Pinehurst No.2 reverted back to the original Donald Ross design
Founded by James walker Tufts, the Boston Soda magnate in 1897/98, the renowned Pinehurst No. 2 course is now year long renovation by Ben Crenshaw. The course was first designed by Donald Ross in 1907, who remained associated with the course for almost five
decades.
The $2.5-million renovation was aimed to revert back, as close as possible, to Ross’ original design which took into consideration the sand hills of the rugged North Carolina.
“This place is what it is,” Crenshaw said Monday. “We tried our best to uncover it.”
Crenshaw along with his associate Bill Coore, not only widened the fairways but also undertook the lengthening of the course by 271 yards. Eight tees were added to the course stretching the course to a colossal 7,485 yards. The most striking feature of the
pre-1940 course, the dogleg at 17th, was restored to its original design.
Almost all of the grass was replaced with only the greens and the fairways, replacing them with sand, pinestraw and wiregrass, constituents of the original design. Crenshaw and Coore also worked to recreate the bunkers using the aerial photographs of the
course taken in 1940.
Pinehurst Resort CEO and owner Bob Dedman Jr. also spoke on the occasion, “And I think we were all nervous at first. We all realized it will probably be the smartest thing we've ever done, or the dumbest thing we've ever done. So it had that kind of an impact
in thinking about it.”
Pinehurst No.2 has been the venue of some of the high profile championship in all these years including the US Open, held twice, and the newly renovated course will host another two in recent times. The USGA, for its schedule of the year 2014, has decided
to bring both the men’s and women’s US Open at the Pinehurst No.2.
The US Department of the Interior designated the Pinehurst Resort as the National Historic Landmark in 1996. The course also held the record for the longest golf course in the world in Guinness Book of World Records, after it was surpassed in length by the
Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
Pinehurst remained home of the coveted North and South Open from 1902 to 1950, the most prestigious of golf championships of that era. The Ryder Cup of the year 1951 was also staged at Pinehurst and so were The Tour Championship for the years 1991 and 1992.
Besides the two golf courses, Pinehurst also boasts three vintage Croquet courts and a Lawn Bowling Court. The Croquet court had been the venue of Six Wicket Croquet Championship for many years. Course No.2 is also part of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour video
game.
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