All this discussion about how Pinehurst Used to Look, how it was intended to play and what Donald Ross did or didn't do got me thinking about my earliest experience at Pinehurst #2 It was in the early 70s and I was a much better player than a student of architecture. I found the course to be very challenging, especially the green surrounds.I had the most wonderful experience of playing a practice round with Bill Campbell who reviled me stories of former events and players (I was more into golf history than golf architecture). However, more importantly he tried to demonstrate some of the course's nuances - where to miss etc. What I remember most vividly and what was most impressive that day was watching Mr Campbell chip around the greens which we did on almost every hole. He would drop 3 or 4 balls at various spots where the ball might fall off and then chip them to various points on the green. He was masterful and played bump and run shots with a 3 or 5 iron. He had great hands and really knew the contours. I was most impressed and it was beautiful to watch.
I don't believe that I have seen any real bump and run shots at this open - despite the "fiery" conditions etc. I suppose that we have the 60 (even 64) degree wedge with ideal bounce to thank for the loss of those little strokes around the periphery - chalk it up to another technologic improvement.