Pinehurst No. 2 is the course that broke the US Open.
Not broke as in damaged. Broke as in the 2014 and 2024 Opens at Pinehurst were so good that the USGA keeps coming back. The course is a masterpiece of Donald Ross design — routing that looks simple on paper but destroys you in practice, greens that repel good shots instead of accepting them, and a total absence of the rough-and-tumble bombast that defines most modern championship venues.
On GSPro, it’s one of the best US Open course reproductions in the entire library. If you’ve never played it on sim, you’re missing out.
Why Pinehurst Works on Sim
Pinehurst No. 2 is a test of precision, not power. The fairways are generous. The rough is mostly replaced by wiregrass, pine straw, and sandy waste areas. A bad drive doesn’t disappear into knee-high grass — it sits up in a sandy lie that’s actually playable, which somehow makes it worse because you have no excuse for the next shot.
The real challenge is the greens. Donald Ross designed them as inverted saucers. Miss the center of the green and your ball runs off the edge, down a slope, into a collection area where you’re chipping from 30 yards with a tight lie and no idea how the ball will release. The GSPro version captures this better than I expected. The greens break hard. They reject offline approaches. You’ll hit a shot that looks perfect and watch it trickle off the side like the green has personal issues with you.
That’s Pinehurst. That’s what makes it great on sim.
Finding the Right Version
The best version of Pinehurst No. 2 on GSPro is by BigFudge. Same designer who built the best versions of Bethpage Black, Oakmont, and Winged Foot. BigFudge specializes in punishing American championship courses, and Pinehurst is his wheelhouse.
Search “Pinehurst No. 2” in the Course Manager. Look for BigFudge’s name. The newer the build, the better — he’s been updating his courses as GSPro’s tools improve. The version with the most downloads is the one you want.
There are older versions by other designers. Skip them. The early Pinehurst builds on GSPro had flat greens — which is like having a Ferrari with no engine. The turtleback greens are the entire point of the course. If the greens don’t repel, you’re not playing Pinehurst. You’re playing a generic parkland course with a Pinehurst texture pack. BigFudge’s version is the one that gets it right.
Search term: “Pinehurst No. 2”
What It Actually Looks Like
BigFudge’s Pinehurst is a LIDAR build, which means the elevation data is real. The subtle slopes that define every hole are accurate. The wiregrass is rendered. The sandy waste areas look like sandy waste areas, not green-brown carpet.
The visual highlight is the 5th hole — the long par 4 that plays downhill through a corridor of pines. The approach shot on GSPro frames the green perfectly against the waste area. You’ll see the pin, you’ll see the false front, you’ll know where you need to land the ball, and you’ll probably miss anyway because the target is smaller than it looks.
The greens are fast. Set them to tournament speed in the conditions menu. If you leave them at default, you’ll wonder what the fuss is about. Default-speed Pinehurst greens are playable. Tournament-speed Pinehurst greens are a puzzle that takes a whole round to solve.
Playing Pinehurst the Right Way
Conditions: Firm and fast. Pinehurst without firm conditions is a completely different course. The ball needs to run out. The approaches need to release. The greens need to be hard enough that a well-struck iron takes one hop and stops, while a mediocre one runs 15 feet past.
Tees: US Open tees. The course is 7,500+ yards from the tips. That’s a lot of golf course for a sim golfer. Play it anyway. The forward tees turn Pinehurst into a resort round. The tips turn it into a US Open. You know which one you want.
Wind: 5-10 mph is enough. Pinehurst doesn’t need hurricane winds to be interesting. The greens provide enough defense on their own. Wind just adds a layer of complexity to the approach shots, which is where the course wins or loses.
The greens: You will three-putt. Probably multiple times. That’s not a bug. That’s the feature. The most famous Pinehurst moment in modern golf — Payne Stewart’s 15-foot putt on 18 to win the 1999 US Open — was a downhill, side-breaking monster that he had to roll perfectly to have any chance. On GSPro, you’ll hit that same putt and miss it left. Then miss it right. Then finally two-putt and feel like you won something.
The Holes That Shine on Sim
Hole 3 — The short par 4: Only 330 yards but plays uphill with a green that rejects everything. The option is driver off the tee (which brings the waste area into play) or a 3-wood to the corner (which leaves a 120-yard approach to the hardest green on the course). On sim, you’ll debate this for 30 seconds, pick the wrong club, and spend the next hole thinking about it.
Hole 5 — The long par 4: 500 yards from the tips. Downhill drive, uphill approach. The green is protected by a massive false front. Land short and you roll back 20 yards. On GSPro, this is the hole that makes you realize how much the course punishes imprecise approach shots.
Hole 16 — The par 4 with the chapel: The Pinehurst chapel sits behind the green. It’s a landmark. On GSPro, it’s there. The approach shot frames it beautifully. The green is one of the more forgiving on the course, which means you’ll actually enjoy the view.
What I’d Change
The waste areas could use more texture depth. On BigFudge’s version, they’re visually accurate but don’t affect the lie as much as real Pinehurst’s sandy waste areas do. In real life, hitting from a waste area changes your club selection significantly. On GSPro, it’s a minor adjustment. Not a dealbreaker — the course is excellent — but it’s the one area where the sim version falls short of the real thing.
Why This Matters
Pinehurst No. 2 is one of the greatest US Open venues in America. It’s also one of the most playable courses on GSPro for the average golfer — challenging enough to punish mistakes, fair enough that you never feel cheated, and beautiful enough that you’ll want to play it again immediately after a bad round.
BigFudge built it for free. It’s part of your $250/year GSPro subscription. No extra charge. No premium tier. No unlock screen.
Go download it. Three-putt the 3rd. Miss the 5th green. Save par from a waste area. That’s Pinehurst.
For a full breakdown of how GSPro compares to the competition, read the GSPro Software Review. Want more course recommendations? See the full list in The Best Courses on GSPro.