Pinehurst No. 4 redesign 2018

Living In Durham NC, I have the benefit of only being 80 minutes from the heart of the sandhills and Pinehurst Resort. While I do not play the Pinehurst Resort course very often I do get to play a decent amount of golf in the area. What I love about the area is that even though it is only 90 miles away from my home, it always feels like a different world. 

What makes the Pinehurst area so unique is the earth itself and the fact that it is dominated by sand which provides golf course architects with a perfect medium to sculp their designs. While Pinehurst Resort is most famous for No. 2 because it has hosted numerous US Opens, there are in fact 8 other courses attached to the name.  Perhaps due to the attention No. 2 gets, the other courses get looked over, but I can tell you there are many people who, if forced to pick, would choose #8 to play on a regular basis. The last course to be added to the Resort is No. 9 which used to be called Pinehurst National when we reviewed it  4 years ago and we absolutely loved it.  However after these three Pinehurst courses the quality falls off in my opinion (at least when you factor in the greens fee). That is why I think Pinehurst decided to redesign No. 4, because now they can boast one more course that is on a level of quality that approaches that of No. 2. 

To put this all in context, 18 months ago I spent 5 days in Bandon Dunes. After that visit I realized the value of having multiple courses on one piece of property. Walking up #18 at Pinehurst and seeing golfers on the large putting green and on the veranda, I realized that is exactly what makes Pinehurst special as well. Since I am a local, I miss out on the “resort vibe” but for those who travel for a golf getaway, Pinehurst offers a world class experience beyond just the golf. With that said, the fall-off in quality from No. 2 ,No. 8 and No. 9 to the other adjoining course was, in my opinion, a knock on the resort. I say this because over the past 20 years I have played every one of the Pinehurst Resort courses and outside of the three above mentioned courses, I never thought they were that special. Moreover, not all of them share the primary clubhouse. 

My hunch is the Pinehurst shared my view and in 2016ish, they started to make a number of major changes. First they increased the size of the putting green, then they added a short course. If this sounds like Bandon Dunes, you would be correct. Regardless of the inspiration, the changes have been a huge hit with guest who can never get enough golf. 

The last change literally happened 3 days before our visit (or at least opened). What used to be a standard sandhill course has been transformed by Gil Hanse into a version of No. 2. Dominated by waste areas and natural topography, Pinehurst No. 4 feels nothing like it used to. Frankly, it does not look or feel like many courses in the area.

For me, the biggest surprise was how wide open the course is. Specifically, there is a huge lake on the front side that can be seen by about 5 holes. Typically, Pinehurst course are defined by lush fairways sidelined by pine trees. Walking the first 8 holes, I kept thinking about how many holes I could view and how far I could see. Again, you just don’t see bowls in Pinehurst having what seems like a mile long view across the golf course. This open feel absolutely dominates the first 13 holes with only the last 4 or so set up in a more traditional manner. 

While perhaps not traditional in the look, Pinehurst No. 4 falls back in line with the traditions of No. 2 in that that it is incredibly walkable and caddies are highly recommended. In fact, the course was cart path only despite the sunny conditions. I not sure if this will be maintained or not but regardless, I was very happy we walked and took a caddie. I understand there are lots of people who prefer to ride, but on this course you just will miss out on a rare experience if you do not treat yourself to strolling down the fairway where you can take in sights and sounds. 

As you would expect the redesign was likely done in part to justify a fairly pricey greens fee. To that end, the course conditions were in top shape. Fairways were tight, bunkers were fluffy and the greens ran true. While not super-fast, the greens offer lots of challenges. Unfortunately, our caddie was only making his third loop, so we were all learning the course together. However, I fully expect the value of a caddie will be realize once they get enough time to “learn the course. 

Beyond the conditions, which were tremendous, the course has a number of nice details, my favorite being the wooden flag sticks with burnt orange lettering. I am not sure what the inspiration is behind the color, but it is unique and gives the course a special vibe. 

Playing golf while trying to take mental notes for a review is not as easy as it may seem. Unlike some of my friends, I struggle to remember specific holes or pin positions. For me, it is more about how I felt about the course and my desire to play it again. It was on number 14 or 15 before I really started to try to make a decision on how I felt. As it turns out, that is the part of the course where more traditional tree lined fairways began. To that point, I have thoroughly enjoyed my round but I was honesty a bit shocked by how different it was from when I had played it last. Perhaps this is why the last 3 holes felt so welcoming to me. This was especially the case on #18 where the fairway marches up to the main clubhouse. 

At 150 yards out is where the Pinehurst vibe is in full effect. Ahead of you is the clubhouse, beside you are glimpses of the famed No. 2 and over the ridge is the short course. This is a golf resort! After shaking hands on the 18^th green we walked passed the enormous putting green, stopped by for a picture with the statues of golf legends and up to the veranda. For the record, I am not a fan of monstrous club houses but Pinehurst does it well and frankly the number of players demands it. 

For those who have never been to NC or Pinehurst, there is something very special about this part of the country. Next to the golf, it provides the opportunity sit amongst blue skies, white clouds, soft breezes and tall trees while sharing stories on the porch. It is also within a reasonable drive from RDU’s international airport. All this makes this a must golf destination.  Like Bandon Dunes, golfers can come to Pinehurst Resort and never leave. Everything you need is right there including world class golf.