Tom Doak Tapped To Design Pinehurst’s 10th Course

Golf’s already Sasquatch-sized footprint in the heart of the Carolina Sandhills is about to grow even larger with a new golf course set to be laid out four miles south of Pinehurst’s main clubhouse amidst a 900-acre tract of forested and dune strewn land featuring 75 feet of elevation changes.

“The site is topographically distinct and drastically different from anywhere in Pinehurst. It’s bigger, bolder and more dramatic,” Doak says. “You’ll have expansive views from this apex over the rest of the course. It will be an unforgettable experience for golfers,” he adds.

Doak, an acclaimed minimalist golf architect who lets the contours and ridgelines of the land guide his routing, counts Cape Kidnappers, Streamsong Blue and Sebonack among his greatest hits. He once dubbed No. 2, the U.S. Open anchor site that will again host the championship in 2024, 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 a “perfect 10” in his coffee table classic, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses and was a huge advocate of its Coore-Crenshaw led restoration in 2010.

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

There are very few resorts in the world where you can stay for over a week and play a different golf course each day without venturing off property. North Carolina’s golf mecca has continued to grow their golf offerings over the years. Thistle Dhu a free to play putting course stituated right in front of the main clubhouse by the Putter Boy statue opened in 2012 and Gil Hanse’s The Cradle, a 9-hole short course, opened in 2017.

Pinehurst is poised for additional growth in the future beyond the Doak addition, set to open for play in late spring 2024. The relocated World Golf Hall of Fame which is moving to the USGA’s new Golf House Pinehurst campus which broke ground last June will begin hosting induction ceremonies starting next year.

Additional clubhouse, guest cottages and other new lodging options on the drawing board to support the new course development and with plenty of available land at their disposal, it would not be a surprise for yet another golf course or short course to be added to the already extensive menu down the road.

“This exceptional property is a place where many of our dreams of the future can be contemplated,” Pinehurst resort CEO Bob Dedman Jr. said in a statement.

“Adding a Tom Doak design to our collection is another historic chapter in the story of Pinehurst. We can’t wait to read it.”