Pinehurst #2
Played Pinehurst in 2017 as part of a buddies trip we bought at an auction. It was a great time and as we had a buddy have to cancel last second, our host David played and hung with us. We got a private award-winning chef to prepare us dinner one night. All together a real hoot. By the way, if you’re looking for a “package” to auction or have as a prize, David does this for a lot of charities. Visit his Facebook page here.
Funny story, I hope David doesn’t mind me telling it. David coached with and is friends with Jay Wright, the Villanova men’s basketball coach. So I know this but some of the drunks we’re with don’t know it. So, we’re watching the finals back at the Dog Den (the house) after our round and we get to talking about Jay Wright (North Carolina won and Villanova got bounced in the second round in the 2017 tourney). So our buddy, who shall remain nameless, says that Jay Wright is the most over-rated coach ever. Mind you Villanova just won the tourney the previous year. So he’s on this rant and we’re all cracking up – including David – until he calls Jay Wright a jitbag. So David says, “I don’t think he is, I think he’s a pretty good coach.” So our buddy says, “Then you’re a jitbag and that is the worst thing one man can call another man.” Of course the next morning we let him know that David is friends with Jay and used to coach with him and of course we made them share a caddie at #2.
What to say about Pinehurst #2? First, it has the championship pedigree, it has tons of history, prestige in golf magazine rankings, is a great resort with a ton of golf nearby, it’s on all the major games so you’ve likely simu-played it, it doesn’t beat you up too bad but it’s not easy – the greens reject balls like nerdy kids on prom night, and finally the sandy base is perfect for golf and the recently exposed sandy areas give a great natural to the course. It’s definitely in my top 100 and should remain there no matter how many courses I have yet to play and rank. So I get all of the love it gets. But top 20 in the world? Nah.
Look I have a lot of courses yet to play but considering how Pinehurst stacks up for the fraction of the list I have played, it just doesn’t have the wow factor of the top of the top. Walking away you’ll think, “what a pleasant golf experience” but likely won’t recall one hole. I played this on my second trip to the area (and regretted not playing it the first time), but after finally playing it I didn’t feel like I’d rush to plunk down $300 or so to play it again. In fact, we’re heading back down there in 2021 and unless some of the guys who didn’t make the first trip push for it, I won’t suggest we play it again.
This is a popular golf trip and I have buddies who make this an annual trip. I liked it as such. The Ironwood Cafe is a great place for eats and Dugan’s is a great little bar right in the heart of Pinehurst.
Golf Scrapbook 