Plan your round at Pinehurst No. 2

A short par 4 where most players hit less than driver to stay short of where the fairway narrows, with sandy waste and wiregrass down the left. The domed green sheds anything slightly off, so the wedge approach has to be precise.

The driving area is generous, but the green is severe for the length of the approach. Favor the left side of the fairway when the pin is right, and don't come up a little short, because a hump at the front kicks those shots back.

From the regular tees most players lay up short of the bunker that pinches in on the right, leaving a short iron. The green sits up in the air and a miss in any direction is hard to save, especially long.

The tee shot plays downhill on a hole that bends slightly left, with bunkers on both sides of the landing area. The large green is guarded on the left and tilts right to left, so the left greenside bunker is the miss to avoid.

A par 5 that turns left at the end, with a fairway that slants and leaves a sidehill lie for the second. Laying up still leaves a wedge to one of the most difficult elevated greens on the course, so place the layup carefully.

A long par 3 whose tee shot must carry a crease about 4 feet below the front of the green, with a deep bunker on the left. The green runs fast from back to front, so front pins are the hardest; coming up short is the costly miss.

A sharp dogleg right where a fairway wood, hybrid or long iron off the tee is the usual play, ideally shaped left to right. Taking too much off the corner brings sand and wiregrass into play, and a deep bunker guards the right of the green.

The fairway rolls downhill and to the right, then climbs uphill and to the left toward the green. Avoid missing left or long, where the ground falls away nearly 10 feet below the putting surface.

The shortest par 3 plays to a green with two distinct sections and a deep bunker in front. The back-left portion looks harder but is relatively flat, while the front right has more slope; long and left leaves a very difficult chip.

The longest hole on the course turns left past the landing area, with trees guarding that side. Most players lay up to a raised green rather than try to curve a long second shot around or over the trees on the left.

A semi-blind tee shot to a fairway that tilts slightly right, so the left side is the ideal line. Pins on the left of the green are the hardest because of a steep drop-off, while a miss to the right leaves a fairly simple recovery.

The fairway is wide enough for driver. The approach goes to a small green with a sharp drop-off behind it, so if you miss, miss short; the putting surface slopes back to front with subtle breaks.

A dogleg right where a long iron or fairway wood off the tee is enough. The second shot is the steepest uphill approach on the course, and coming up short leaves a hard up-and-down, so take enough club.

The downhill tee shot should favor a left-to-right shape to stay clear of the bunker on the left of the landing area. Play to the front of the green whatever the pin, since the severe back-to-front slope makes anything long very hard to get down.

A par 3 with one of the smallest greens on the course, restored toward its original size by Coore and Crenshaw. Shots landing on the front portion roll off into a collection area, and the right greenside bunker is the bad miss.

The course's only water sits off the tee but is not usually in play. The left side of the fairway gets a helpful forward kick down the hill, and the green slopes sharply back to front, so stay below the hole when the pin is up front.

A par 3 with a larger, more receptive green than 15, but the front falls away sharply. The toughest pin is tucked behind the big bunker on the right, so aim to the middle and avoid coming up short.

The fairway is narrower than it looks from the tee because it bends and the slightly uphill landing area is hidden. A hollow on the right of the green gives it a two-tier look; this is the green where Payne Stewart holed his winning par putt in the 1999 U.S. Open.