Great minds (Ross and Fazio) came together on Pinehurst No. 4 golf course

Brandon Tucker

March 4, 2010

Updated July 20, 2018

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. -- Pinehurst No. 4 represents a mix of old and new at Pinehurst Resort, originally built in 1919 by Donald Ross and then redesigned by architect Tom Fazio in conjunction with the 1999 U.S. Open.

Whereas Pinehurst No. 1 and No. 3 both play well under 6,000 yards, No. 4 was built with modern championship intentions and stretches to 7,117 yards and plays a slope/rating of 74.2/135. Played out of the same clubhouse as Pinehurst No. 2, No. 4 plays near the U.S. Open course at most points and the routing is still tight and very walkable with small distances from green to tee.

In fitting Fazio fashion, No. 4 features rolling mounds and elevated tee shots to keep the visuals as appetizing as anywhere on property, and there is also little real estate and out-of-bounds on the perimeter of the course. A large pond hosts the par-5 13th hole and par-3 14th, perhaps the most wide open space of all the Pinehurst golf courses. The course does keep the Ross-style mounded greens in effect on many holes, so expect runoff areas and some crowned greens.

Pinehurst No. 4 jostled for position as Pinehurst's second fiddle with Tom Fazio's newest addition to the resort, the stand-alone Pinehurst No. 8 minutes away, opened in 1995.

Brandon Tucker

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.