No. 5 was designed in 1961 by Ellis Maples, a protege of Donald Ross, and part of North Carolina’s first family of golf course design and construction. (His father Frank, was Pinehurst’s golf course superintendent for over 40 years, beginning in 1907) Like Ross, Maples believed that it was the designer’s job to find the golf course that resided in the land’s structure, and his fealty to the land is evident in No. 5’s variety—holes meandering up and down, left and right, and over water. (No. 5 has more water hazards than any of the other courses at Pinehurst.) The combination of water carries, elevated greens and overall greater yardage favors longer hitters. One of Pinehurst’s prettiest holes, the par-3 15th, is here. Known as the Cathedral Hole, it’s fronted by a pond and encircled by a stand of ancient pines, the tops of which resemble the pipes of an organ. The Cathedral Hole actually predates No. 5; it was once the sixth hole on No. 3. No. 5 offers classic Pinehurst golf—more challenging than Nos. 1 and 3, but less taxing than No. 2. It won’t disappoint.
