All or nothing: a first at Pinehurst: how I played 1 through 8 in only two days - U.S. Open 2005

Golf Digest, June, 2005 by Tom Chiarella

Wandering these outer courses as I did, my reverence for the numbers grew. I found myself thinking that I was wandering through the genealogy of a great family. Everywhere I saw both the individuality of a single course and the family resemblance between them all. Some, like 6 and 7, were so close as to be mistaken for siblings. Others, like 8 and 2, were more like proud, distant cousins.

When undertaking something like this, without the benefits of companionship and its appendant pleasures-bragging, ribbing and storytelling-it can be difficult to isolate individual holes, key moments, incredible shots. (Though I will say that I holed out a 180-yard fairway-bunker shot on No. 6.) What was evident to me, at the start and the finish, is that this is a true destination, the way a great European city is a destination, an amalgam of history, form and design and, not insignificantly, challenge. I could think of a good reason to return to every course I played-from the sheer challenge of No. 8, cradled in the sweep of the mountains, to the ghosts that wander No. 2, to the rustic quietude of No. 7.

As I headed to No. 1 to add my final number, I began to feel what all golfers feel as their round winds down. Even as the score mounts, even as the holes add one to the next, every step one takes is transformed into a kind of sad and blissful subtraction, as the greatness of a round of golf approaches its end.

Standing at the first tee on No. 1, the starter told me it was wide open. I had made it to Pinehurst 35, with only one more course to seal up the whole thing. "Take your time," the starter said. He took a long look up at the cool enamel of the sky. "There's plenty of light," he said. "Shoot a good number."

I smiled, then hit, knowing that a good number was already in the bag.

Pinehurst basics

* AIRPORTS: The Pinehurst Resort is easily reachable from three North Carolina airports: Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro and Fayetteville.

* LODGING: The 220-room Carolina Hotel and the 80-room Holly Inn are the most luxurious of the many options at Pinehurst, with the 45-room Manor offering a more casual feel. Villas and condos are available as well.

* DEALS: Most visitors buy package deals that cover rooms, meals and golf. A typical offering: The Summer Tee Package, which gets you three nights at the Carolina or the Holly, breakfast and dinner each day, and four rounds of golf. The cost is $876 per person, double-occupancy. A round on Pinehurst No. 2 costs an additional $150. (800-487-4653 or pinehurst.com).

* TEE TIMES: You don't have to stay at the resort to play its courses. You can call the day of play and request a tee time. The fees: $315 for No. 2; $205 for Nos. 4, 6, 7 and 8; $120 for No. 5; and $85 for Nos. 1 and 3.

* CADDIES: Caddies are available at all eight courses. The fee is $43 a bag, plus $25 per bag tip. Forecaddies cost $21.50 per bag.

Tom Chiarella, a 10-handicapper, is a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine and author of the book Thursday's Game: Notes from a Golfer with Far to Go. This is his first article for Golf Digest.