Pinehurst Sandmines is growing.
Pinehurst Resort announced Monday that Pinehurst No. 11, to be designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, will begin construction at Pinehurst Sandmines later this year and is expected to open in Fall 2027. No. 11 joins Tom Doak’s design of Pinehurst No. 10 at the 900-acre site that for decades was mined for its deep reservoirs of sand.
Those past mining operations are still evident within the contours of the site of Coore & Crenshaw’s routing. They are among the features that have drawn the pair to this area since their acclaimed restoration of Pinehurst No. 2 about 15 years ago.
“It’s such a wonderful site, just because of its inherent character,” says Coore, who marvels at the mixture of native elements and man-made remnants, some of which still remain from when The Pit Golf Links was open. “That character was essentially created, not all of it is natural, but it has all been reclaimed by nature. This is land 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.”
While Doak’s No. 10 commands attention for its elevation changes and expansive vistas, Coore & Crenshaw see something unique in No. 11. They envision a golf course that winds and twists while still being dramatic in shape and style, with jutting ridges and massive mounds to be played over and around.
“The two courses really couldn’t be more different, and we love that,” says Tom Pashley, President of Pinehurst Resort. “The designs of No. 10 and No. 11 complement each other so well by contrasting so much. Golf in the North Carolina Sandhills can be an experience unlike any other, and we believe the golf at Pinehurst Sandmines will be a great representation of that.”
“It’s this choppy, ridgey ground,” says Coore. “It’s not as much elevation change, but it’s so quirky with the ridges and the piles and the trees and the angles. This is going to be so intimate in scale. You’re winding your way through trees and over old piles and across ridges. We’re far, far from the sea, but we have these contours and features and landforms that remind you of spots in Ireland or Scotland. And yet here it is, in Pinehurst.”
“We want Pinehurst Sandmines to be a special place not just in Pinehurst, but in the game of golf that will stand the test of time and enhance the soul of American golf,” says Bob Dedman Jr., owner and CEO of Pinehurst Resort. “The vision Coore & Crenshaw have for No. 11 coupled with what Tom Doak has already done at No. 10 makes that hope more of a possibility, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future has in store.”
Feature photo: Bill Coore, left, walks the property of Pinehurst No. 11 with Pinehurst Resort Golf Course Maintenance Manager Kevin Robinson.
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Contributed article and photo.
