Pine Needles—US Women’s Open

[Ira Fishman]

Pine Needles is presenting itself very well on TV. I particularly like how one can see how the shoulders off the bunkers affect the putting and how the fairways bend. The wire grass is a surprise. When we played last fall, we saw some of it growing in, but it seems more prominent than I would have expected. Is it going stay there or is it a particular addition for the tournament?


Thanks.

[Jerry Kluger]

I recall that C & C planted similar grasses at #2 before the Open but a dry Spring made it such that it was not much of a hazard to the players and in watching today I did not see it come it to play very much. 


What I did notice was that it was taking around 5 hours and 15 minutes for the threesomes to complete their rounds which is just incredible to me.  There simply isn't that much going on there to warrant that much time to play a round.  Fairways were wide and the waste areas bordering the fairways were not such hazards at to cause play to slow down.  Sure the greens can be a challenge but that is no excuse for a round to take so long. 

[PCCraig]

I love Pine Needles so much.


It looks wonderful on TV this week and it seems like it's playing great.


I hope it gets more Opens even with Pinehurst Resort becoming the new home of the USGA.

[Jeff Taylor]

I wish they were playing across the street.

[Dan_Callahan]

Watching the Women’s Open, I have to say it’s the first time I can recall enjoying a course more on tv than I did in person. On tv, it looks fantastic. Especially when flipping back and forth between the Open and the Memorial.


I might get banned from this site for admitting this, but I though Pine Needles was very average when I played it. Perhaps that’s because I played it in December, and if I saw it in June it would present better? I don’t know. But coming off several rounds at Tobacco Road and really looking forward to a natural and sublime Donald Ross routing, I was very underwhelmed. But on tv, it looks terrific.

[Anthony Gholz]

Ira:


When we played in November the bunkers didn't have the "pop" they have today on TV.  The bunkers appear to have been entirely re-edged, along with the waste areas.  I agree re the wire grass: dull in November, the real deal today.


I too thought the course was third among the MP, SP, and PN trio we played (more than once).  I'm delighted as to how it looks.  I hope they can maintain those condones for regular;ar play with greens not as fast etc.  But I hear the powers that be are dressing the place up for sale in the next year.  Clearly last fall they opened up SP too soon.  There were large areas of tees and fairway that should have been given another month to grow in.  Did get a chance to meet Kyle F on the course so I'm happy.  And the $ were reasonable or better than reasonable.


Whatever the future all three courses are among the best three I've played in one area.  (I have NOT played the LI holy trinity).
Anthony

[Brett Meyer]

I played Pine Needles this year in early March and there were freshly planted clumps of wiregrass everywhere. Someone told me that he thought they overdid it but the odds are still pretty good (as I learned from experience) that you'll have a decent lie if you hit it in the waste areas. So I thought it looked good and added some needed challenge.

Pine Needles is my favorite between it, Mid Pines, and Southern Pines. It's probably the easiest of the three because it has the widest fairways and largest greens, but there's a lot of interesting subtlety to it. If you don't hit solid drives, subtle slopes in the fairway will carry your ball away toward the junk on several holes (4,6,11,12). And the greens, while large and fairly flat in the middle, have very interesting edges--as we're seeing in the Women's Open. The edges of these greens reminded me more of no.2 that those on Mid Pines or Southern Pines, which I think is a plus. And if you put pins near the edges, some of them can be quite difficult...on my first visit in 2019, I putted off two greens in a row!

But as I said, I think that it's the easiest of the three courses and it doesn't seem to be giving the ladies too much trouble this week. The course needs to be firm to play difficult and that just doesn't appear to be the case. The subtle slopes in the fairways will still get a lot of us in softer conditions, but they hit it too straight. Brandel Chamblee was saying after the telecast yesterday that the average was something like 12 or 13/14 fairways hit. And the greens are big enough that you should always be able to play safely to the middle if the ball isn't bouncing. They can make it tough by putting the pins near the edges of the greens because the 40 footers from the middle of the greens are quite nerve wracking given what's on the other side, but most of the ladies seem to be able to handle that just fine.

