[Chris Buie]

This hole was originally the 6th on Pinehurst #3 Course.  It is now the 15th on #5 Course.  Apparently, this was the only hole that Mr. Ross gave a name to: Cathedral.  I would guess that since this is the only one he named it must have had some significance to him.  In my view it is a good solid hole - not anything astounding. 
I don't have any particular insight into it.  I just thought since this group is so keen about the design of golf holes that some of you would find it interesting to see how it has changed, and in some ways remained the same through close to 100 years.  On the 1922 map it is listed as 186 yards.  Today from the very back it is listed as 188 yards.











From the 1922 map:


As it appears today:

[Adam Russell]

Chris -

Fascinating stuff to see how the good facets of the hole slowly were modified and replaced with eye candy, dumbing down the playing characteristics of the original. Do you have any dates for the pictures/postcards? My favored look incidentally is not the original version but the third picture down. The pond offers a better look while not being a do-or-die forced carry, and the entire right side still leaves a chance to recover.

[Chris Buie]

Adam, I'm afraid I don't have the dates of the photos - except the last one of course, which I took this spring.  #3 was originally designed in 1910 - so I do think the first photo must have been taken around then.
It just happens that this hole is the one that had the most photos taken through the years.  There are a lot of holes in Pinehurst that have had a few different versions photographed.  But no holes that are documented to the degree that this one has been.  I think it is pretty illustrative of how all the Pinehurst courses have been modified - usually not for the better - through the years. 
Thanks for your perspective.  I was curious what this panel would make of the various changes.

[Adam Russell]

Chris -

Just taking another look I wanted to see if that green has shifted forward from its original position. The reason I ask is in the picture above the hand drawn plan you can see the green close against new dogwoods in a circular clearing. In the present day version, those now mature dogwoods seem to all be there under the canopy, and so does the clearing, but the green looks to have moved forward.

[Jon Heise]

Man, I wish I'd have been around in the 20's and 30's to see courses like this in their very beginnings.    Would be nice to see a course today that is as raw as those pics...

Maybe Richard Mandell is around to comment about the movement of that green?  He wrote that fantastic book on Pinehurst a couple years ago...

[Chris Buie]

Adam, it does appear to me that the green has been moved forward.  It looks like it may have been originally just beyond and a little to the right of the dogwood in the recent photo.
I wonder what they were thinking when they were tinkering around with this hole - and a lot of other holes in Pinehurst.  Some holes they modified so they could cram in houses and condos.  That does not appear to be the case here.  Even if I was was a renown architect I'm pretty sure I would not move around Ross greens.  Easy for me to say that.  If a club offered one a sizable comission to do such a thing it would be a test of character.  Would you turn that down if, say, you needed the money to send your child to a nice school? 
I'll show you another example of how they modified the original #3 Course that was not apparently because of real estate development. 
This is the 1922 drawing of what is now the 3rd hole.  Originally it was the 10th hole.  As you can see, there was water at the bottom of the hill.  That is where we drive it today because they have taken the water away.  The dynamics of the hole are obviously greatly changed. 



As it is today looking back from the 4th tee:


Also, Jon you are right.  The Mandell book is by far the best about the area.  If you were going to get one book about the area that would undoubtedly be the one to get.

[Sean_A]

Taking away the disastrous addition of the water, I am struck by how Ross didn't bench the green into the hill on the left.  Instead he chose to raise the entire pad and create what I call a "do or don't die" hole.  Meaning its difficult to pull off the what is essentially a heroic shot, but after failing, the player can find his ball and continue the game.  Does anybody else see shades of the greens on #2 here?

Ciao

[Chris Buie]

Sean, here are some additional photos if you care to continue your analysis.
There are actually two sets of men's tees.  They are left and right - about 20 yards apart.  This is from the left tee.




This is what a typical approach shot looks like.



This view gives you an idea of the elevation of the green. 



A better view from behind the green.  The condos were added in the Seventies.

[Tom MacWood]

Back to the original par-3. I the last two photos it looks like the tee was shifted to the right. I'm also thinking those are the only two pictures when the green is grassed. It also looks like the hillside on which green was laid has been lowered and flattened, although it could be the water has been enlarged and water level changed, creating that appearance. I like the look of the green in the older pictures, I like the single bunker in Cathedral picture and I like the smaller water hazard.

[Art Roselle]

That par 3 looks remarkably like the 3rd at Pine Needles.  In fact, I thought it was the 3rd at Pine Needles until I checked another photo.  I am not sure how the pond evolved at PN, but it is interesting that the holes are so similar.

[Chris Buie]

Tom, the first photo of the par-3 does look like it has a more elevated green with a traditional Ross 'roll-off' area on the right side.  I'd love to see it look like that again.
This hole is as previously stated, now part of #5 course.  #5 Course is about 1/3 Ross and 2/3 Ellis Maples.  The greens on #5 are the flatest of the PCC courses.  I am told that this is the course that receives the most member play.  I suspect that it was modified over the years with this in mind.  You seldom see visitors playing this course.  I still think it is worth playing at least once if you have already played the highlight courses in the area.  There are some fine and interesting holes on #5.  I'd play #3 before I played #5 though.

Art, in some of the photos it does resemble the 3rd at Pine Needles.  There are several Ross holes which resemble each other.  There are many high point-to-high point par-3's.  I've always been struck by how similar the approach shots are on to the 5th at Mid Pines and 3rd on #5 Course.  Both Ross designed par-5's. 



This photo was taken a bit farther back from the descending hill than the MP one.

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