Pinehurst No. 3

Donald Ross's 1910 Pinehurst No. 3, one of Ross's earliest Pinehurst routings, restored in 2017 by Kye Goalby to revive the course's original design characteristics. The restoration used 1930s-40s aerial photography to recover buried sandscape, wire grass, and bunkering that had been lost beneath decades of modern turf. Par dropped from 70 to 68 and length shortened as part of the historical fidelity. At 5,155 yards par 68, No. 3 is one of the shortest courses at the resort, but the small greens place a premium on accuracy and ball position. Short par-4s could be drivable if not for the small turtleback greens and native areas that can turn a tap-in opportunity into a double bogey in seconds. Much like No. 2, pin position influences club selection from the tee. A pure Ross experience for historians studying the architect's early work at Pinehurst, more approachable than No. 2 from the forward tees and a good complement to No. 1 for resort guests wanting two Ross rounds without the No. 2 intimidation factor.