Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina, announced Wednesday morning that its 10 th golf course will be built just a few minutes from the main resort at the site of The Pit. This course was closed in 2010.
The job was awarded to Tom Doak, Architect. The resort will host the U.S. Open in 2024 on its famous No. 2 course. Doak designed many of today’s most prestigious courses, including the Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Oregon, Ballyneal, Colorado, and Tara Iti, New Zealand.
Doak stated that the site was topographically unique and dramatically different from any other Pinehurst location in a press release. It’s bolder, bigger and more dramatic. We’ll be climbing up to the top of the layout at the midpoint. There is approximately 75 feet of elevation difference. From this apex, you’ll be able to see the entire course. This will be a memorable experience for golfers.
The Pit was designed by Dan Maples and opened in 1985. It is known for its extreme elevation changes. This layout, which is not part of Pinehurst Resort’s, was destroyed by the 2008 financial crisis, which ravaged many US golf courses. Pinehurst Resort purchased the land where The Pit was located in 2011.
Tom Doak, an architect, will construct a new Pinehurst course that is scheduled to open in 2024. (Courtesy Pinehurst Resort)
The sandy site has been the subject of speculation since then as golfers speculate on what the resort might be thinking. Robert H. Dedman Jr. was the CEO of Pinehurst Resort for many years. He had repeatedly said that it wasn’t the right moment to build on the property. The recent boom in golf’s popularity since COVID began, which has resulted in a high demand for Pinehurst Resort tee times and other properties in the region, was a major factor in Doak’s hiring decision and the beginning of work on the resort’s first new course in many decades.
The resort has approximately 900 acres of land in the Aberdeen region, which includes the site of The Pit. The resort stated in a media release that a variety of development possibilities will be examined with local officials. These opportunities include additional golf, short courses, clubhouses, guest cottages, and other lodging.
Dedman Jr. stated in a media release that “this exceptional property is where many of our future dreams can be considered.” The future of those dreams will unfold over time just as the path to success was revealed through recent additions such as The Cradle, Thistle Dhu, and the redesign Pinehurst No. 4. Another historic chapter of Pinehurst’s history is the addition of a Tom Doak design. We are eager to get it.
The new course site features rugged dunes that were left behind by mining operations over a century ago. Doak stated in the media release that natural ridgelines, interesting landforms and towering longleaf pins are just a few of the many features that make up the track.
Doak stated that the most exciting thing about the project was working with the gorgeous sand that is native to the region. The Sandhills are home to the wiregrass, bluestem grass, and sand that create an amazing texture for golf. It’s something that most places don’t have.
Pinehurst will be bustling with U.S. officials. The Golf Association is constructing a campus which is currently under construction. It is expected to open in the new year. U.S..A. selected the resort as their anchor site. The Opens and will be hosting that tournament on 2024, ’29, ’35, ‘41, and ’47.
Pinehurst Resort Architect Tom Doak (Courtesy Pinehurst Resort).
All those who are heading to the Sandhills in 2024 will have another place to play. Angela Moser, a landscape architect from Angela Doak, will be working with Doak on the project. Moser’s resume includes work at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course and Streamsong in Florida as well as the new St. Patrick’s Links.
Pinehurst Resort President Tom Pashley stated in a media release that Tom Doak creates incredible courses on sand and that he is excited to see what he will create in the North Carolina Sandhills. “We have worked with many amazing golf architects and we believe Tom will create something spectacular on this site.
