A history of Pinehurst

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3156 7482. It reads like a phone number, but this sequence actually describes the difficulty of the courses at Pinehurst – from decidedly challenging to downright chastening.

Known as the home of golf in these parts, Pinehurst resort was designed in 1895 by Central Park’s creator Frederick Olmsted, who was brought in to transform dull wasteland into a winter retreat for the well-heeled. Owner James Tufts had paid $1 an acre and had archery, aviation, hunting and horse riding in mind, but it wasn’t until he received a letter of complaint from a local farmer that he turned to golf. The farmer moaned that Tuft’s guests were hitting white balls into his field and frightening the cows. So Tufts built a nine-holer, which then got extended to 18 and became No.1.

Donald Ross, course architect and golf pro, arrived in Pinehurst in 1900 and stayed for 48 years. His masterpiece, No.2, was completed in 1907.

A bronze sculpture of a balletic Payne Stewart, balanced on one leg and punching the air, stands by a hedgerow to the left of the 18th green. It captures the moment he rolled in an 18-footer for birdie to win the US Open in 1999 – barely four months before he was killed in an air accident. No.2 has had other poignant moments: Michael Campbell became the first Kiwi winner of the US Open in 2005; Billy Joe Patton won a matchplay final there in 1951 with five consecutive threes down the stretch; and it is the course that brought Ben Hogan his first victory as a pro in 1935.

Is playing Pinehurst heaven or hell? Read more about the course here

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