Positively Pinehurst No. 2

One of the grand golf layouts of the South has gone retro.

Pinehurst No. 2 may not look like you remember it, but that is precisely what architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw — yes, that Ben Crenshaw — had in mind when they got busy, their mission to restore Pinehurst No. 2 to how legendary designer Donald Ross, who died in 1948, planned it more than a century ago. Crenshaw was here today for Media Day to detail changes at Pinehurst No. 2, where the men's and women's U.S. Opens will be held in back-to-back weeks in 2014.

"We tried to uncover what was in Ross's mind," said Crenshaw, Masters champion in 1984 and 1995. "We think the world of Pinehurst No. 2, and we just hope that if Donald Ross could see it that he'd be pleased with what we've done."

From the sound of it, Pinehurst is more 1914-ish than ever.

"This place has gone back to its old self," said Warren Pardue, a 90-year-old member of Pinehurst who admits the golf course now certainly does look more like the way he remembers it the first time he played it half a century ago. "I like what they've done."

So just what exactly did they do on this $2.5 million project?

For starters, 35 acres of turf were removed. The total of sprinkler heads was reduced from 1,100 to 450, and the new irrigation system is a single row, running straight down the center of fairways. All of that turf that was scrapped now appears in the form of what Pinehurst's grounds and golf course manager Bob Farren calls sandscapes. The rough? It's gone, Farren says, replaced by sand and wire grass. The fairways, once as much as 28 yards wide, are up to 60 yards wide in places.

Bunkers — that's a fairway bunker on the seventh hole on the right — have been restored, eliminated or reshaped. There's eight new tees on the championship course that now plays 7,485 yards. It used to be 7,214. Pinehurst No. 2's best defense, its crowned greens, received only minor modifications. Greens at Nos. 15 and 17 were slightly changed to accommodate additional pin placements. At the 15th, some acreage was added to the back right portion of that green; at No. 17, the collar was lowered about 6 inches in the front. For all of the greens, sod was stripped, thatch was removed, they were fumigated for weeds such as Poa annua, then re-sodded with a Penn A1 an A4 blend.

I checked out the course Monday, and it was obvious right away how the natural look truly is in vogue again here. The fairway at No. 1 is not so narrow anymore and the natural, sandy areas along the right side of the fairway let you know you are in the sand hills; at No. 7, a 431-yard par-4, you really get a glimpse of how much things have changed since the men's U.S. Open was held here in 2005. It now is more of a sweeping dogleg right instead of sharp dogleg, and the sandy area on the right side of the fairway is no longer just a string of bunkers.

The course has regained its identity, according to Farren, and that was a major goal. In getting there, Crenshaw and Coore surveyed aerial photos and ground photos from decades ago. That includes a Christmas Day aerial photo from 1943, with members playing, that showed original bunkers that in time were grassed-over and now are back in play in their original form.

"It now has more of the intrigue, mystery to it if you it a ball off line," Farren said. "Prior to the project if you hit the ball off line, you knew it'd be in 2-and-a-half inches of rough and the bunkers were so far away from the fairways. Now when the ball leaves the turf, it may bounce into wire grass areas, hardpan. Just natural stuff." 

The job of keeping Pinehurst in shape belongs to Farren and golf course superintendent Kevin Robinson (pictured left), both of which who will play large roles in ensuring Pinehurst No. 2's restored identity will be protected. 

"You have to be vigilant, very vigilant, how you present the course, maintain it, a million things," Crenshaw said. "Bob Farren and his crew, and all these guys working on it, they're so diligent. Superintendents don't get any credit, and they should. Every day, they're just there. Every day they present the course for people and they don't get the credit. The two most important people on any grounds are the professional and the superintendent."

Robinson, who has worked 18 years at Pinehurst, enjoys the challenges that have come with the alterations.

"It's not just sending guys out on mowers and blowers," Robinson said. "Right now, it's just about getting things established. This is a chance of a lifetime." 

The idea of tinkering with Pinehurst No. 2 wasn't a simple decision, owner Bob Dedman said.

"A lot of us do view No. 2 as Donald Ross's masterpiece, and it's like messing with the Mona Lisa," Dedman said. "Frankly, there were trepidations initially about what should be done and should we undertake this. I think we were all a little bit nervous at first, and we all realized it'd probably be the smartest thing we've ever done or the dumbest thing we've ever done. But by the partners we've chosen (Coore and Crenshaw) their love of the game, the knowledge they have of it, the understanding of the strategy, the intent of Ross on this golf course ... I think they've been able to capture that, and I think Donald Ross would be incredibly proud to have them involved and the impact they've had."

Comments

[Mark Patterson]

OH..... I have got to play it now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike Fitzgerald]

Nice story. Sometimes, it seems, older is better. I can't wait to see it -- I hope before 2014.