Sports Illustrated has weighed in with its end-of-year golf course awards – and No. 10 is No. 1.
From the piece:
Best New Course (Overall): Pinehurst No. 10, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Donald Ross’ love affair with Pinehurst began in 1900, when the Dornoch, Scotland native was asked by the Tufts family to become head professional at the new Pinehurst Resort they had developed in the Sandhills of North Carolina. With his subsequent revisions of the resort’s No. 2 course, he became the most in-demand architect in the United States. He was renowned for his skillful routings, which took maximum advantage of the existing terrain, and for infusing strategy and challenge into each layout, while also making each course playable for average Joes. He would be especially proud of what Tom Doak accomplished in the design of Pinehurst No. 10.
Opened on April 3, Pinehurst No. 10 is three miles south of the main resort clubhouse in Aberdeen. It unfolds atop ground that once was home to a Dan Maples-designed course called The Pit, that lasted from 1985 through 2010. With natural ridgelines, intriguing landforms, towering longleaf pines, streams, and ponds, Doak designed a course that complements the resort’s other courses while distinguishing itself quite clearly.
“The site is topographically distinct and drastically different from anywhere in Pinehurst,” said Doak, who willingly shares a great deal of the credit with lead design associate Angela Moser. “It’s bigger, bolder and more dramatic. There’s about 75 feet of elevation change, and we worked our way up to it around the mid-point of the layout. You have expansive views from this apex over the rest of the course. It’s an unforgettable experience for golfers.”
At 7,020 yards, par 70, the new course incorporates rugged dunes that were mined at the location at the turn of the 20th century and features the native sand and wiregrass that are indigenous to the area. Part of a 900-acre plot that the resort has branded, “Pinehurst Sandmines,” Doak’s No. 10 is expected to be the first of several courses to grace the parcel. Collectively, the holes—five par 3s, 10 par 4s and three par 5s—yield the most memorability of any of the resort’s courses, both tee to green and in the green complexes. Unforgettable is the 385-yard, par-4 eighth.
17th hole, Pinehurst No. 10
At the elevated ninth tee, you’re introduced to the “Big Reveal,” where you can take in much of the back nine, which sits in a valley. After an uphill trek to the 10th tee, a sign stating, “Rest and Be Thankful” greets golfers, who would be wise to pause before tackling the 634-yard par 5. Granted, the 264-yard, par-3 14th asks for all you’ve got, but most of the course successfully engages the golfer to solve one delightful, scenic puzzle after the next. For achieving the impossible—making you temporarily forget there’s a U.S. Open layout just three miles away—we award our Best New Course of 2024 to Pinehurst No. 10.
There’s so much for us to love in the SI piece, but we especially like the noted lineage from Donald Ross to Tom Doak: (Ross) would be especially proud of what Tom Doak accomplished in the design of Pinehurst No. 10.
That’s just a really cool thing to read.
Also love the notes about the “Big Reveal” at the 9th tee, the course description overall including about the 8th hole, and it’s fun to see the “Rest and Be Thankful” bench get a little hat tip.
We’re very proud of No. 10, and this distinction as the Best New Course from SI is one very special way to end 2024 and look ahead to 2025.
Find out how you can play and experience No. 10 here.
View this post on Instagram