Just months before the U.S. Open returned to famed Course No. 2 in 2024, Pinehurst Resort opened to great acclaim its first original golf course in nearly three decades after tabbing Tom Doak to build Pinehurst No. 10 on a slice of 900 acres the Resort had acquired south of its main clubhouse, named Pinehurst Sandmines. Doak’s masterful layout features dramatic elevation changes, natural sandy areas and dramatic remnants of an early 20th century sand mining operation. Just a few months later, No. 10 was named as the Best New Public Course of 2024.
What does Pinehurst do as an encore to that? In April, the Resort announced plans for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to design and build Pinehurst No. 11, which will open in Fall 2027.
“It’s such a wonderful site, just because of its inherent character,” says Coore. “That character was essentially created, not all of it is natural, but it has all been reclaimed by nature. This land is left over from all that mining from the 1930s. The spoil piles are here, and Mother Nature provided the trees, and it’s all incredible. It’s not too often you get that kind of combination, and it creates a site that is extraordinarily interesting for golf.”
No. 11’s building marks another milestone in a short amount of time for Pinehurst Sandmines. Later this summer, the 6,000-square-foot pro shop and locker room will open, as will Sandmines’ restaurant and bar. Plans for lodging for guests staying on property are ongoing and could be in place by the end of 2027.
It’s another era of Pinehurst’s new golden age, which began with the restoration of No. 2 by Coore and Crenshaw. From there, the march was on.
The Deuce opened in 2016 in the main clubhouse, overlooking the 18th green of No. 2. A year later, renowned golf architect Gil Hanse crafted The Cradle, Pinehurst’s wildly popular par-3 short course. In 2018, Hanse redesigned Pinehurst No. 4, helping one of Pinehurst’s nine championship courses vault back into numerous Top 100 course rankings. That same year, Pinehurst Brewing Co. debuted to great acclaim among guests and locals alike.
Pinehurst continues to invest in its present and future, fully renovating the guest rooms and lobby of its flagship hotel, The Carolina. The Resort also debuted its newest restaurant, the Carolina Vista Lounge, an expanded cocktail bar with a contemporary menu unlike any other at Pinehurst, offering guests a stylish and satisfying respite befitting its setting in the historic Carolina Hotel.
“There’s a line I like to think about, and that’s ‘always Pinehurst, always better,’” says Pinehurst Resort CEO Bob Dedman Jr.
And, to think, the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open return in 2029. At Pinehurst, there is always more to come.