The USGA holds its 113th U.S. Amateur Championship Aug. 18-24 at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, in the village of Pinehurst, N.C., where Paul Jett, certified golf course superintendent at the famed No. 2 course, has prepared a challenging layout.

Jett, who hosted U.S. Opens at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999 and 2005, has changed very little of the Donald Ross gem since the 2005 U.S. Open, but says it will play very differently because of the time of year.

“The golf course is so completely different in August than it is in June that there’s nothing we could do that you could correlate to what might happen in June,” said Jett, referring to North Carolina’s hot and humid Augusts. “Whether it rains or not, it’s still going to be wet and there won’t be a lot of run. It’s literally going to be the same setup as for a U.S. Open, but it will play completely different. The bermuda is at the end of its growing cycle, it’s a lot coarser and the greens will be soft.”

The greens are more receptive to golfers' approach shots than they are in June because the cool season bentgrass is weakened by the prolonged summer heat. But the surrounds and rough will be thicker and more difficult to swing through than they are in June because the warm season bermudagrass thrives in the heat and is peaking in its growth this time of year. This could also work toward the golfers' favor as the tougher leaf blades could hold the ball up higher for an easier escape.

There is a new tee at the par-4 third hole that will play at 385 yards in the qualifying rounds and 336 yards in match play. No. 16 tee has been rebuilt to stretch the par 4 to 510 yards. For the matches, No. 2 will be a par 70 at 7,232 yards.

GCSAA member Kyle Brown is the superintendent at the No. 4 course, a Tom Fazio makeover. Stroke play qualifying will be held on both venues Aug. 18-19 to cut the 312-man field to 64 for match play for the remainder of the week at course No. 2.

Jett is a 22-year GCSAA member who is a scratch golfer and played collegiately at Clemson University. He is a five-time runner-up at the GCSAA National Golf Championship. Jett also is vice president for the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association.

For more on Jett's preparations, read GCM Senior Staff Writer Terry Ostmeyer's U.S. Amateur preview "Pinehurst reloads for U.S. Amateur," in the August 2008 edition of GCSAA’s monthly magazine, and Trent Bout's monthly column in the July 25, 2008 issue of the Southern Pines (N.C.) Pilot, "Weather, time of year factor for play of course."

Pinehurst Resort, nestled among the towering pine trees of the North Carolina sandhills, is home to eight world famous golf courses. The site of Ben Hogan's first professional win, Pinehurst No. 2 became a part of American golf history when Payne Stewart's 15-foot putt on the final hole secured his second U.S. Open title in 1999 and marked one of the most dramatic and memorable moments in U.S. Open history.

Ross' most lasting design, Pinehurst No. 2 was built by hand and mule. The course was first laid out in 1903 and was officially opened in 1907. Pinehurst No. 2 was rebuilt in 1935 to remove the sand greens that had been a part of the course from its inception, to add grass greens and make it championship caliber. During the reconstruction, the golf course was lengthened and the greens completely rebuilt. Ross lived just off the third green until his death in 1948 and was known to spend much of his time fine-tuning the contoured greens of Course No. 2.

Having always been the jewel of the Pinehurst collection, No. 2 has hosted a number of major championships including the 1936 PGA Championship, 1951 Ryder Cup, 1962 U.S. Amateur, 1973-1982 PGA Tour event, 1989 U.S. Women's Amateur, 1991 and 1992 Tour Championships, 1994 U.S. Senior Open, and the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens. The U.S. Open will return to Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014.

GCSAA is a leading golf organization and has as its focus golf course management. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to more than 21,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. The association’s philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf, works to strengthen the compatibility of golf with the natural environment through research grants, support for education programs and outreach efforts. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org.

For more information contact:
Paul Jett, CGCS, Pinehurst No. 2, at 910-235-8773 or paul.jett@pinehurst.com