By Tom Cunneff
Coming on the heels of No. 10’s opening last year, Pinehurst Resort has just announced that No. 11 is in the works.
Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, No. 11 joins Tom Doak’s design of No. 10 at Pinehurst Sandmines, a 900-acre site 15 minutes south of the resort that was mined for decades for its deep reservoirs of sand.
It’s fitting that Coore and Crenshaw are finally getting to build their own design at the Cradle of Golf, given that their restoration of No. 2 15 years ago led to the resort’s resurgence. It’s both a coming home and swan song for Coore, who grew up in North Carolina: The word at the resort is that it will be his last design, with construction slated to start later this year.
The Sandmines’ 6,000-square-foot pro shop and locker room will open in June, followed by the restaurant and bar in August.
Another top resort adding a new course is Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Set to open next year, The Commons, a 12-hole layout by Jim Craig, will be another “afternoon” course, much like The Sandbox, the resort’s 17-hole par-3 course. In fact, that was the original idea for Sedge Valley, but then Tom Doak came back with such a great routing for 18 holes, it became the fourth full course after opening last year.
Craig was a longtime associate of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw who worked on many of their best-known courses, including Bandon Trails, Sheep Ranch, and the Met Area’s own Friar’s Head. He was also the lead associate on The Sandbox, so he knows the terrain well.
Located on land between the resort area and the new Sedge Valley neighborhood, the 4,000-yard layout is already grassed. Several holes are located on a peninsula jutting into Lake Luna, including two risk-reward par 4s and a Redan par 3.
This is the third year in a row that Sand Valley has announced a new course, which includes the Lido, a replica of C.B. Macdonald’s mythical Long Island course. Something tells me a seventh isn’t far behind.
States love to create golf trails, a collection of curated courses that road trippers can play for variety and value. The RTJ Golf Trail in Alabama and the Michigan Golf Trail come to mind. Now you can add Oklahoma to the list.
Among the 18 courses on the Oklahoma Golf Trail are Cherokee Hills Golf Club, a challenging Perry Maxwell layout in Tulsa next door to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; Dornick Hills Country Club, Maxwell’s first design in Ardmore; Shangri-La Golf Club, Resort & Marina on Grand Lake’s Monkey Island, with 27 holes and terrific par-3 course; and the Territory Golf & Country Club, a premier private club on the prairie in Duncan with stay-and-play options.
Between their vaunted college teams and the majors at Southern Hills, Oklahoma has a rich golf history. The new trail will only enhance that legacy.