Had an awesome weekend with Svonhof and his wife at Pinehurst.
Saturday at #1: #1 gets a bad rap as the short uninspiring course. First, it is a 6100 yard Par 70, which is a fairly standard length for a 70. #1 definitely gives you a Pinehurst taste without the diabolical aspect you must get on the famous courses. Hit my driver well, but my iron distance selection was not up to it. Long, short. Greens are hard to hit at Pinehurst, and when you do they are hard to hold. So you miss greens, and then you have chips off of very tight lies to tough greens. It was hard to get the speed down with all of the slope, but luckily I was solid on <10 foot putts that kept the misery down. 41-39 for a +10 (80).
Sunday was #4. Many rate this above the famous #2, and I understand why. It is a fantastic course. Not as tight as #1. But the sandy areas off the fairway are much more trouble. Greens are faster, and there are some crazy roller coaster rides on the greens. Again, my driver started off solid. But my irons were much better today. 9 GIRs, not counting 4 other good irons that landed on greens and didn't stay on. And again, a solid putter kept things under control, +3 through 12, and then the adventure began with muscle pain in my lower back (not used to playing 3 days in a row - I usually play once every other week). My consistent fade became a wild slice - and that doesn't work at Pinehurst. Military golf was on, left, right, left. Somehow, I was able to not lose a ball, although I probably should have lost a couple in those 6 holes. Still, I held on for dear life, and even drilled a 4 iron close for the lone birdie of the round. Finished off a +5 77 on #4.
Sure, I had heard about Pinehurst for my near 50 years of golf, but it still exceeded my expectations. I'd have to put #4 right up there with Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes. Magical. Thanks Scott!