Categories: Golf CourseNews

Tom Doak To Design Pinehurst Resort’s 10th Course

NEW GOLF COURSE AT ‘THE CRADLE OF AMERICAN GOLF’ SLATED TO OPEN IN 2024

Pinehurst Resort will break ground on its first new golf course in nearly three decades this month, and it will be designed by Tom Doak, one of the most respected and decorated golf course architects of the modern era.

Located four miles south of the main resort clubhouse, Doak’s 18-hole routing is expected to open late spring of 2024, coinciding with the return of the U.S. Open to Pinehurst No. 2.

With natural ridgelines, intriguing landforms, towering longleaf pines, streams and ponds, Doak envisions a course that complements the resort’s other courses through its contrasts.

“The site is topographically distinct and drastically different from anywhere in Pinehurst,” Doak says. “It’s bigger, bolder and more dramatic. There’s about 75 feet of elevation change, and we’ll work our way up to it around the mid-point of the layout. You’ll have expansive views from this apex over the rest of the course. It will be an unforgettable experience for golfers.”

Tom Doak

“The number one thing that excited us about the project is working with the beautiful sand that’s native to this region … the sand, the wiregrass, the bluestem and other native grasses that grow around the Sandhills create a fabulous texture for golf. It’s something most places just don’t have.”

Related: Pinehurst…the Invincible

The new course will incorporate rugged dunes that were mined at the location at the turn of the 20th century, and feature the native sand and wiregrass that are characteristic to the area.

“Tom Doak builds incredible golf courses on sand and we’re excited to see what he’ll create in the North Carolina Sandhills,” says Pinehurst Resort President Tom Pashley. “We’ve worked with some amazing golf architects who’ve embraced our natural aesthetic and believe Tom will do something fantastic on this site.”

Doak recalls first visiting Pinehurst more than 40 years ago and playing and touring No. 2. He rated the storied Donald Ross design a perfect “10” in his famed book “The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses,” and was one of the most vocal supporters of its restoration by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Doak has tapped Angela Moser as his lead design associate for this project. Moser’s impressive international credentials include work at LACC North, St. Patrick’s Links, Te Arai Links and Ohoopee Match Club.

“The number one thing that excited us about the project is working with the beautiful sand that’s native to this region,” Doak says. “The sand, the wiregrass, the bluestem grass, and other native grasses that grow around the Sandhills create a fabulous texture for golf. It’s something most places just don’t have.”

Related: Tom Doak/Renaissance Golf Design’s Innovative 18-hole Reversible Course Taking Shape at Forest Dunes

In addition to Doak’s routing, Pinehurst envisions the potential for more growth in the area, which encompasses 900 total acres in Aberdeen. A variety of development opportunities will be evaluated with town officials, including additional golf, short course, clubhouse, guest cottages and other lodging.

“This exceptional property is a place where many of our dreams of the future can be contemplated,” says Pinehurst Resort CEO Bob Dedman Jr. “How those dreams play out will be determined over time, the same way the path forward revealed itself through recent additions like The Cradle, Thistle Dhu and the redesign of Pinehurst No. 4. Adding a Tom Doak design to our collection is another historic chapter in the story of Pinehurst. We can’t wait to read it.”

Golf Course Trades

Recent Posts

Golf Resorts Illuminate Trend Toward Sustainability – Good for Brands, Operations and the Earth

In recent years, luxury golf resorts have stepped up their commitment to sustainability, aiming not…

5 days ago

Dunedin GC Post-Hurricane Update & Winterizing a PNW Golf Course: Making the Rounds – Installment 34

This column features recollections of the author’s 37 years as a golf writer. These installments…

6 days ago

Conway Farms Golf Club Revitalizes with Tom Fazio Update and New Rain Bird CirrusPRO™ Irrigation System

Chicago’s Conway Farms Golf Club is a modern classic designed by Tom Fazio three decades…

7 days ago

Superintendents Online Turf Directory – EVERYTHING TURF

Our online directory, directory.GolfCourseTrades.com is the go-to resource for the busy superintendent. It is your opportunity…

1 week ago

St. Regis Bahia Beach Earns Platinum Green Certification from Audubon International

Audubon International – The environmentally focused non-profit organization offering members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives…

1 week ago

Biral Completes Sale to Senseca, and Announces Leadership Transition

Biral, a leading provider of high-precision meteorological sensors, today announces the completion of its sale…

2 weeks ago