So it'd be nice to see it play a little tougher this week but it's a fine course because there's a lot of interesting, subtle stuff and there's a lot of flexibility in the layout depending on where they put the pins. It's an excellent course for resort golfers and I suspect that it'd be a really tough test for the pros if they got it running firm. Hopefully it will be today and tomorrow.

[Sean_A]

I think Pine Needles is my favourite of the three, but I haven't seen the renovated S Pines. By the talk of things it may become my favourite, but we shall see. Not to disappoint Ran, but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about S Pines. A make-over was essential.

The ladies seem to be playing PN with ease!

Ciao

[Wayne_Kozun]

I think Pine Needles is my favourite of the three, but I haven't seen the renovated S Pines. By the talk of things it may become my favourite, but we shall see. Not to disappoint Ran, but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about S Pines. A make-over was in essential.

The ladies seem to be playing PN with ease!

How many years ago was it that we had a Dixie Cup there?

[A.G._Crockett]

Pine Needles is 3rd place for me, with SP and MP tied for first.
I am NOT a fan of what they've done with the wiregrass plantings, and I hope that a lot of that comes out after the Open.  I completely understand why it was done, but I played a CGA tournament there in March, and for the non-professional "rest of the world" the wiregrass just removes some of the Ross intent, at least to me. 

I have no problem understanding why the rounds are taking so long; that is a VERY demanding set of greens at the speeds they are playing. 

[Jason Thurman]

I just love this golf course.


3 is outstanding. It's special to be the best par 3 between 9 at #2, 7 at Dormie, 2 at Mid Pines, and whatever else you got in the area.

More to come.

[hhuffines]

The best par 3 at Mid Pines is the long one.

[Norbert P]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this course on hi def telly.   It brought back a lot of fine memories and I never was able to see it presented in its peak form.  Loved the non-rough USGA allowance for the tourney.
Wiregrass adds to the "fate of nature" factor in my way of thinking and Donald Ross did use it effectively back in his designing days.
It is a native grass.   Broom sedge gives nice highlights, as well. I believe all the troublesome Love Grass was removed.

When I played the course seven years ago I was underwhelmed, not by the routing or land but by it's reduction of character from the original Ross design (from old photographs).  I'm quite enamored with the place now.


(Full disclosure... I did some work on this restomod.  (I messed some things up and then Jose' Avila would fix 'em up))

Btw...   What does Jay Mickle think of it? That's what counts.   

[John Moore]

I think Pine Needles is my favourite of the three, but I haven't seen the renovated S Pines. By the talk of things it may become my favourite, but we shall see. Not to disappoint Ran, but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about S Pines. A make-over was in essential.

The ladies seem to be playing PN with ease!

How many years ago was it that we had a Dixie Cup there?

Dixie Cup was 2005.
I thought Mid Pines was the better of the 2 on that trip but have not played in Pinehurst since the renovations.

[Jay Mickle]

From a biased local member at PN,MP,SP who has played MP 1500x, PN 500x, and SP. 100x (15x since the redo).
Pine Needles was in the best shape that I have seen it. Pin positions that Kyle Franz provided for but are rarely if ever used created great challenge on the perimeter of the greens. The limited rough layout with pins on the edge did require some thought as to where in the fairway one wanted to approach from, the penalty for a miss was severe and it seemed to me that the players were playing conservatively and content to shoot for the middle of the greens and putt outward.
Since the other courses in the triumvirate have been mentioned I feel the MP and SP both have more interesting green complexes. MP is the only one of the 3 to retain the original Donald Ross internal contouring which makes even middle pins a bit of a conundrum for many. The 2 new greens and 16 reconfigured greens that Kyle created at SP are intriguing and won't concede any 30' straight putts.
Of the 3 courses MP remains my favorite as I find it just more FUN for its compact walkable routing, variety of holes and strategic requirements. Southern Pines is my #2 for its great land, enhanced bunkering and and improved greens, with each play I appreciate it more. What a great membership to have with PN as your #3.