The 124^th U.S. Open is officially in the books, and it’s safe to say we won’t soon hear the end of chatter about choking, rising to the moment, and who wanted it more or (perhaps) less. Regardless of the outcome, it was clear from the moment the first round started that Pinehurst’s Course No. 2 was going to provide a very difficult time for a lot of pros, as many of the usual contenders barely made the cut while many others got to clock out early.

And while most casual golfers don’t have champion Bryson DeChambeau’s fortitude and focus, it still would be a lot of fun to test our own mettle on such a dynamic, challenging layout. That begs the question: Is it possible to play No. 2, one of Donald Ross’s best design efforts, as the pros just did before it reverts to resort style? Yes, but it’s a very tight window.

Next week, many of the game’s best and brightest youngsters will head to North Carolina for the men’s and women’s North & South Amateur Championships, which will be held simultaneously on a pair of Pinehurst courses, including No. 2 still at its U.S. Open best. That means players will face the same maddening challenges, including green speeds of 13. Once those trophies are raised, however, ambitious players will have just a few weeks to get in on the action and play the same elements that frustrated stars like Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.

For comparison, according to the wizards at Tagmarshal, the U.S. Open yardage was 7,588 while a typical resort round from the blue tees is just 6,961. And that nightmare green speed? It’ll drop from 13 to approximately 10 by the time the grandstands are gone and all the grass is re-grown after being trampled by the masses trying to keep up with the neck-and-neck battle on the final round’s back 9.

Best of all, unlike the pros, casual golfers will also to get to actually enjoy spending time at the resort itself, as the “Queen of the South” Carolina Hotel never fails to make the time between rounds as special as possible.

(Photo by Jacob Diehl on Unsplash)