GOLFTOWN JOURNAL

Ten years ago, Pinehurst Resort seemingly had it all — a world-famous golf course that had hosted three U.S. Opens, eight more layouts designed by the greats of the golf architectural world from Donald Ross to Tom Fazio, and more than a century of history that staked it to its lofty position as the “St. Andrews of American golf.”

What it didn’t have, however, was a convenient venue for golfers coming off the No. 2 course to enjoy a post-round libation and the attendant scorecard parsing and bet-settling. There was a portable “veranda bar,” or golfers could walk from the locker room down two corridors to the 91st Hole, which was mostly a grab-and-go station in the center of the clubhouse with a view of the practice putting green.

“It was kind of the missing puzzle piece,” says Pinehurst President Tom Pashley. “We did not have a fitting end to a round of golf on one of the world’s finest golf courses. It seemed like an odd omission.”

Pashley had just taken over from Don Padgett II in running the resort in 2014 when he huddled with Pinehurst owner Robert Dedman Jr. and personnel from golf operations, food and beverage, and the resort’s architectural and design consultants. The result in September 2016 was the opening of The Deuce — a facility on the east side of the clubhouse with an indoor bar and restaurant and outdoor veranda bar no more than 25 yards from the back edge of the 18th green of the No. 2 course.

Now on the cusp of its 10-year anniversary, The Deuce has proven an overwhelming success. The food is excellent. Prime rib does double-duty as a slab on a dinner plate or sliced thin for the popular French dip sandwich. Buffalo wings and tater tots with three dipping sauces fly out of the kitchen. There is a lunch buffet to get golfers in and out and on to the first tee of No. 2 in timely fashion.

The drinks menu is creative and expansive — from Pinehurst 1895 Lager to margaritas made with cucumber-jalapeno agave to an old-fashioned cocktail flavored with orange and black cherry syrup — and accented with a piece of bacon cured daily in the kitchen with maple syrup and brown sugar. The Deuce Mule is vodka and ginger beer with a splash of cranberry juice served in a copper mule mug.

The décor is spot-on with sepia-toned photos of Donald Ross and his pencil-notated hole drawings. There are vintage postcards and scorecards and photos ranging from historical to contemporary, including, of course, the “Payne Pose” of Payne Stewart reacting to his winning putt in the 1999 U.S. Open. There’s a view out a series of picture windows onto the home hole of No. 2, and every visual of the name Deuce has the capital-D fashioned to resemble the numeral 2.

And then there’s the vibe.

The veranda fills on nice weather afternoons as golfers finish their rounds, slake their thirsts and watch their buddies come in behind them. They may linger long enough to place a bet or two on whether some random 15-handicapper from Wisconsin can two-putt from 35 feet.

“It’s changed a lot since The Deuce opened,” says longtime Pinehurst caddie Thomas Trinchitella. “People enjoy watching golfers come up 18. They make a lot of bets. You get a nice clap for a good shot. You hear cheering and good-natured booing depending on what happens.”

“The Deuce has added so much energy to that side of the building,” Pashley adds. “You have a veranda full of people, and if you hit a good shot it’s so cool to hear a round of applause. If you make a long putt, people get excited.”

Pinehurst officials considered a number of promotional tie-ins to the numeral 2, and the one that has stuck and become popular is awarding golfers a special coin if they make a 2 on any hole — generally a birdie on one the four par-3 holes. One side has the word “Deuce” and the year, the other side “2 on 2 / I’ll drink to that!” The design is tweaked each year, and the coin for 2026 is copper-colored. The resort handed out more than 5,000 Deuce coins in 2025, and the pursuit and acquisition of the coins has become a big deal in social media channels with these kinds of posts accompanied by photos or video clips:

“Mine from last year is a prized possession.”

“I made a 2 on 17 on New Year’s Day. Really cool tradition.”

“Missed a two-footer for two on six and it still haunts me.”

“Love the coins, the tradition and the memories on nine and 17,” one father posted of him and his son both making birdies in one round.

“One of my best golf moments ever. Hit it inside 12 inches on 17 and tap-in.”

It adds up to an experience that draws the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and his caddie when they were in Pinehurst early in 2024 — just months before he won the U.S. Open.

“No one noticed them or bothered them. They were wearing jeans and hoodies,” says bartender Stephen Coleman. “They just had burgers and a couple of drinks and watched the golf on TV. They had fun hanging out. That’s what The Deuce is all about.

“Everyone calls it the Disney World of golf. A lot of people say that. Everyone is so into golf it’s hard to have a bad time.”

Adds Vanessa Dozier, assistant manager at The Deuce: “It’s 100 percent family — you’ll see golfers from all over the world at the bar, and you’ll see locals who’ve made The Deuce their spot. It exudes what Pinehurst is all about — laughter and excitement and passion for golf.”