Pinehurst #4 was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1919, and Tom Fazio redesigned it in 2000 as a personal tribute to Ross. There are lots of the crowned greens with drop-offs, wide fairways, and strategically placed bunkers (as you’ll see) which are all indicative of a Ross course. Honestly, I thought it was a Ross design until I read about it after the fact. I’ve played a few Donald Ross courses before (Donald Ross Golf Course in French Lick, IN and Ravisloe CC in Homewood, IL come to mind.)
The #4 course is also the only one I played that was accessible from the main clubhouse. (#1 – #5 are accessible from the main clubhouse, while #6-#8 are all a short drive away.)
I played the Whites, which measure 6,214 which is a little shorter than usual (I try to shoot for the closest tee selection to 6,500), but being a Ross course, and knowing the additional length necessary for good approaches to crowned greens, the Whites were a good fit.
The first hole measures only 337 yards, so the smart play is a fairway wood and a fade, if possible. It’s a slight dogleg right. If you do take driver, be wary of the two bunkers on the right side of the fairway that aren’t visible from the tee. Cut too much off the corner, and you may be in one of these babies:
The second hole is a very reachable par 5 (471 from Whites), but as expected, it is WELL guarded with bunkers. Mathematically, it screams green light, but be aware that the bunkers are designed to swallow even a slightly mishit drive (or a drive that rolls to far). Also, the same holds true for the greenside bunkers. Look at a large version of this picture to see what I mean:
I hit a really strong drive on #3 which didn’t fade and was able to clear the bunkers on the left. It was a great drive, but left me with a slight downhill lie with a crowned green, which is difficult to hit. Try and be in the fairway here, and it might be a good birdie opportunity.
The 4th hole is a downhill par 3 over a bit of water, measuring 145 yards. Long makes for a tough chip, and short is water so club selection is everything. Be wary of the wind, but for me it was a perfect 8-iron, which ended up about 20 feet from the pin. I missed the birdie, but did par the hole.
Five is the #1 handicap hole on the course and for good reason. At 427 yards from the Whites, it’s plenty of length too. The tee shot is uphill, so plan on about 180-200 for your approach to a crowned green. The fairway bunkers on the left ate a perfect drive of one of my playing partners, causing a chip out. My opinion: Play it as a par 5 from the tee, and hit fairway wood, wedge, wedge. You’ll have one putt for par, and nothing worse than bogey.
The seventh has fairway up the left, and sand up the entire right side of the hole. Any mishit to the right is in the sand. It was in pretty good shape when we played so no need to be afraid of it, but the mental weight of a 300+ yard bunker will have to be dealt with.
The eighth is only 353 yards but a pretty tight hole as compared to the others, so I’d suggest fairway wood and an 8-9 iron for the approach. The green is pretty big, so choose your iron carefully, but this is a potential birdie hole for sure.
The ninth is another par 5, again with lots of strategically placed bunkers. It seems Ross designs almost force you to play defense more than offense, don’t they? Note how well guarded the green is:
And the bunkers aren’t just your run-of-the-mill bunkers either. They’re deep and challenging. I ended up in the sand on the right side of the green; this is what I had for my fourth shot (and no, I didn’t up-and-down for the par, unfortunately.)
Ten and Eleven are relatively easy holes (if you keep it in the fairway, of course.) The twelfth is a downhill par 3 measuring 164 from the Whites. Again, pay attention to the wind. Being in the front bunkers here makes for a tough, tough par.
Thirteen is probably my favorite par 5 on the course. The fairway is wide and deep, so don’t be afraid to let one fly. The difficulty of the hole comes into play on your second shot. Most can probably reach in two if they hit a good second shot, but it’s completely over water. The people in the picture below are on the green:
If you play it safe and to the right (like I did), you’ll be left with 100 yards or less, and an approach that looks like this:
The fifteenth is a classic Ross hole; not very long, but with a crowned green and some mind-altering bunkers. Standing over your approach, it’s difficult not to think about the bunkers, even though they really aren’t in play (with a good tee shot, of course.) Truly a beautiful hole.
Seventeen is another strong par 5, which runs along a road on the left side. So in addition to being concerned with the bunkers, you have to be wary not to pull it into traffic. There are bunkers to swallow your tee shot, 2nd shot, or third so again, up the middle is a great play here. Be sure to view this picture in full-size to be able to see what I mean:
Pinehurst #4 finishes with a par 4 that has a bunker running up the entire left side. In addition, the fairway runs out of room shorter than you might expect.
Once you’re on the green, you’re almost back at the clubhouse.
The #4 course at Pinehurst was clearly challenging, and was extremely reminiscent of a Donald Ross design. When in doubt, play it safe, but be sure to play it.
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