Greens with envy

Most golfers heading for North Carolina, to stay and play at the famed resort, will be looking to put a tick in one box on their bucket list.

They will come away knowing that they have experienced something the measure of which cannot be quantified by that single imaginary stroke of a pen.

Pinehurst is a mecca on a par with St Andrews, the fairways of its renowned No 2 course having been populated by a multitude of golfing greats since its creation in 1907.

It undoubtedly deserves such recognition, and yet the feeling is not just that of visiting a cathedral of sport, but also of being embraced by a family that, up until that point, you did not know you had.

History stalks your every footstep at Pinehurst, which was founded in 1895 and holds a unique place in the history of major competitions as in 2014 it hosted, in consecutive weeks, both the men’s and women’s US Open competitions, an unprecedented occurrence.

But from the moment you drive up the road towards the imposing facade of the Carolina Hotel, one of four choices of accommodation, its staff make you aware that they feel just as privileged to be working here as you do to be a guest.

The Carolina is renowned for its breakfast buffet, which Golfweek has dubbed “arguably the most famous meal in golf this side of the Masters champions’ dinner”.

Meals are taken in the dining room to the aural backdrop of live piano music, a perfect complement to its refined elegance that carries echoes of a more serene and stylish age.

Getting to and from the Carolina to any of Pinehurst’s courses, or its village, is a simple process; on request a shuttle vehicle is with you in minutes. Even so, ahead of playing courses 1 to 5, plan to arrive with plenty of time in hand ahead of your scheduled tee time. The reasons are two-fold.

Firstly, you will undoubtedly want to make use of the huge and impressively appointed practice ground, nicknamed ‘Maniac Hill’ because of the fervour with which Tour players practised there when the North and South Open – a PGA event won by, among others, Ben Hogan – was in its pomp.

Secondly, it is certain that you will lose all sense of time as you wander the long corridor that bisects the impressive clubhouse. This is known as ‘History Hallway’ and its walls are as portholes onto Pinehurst’s past.

A beguiling array of photographs, honours boards and memorabilia encased in lighted cabinets demand attention, none more so than the one enshrining Payne Stewart’s bag, scorecard and other artefacts.

Stewart, who won the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst No 2 in dramatic fashion with an 18ft par putt at the final hole, was killed in a plane crash just four months later. The iconic pose struck by the 42-year-old as that winning putt dropped is immortalised in a bronze statue outside the clubhouse.

The lump in your throat as you gaze at his signature on his final-round card gives way to a sense of the fun and exuberance of the three-time major winner as you have your picture taken alongside his statue, mimicking his pose – a must before or after tackling No 2 course.

To pit yourself against a course that is designed to test the world’s best – albeit from tees a lot further forward than those from which they sit the exam – is a privilege that sears itself in the memory.

Whether it was playing from the pine straw that frames its fairways, attempting to get somewhere close to the cup from the roll-off areas – should I chip, pitch or putt? -

or coaxing a downhill, swinging putt towards its target on devilishly undulating greens, the thought washed around my brain with the abandon of a child splashing around in a paddling pool: I am actually playing Pinehurst No 2.

Of the eight other courses, I played Nos 3, 4 and 8, each less demanding than No 2 but each with its outstanding merits.

No 3 is the resort’s shortest, although smaller greens, relatively long par-3s and the cunning use of dog-legs provide its protection against birdie hunters.

Integral to No 4 is a lake that comes into play on several holes and its standing is such that it was the stage for the 2008 US Amateur championship.

The starters at No 8, which was built to celebrate Pinehurst’s centenary, advised us: “No 2 is the course you all come to play; No 8 is the one that brings you back”.

It was easy to buy into this claim since No 8 is arguably Pinehurst’s most aesthetically pleasing course, “almost to the point of distraction” as my playing partner Bryan Webb eloquently put it.

Now back home, my suspicion is that pining for Pinehurst is likely to prove a permanent affliction. Which is not easy to say, but with which it is a pleasure to live because it means I’ve been there.

For more details on stays go to pinehurst.com; APH (aph.com) offers a wide range of parking at all major airports; for flights go to americanairlines.co.uk