The other 7 courses, forget about them. They look nothing like the Pinehurst in your mind.

Do have a meal at Deuce at the clubhouse. Reasonably priced. Sit outside and watch group after group come into the 18th green. Better than watching it on TV.

In addition to all this, the service is really sub par. Because they're dealing with so many people, especially on the weekends, you have to fend for yourself and find your way around.

Lastly, as I said, if it weren't for the history of the place you would think it's just another really good private club. It is 100% public, anyone can walk around all they want which makes it really neat. Try getting into Sawgrass with a tee time! If you're expecting the greatest course you've ever played, you'll be disappointed. Go there expecting to experience the same course that so many championships have...

So many people told me get ready to be "beat up" when playing Pinehurst #2 but that was not my experience. Yes, it was a challenging course and if you're game is not in a good place I can see it "beat you up" but otherwise I was pleasantly surprised by the course. First, a good caddie makes a big difference. If you go, ask for Chris - he was amazing, great at reading the greens. Also, if you are not a good sand player - get good (practice) -- because odds are you will be in sand at some point around a green. Now it helps to be in the fairway, but if you are in a waste area (and not up against love grass) then it's not that hard to advance the ball a good distance because the waste area is fairly hard sand. In comparison, we found the waste areas on #4 much softer/fluffy sand and harder to advance the ball a long distance. From the forward tees, some of the distances are just plain hard to get to the green in regulation. The hardest was #17, Par 3, 167 yards (per the Caddie) from the forward tees. That's a driver for the average bogey female golfer. My drive almost got on but it was uphill at the green and it rolled back to the collection area. So my guess it really played more like 175 or 180 with the elevation. The greens are fast but we experience much faster greens at #8 (which are newer). Again, with a good caddie giving you a read, it wasn't too bad. The bigger issue is the approach shot on to the green (it's hard to hold a green if you are using a wood or hybrid). Hole 16 (Par 4/5) was the only hole with water but from the forward tees it's only 105 to carry. It's a par 5 hole for women at 416 yards. My favorite thing about #2 was the walk...we were off at 8.10 am (2nd group) and it was the fastest round of our four rounds of golf that week (most were over 5 hours but #2 was 4 hours 20 mins and it would have been faster but they were sending off grounds on the 10th hole so it slowed us down on the back nine). The walk is easy because most of it is flat (some hills as you reach greens). A much easier walk than #4 or #8 where most golfers seemed to take a cart. So bottom line, I really loved #2 and all my worries about it beating me up were nothing. Yes, I had hard holes - Tip our caddie said the first six holes are the hardest. He was right - my back nine score was 7 strokes lower. :-) The whole experience of walking the course, with a great friend, experienced caddie, and perfect weather made it a great bucket...

Here's an important FYI about Pinehurst #2....pictures don't come close to telling the story. It reminds me of a beautiful woman who doesn't look so great in pictures, but when you see her in person, you can't take your eyes off her. That's Pinehurst #2. I'll be posting a few pics with this review, but they just cannot capture the beauty and the essence of this course. PH #2 gives you room to play, but it requires that you pay attention and that you understand how to address it. Disregard those requirements and you're in for a long day. Stay true to them, and it will reward you with an unforgettable day on the course. Be aware that "pin-seeking" is ONLY suggested for scratch golfers (which I am not). Anything that is not in the middle of the greens is likely to roll off those lovely crowned greens and make you work for it coming back.

After your round, make sure to grab something to eat at the Deuce....the food is great and the prices are more...