Course to close November 16 and reopen in March 2011 upon completion of highly-anticipated Coore & Crenshaw project.
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (Nov. 4, 2010) – Pinehurst No. 2, the legendary course designed by Donald Ross, will undergo the final stage of a major restoration beginning on November 16. The course will be closed through the winter and is scheduled to reopen in March 2011.
The project, which is being led by the renowned design firm of Coore & Crenshaw, Inc., continues to restore the course’s natural and strategic character, returning some of the shot values and strategic play that have been lost over time. When it reopens, Pinehurst No. 2 will have no rough, larger playing areas and a natural aesthetic that befits the native soil and topography and is reminiscent of Ross’ original design.
“We’re thrilled with the progress of the restoration, and we expect that this will have golfers falling in love with Pinehurst No. 2 all over again,’’ said Pinehurst President Don Padgett II. “Donald Ross designed No. 2 to stand the test of time, and Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have rekindled the elements that defined that vision.”
Ross believed in providing golfers with strategic choices, and Pinehurst No.2 epitomized that philosophy. Using historic photos of the course that date to the 1940s, Coore & Crenshaw have made significant progress since embarking on the project in February, including the softening of fairway lines from the wall-to-wall grass look synonymous with the modern era. Some of the elements that already have taken shape include:
- Fairways have widened, offering more strategic options to play holes from tee to green. Fairways also will be kept firmer, benefiting good shots and penalizing stray shots that continue to bounce into distressed areas, pine straw and native grasses.
- Approximately 26 acres of formerly “rough” grass has been stripped, returning the natural areas of hardpan, sandy waste areas, pine straw and wire grass that were part of the original topography.
- Rough has been eliminated from the course, leaving just two lengths of grass: fairway and green.
- More than half of the 1,100 sprinkler heads have been turned off, leaving the single, center water lines that will reduce total irrigation by about 30 percent. These irrigation lines will define fairways, but leave other areas to be defined by the weather and natural elements.
- Eight new tees have been added to the championship course, although they will increase the overall length of the course by less than 100 yards.
“You can already see it come alive,’’ Crenshaw said. “When you see and feel Pinehurst, you know it’s something different. It remains a masterpiece, a course so beautifully balanced and testing.”
Beginning November. 16, Coore & Crenshaw will focus work on re-establishing natural bunker edges that have become too rigid and defined over the years. While some bunkers have already been sculpted, the remainder will be addressed.
In addition, all of the greens will be sodded with A1/A4 bent grass, and some subtle changes are being made around the greens. However, the size and signature shapes and slopes of No. 2’s greens will not be altered.
“We’ve never wanted to radically change the golf course,’’ Coore said. “We’re just trying to uncover some of the character that had faded, to bring back some of those elements that made Pinehurst No. 2 one of the world’s unique and cherished courses.”
With a March 2011 reopening, any remaining grow-in will have significant time to take shape before Pinehurst serves as host to the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships. While the USGA was not a leading force behind the restoration work, the organization has been consulted in these early stages and is supportive of the project.
About Pinehurst
Located in the North Carolina heartland, world-renowned Pinehurst Resort is a 2,000-acre historic property featuring spa, golf, tennis, and activities for the family. Widely known as the cradle of American golf, Pinehurst has hosted more single golf championships than any other site in America, including the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup Matches, PGA Tour Championship and many others. It will serve as the site of both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships in 2014 in back-to-back weeks through an unprecedented decision by the USGA. See pinehurst.com or call 800-487-4653 for a complete list of events and activities.
The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization and non-profit authority of Moore County, North Carolina. The CVB mission is to promote the area as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions and tours. The CVB is funded primarily by a three percent hotel / motel room occupancy tax paid by visitors to Moore County.