The U.S. Women's Open Hole
One of the prettiest spots on the Pine Needles golf course is the tee box of the second hole. Behind you stands the handsome, Tudor-style building that once was the original Pine Needles Inn. In front of you is more than 400 yards of emerald fairway. After that it can turn scary. The second hole has long been considered one of the most difficult holes at Pine Needles. Statistics from the 1996 U.S. Women's Open say it definitely is the toughest at least for that week. Contestants in the Open, won by Annika Sorenstam, averaged 4.49 strokes on the par-four that played 414 yards for the championship. The standard lengths for the hole are 451 from the gold tees, 426 from the blues, 369 from the whites and 332 from the reds. The hole yielded one eagle and 16 birdies during the Open, 174 bogeys, 22 double bogeys and two others. No matter what tees you're playing from, the hole requires all the power you can muster off the tee. And that's a problem in itself. So many players try to kill the ball, make an error and wind up battling for a bogey. The fairway is generous in width, but there's a crest that rises gently out to about 225 yards from the tee which is useful to clear in order to have a good view of the green. Your approach shot is going to be a long iron or fairway wood, but the green is wide open and invites run-up shots. The sides and rear of the green are encircled with bunkers, which can trap any misdirected approach shots. The second was a hole back in 1928 where you wanted to take your four, say a prayer and move on. It remains so today.
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