Pinehurst Resort is adding a Tom Doak course. Here’s what sets it apart

Ten rumors Pinehurst Of course, he built it Tom DoakTrading began in full late Monday after Twitter and Instagram feeds The montage teased a video by Carolina Sandhills. Although many have seen the post, few have realized that the 16-second reel was right with it: Doak’s novel in which he spoke of the marriage of golf and sand as ideal conditions for golf.

On Wednesday morning, Pinehurst Resort officially confirmed that Doak will indeed be building a resort track four miles south of the main clubhouse on its 900-acre plot. Pointing in part to the 75-foot ground elevation changes, Doak said, “The site is topographically distinct and radically different from anywhere in Pinehurst. It’s bigger, bolder and more dramatic.”

The new course site was once home to The Pit, a Dan Maples design, but Doak’s routing uses almost entirely undeveloped land. Duc and his team will work their way up to “the middle of the chart,” he said, where “you’ll get expansive views from this summit through the rest of the course.”

Doc said he currently has “eight or nine projects in the works” but when Pinehurst contacted him in May, “It’s the kind of business you can’t turn down.” He said the rapid turnaround of permits and construction was unheard of and that the site was operational except for the removal of trees. “We don’t have a lot of dirt to go around, like we do in most places,” he said. “We also have a few places where we can start forming greens this week.”

He said the plan was to have the course fully in rough shape by May with detail work continuing through the summer and the course being infused by September. The resort does not plan to open the course until soon after the 2024 US Open, which will be at Pinehurst No. 2.

Doak said the accelerated schedule is due in part to a brief lull in his assistants’ schedule and also to the experienced staff and infrastructure already in place at the resort, namely Bob Farren, director of golf maintenance, and Kevin Robinson, golf course instructor. maintenance manager. “You’ve got guys who’ve built golf courses before—they built golf courses for a living—and they work there,” he said. “They have been a great help and they know where all the resources are located locally to get things done.”

The Doak project will be led by Angela Moser, one of the few women in the design industry, but she’s no beginner. A veteran of many Doak projects, incl St Patrick’s in County Donegal, Ireland, as well as Te Arai Links, in New Zealand, which is set to open this fall. “She’s been with us for 12 years,” Doak said. “She’s been ready to run her own business for the past three or four years.”

The idea that she is excited about the opportunity to build a course at Pinehurst, Moser said, is “an understatement. History has been made here and will be made here.” She said of the Doc’s course, “It takes you for a walk through the Sandhill Hills and the Pinehurst pits. It has beautiful terrain with some fun because of the old pit track and the lake to play with. My favorite part is the far-reaching views that make you feel the place, the property, the terrain, and you think you’re on top of the trees and the world.” .

Many changes at Pinehurst, including the restoration of Course No. 2 in 2014 and Rework of Gil Hanse No. 4 has been announced In 2019 driven by increasing market competition. Pinehurst Chairman Tom Bashley said: “Having a Doak course at Pinehurst allows guests to play a course designed by one of golf’s most creative minds of this generation. Some equate playing at Pinehurst with a visit to the Museum of Golf Architecture. You can experience some of the finest work from different design eras when you come to here “.

Given the expansiveness of Pinehurst’s grounds, it seems only a matter of time before the resort announces another addition to its double-digit roster. For now, though, he’s focused on what’s next, but always with an eye to the future.

“We have seen visitor preferences change over the past decade with the introduction of The Cradle and Thistle Dhu Trail,” said Pashley. “Fortunately, we waited for this property to develop and can now offer more variety as we plan for the future.”