These Pinehurst upgrades extend beyond the golf courses

By: Len Ziehm – Photos by: Joy Sarver

PINEHURST, N.C. – It seems like every time you visit the Pinehurst Resort you find something new.  The resort’s leadership has never been reluctant to make improvements, but it’s gone beyond the norm this year.

With all due respect to the well-received Pinehurst No. 10 course, the most notable change this time is on the dining side.  There’s two new restaurants in operation.

The restaurants are different. Wiregrass, located in the main clubhouse at the resort, is fine dining at its best.  Station 21, located near No. 10 in the Pinehurst Sandmines, is more casual but definitely an interesting, fun place.

Wiregrass, with a unique farm-to-table cuisine, has been open only a month. A different farm from the area is selected each week, which leads to regularly changing menus.

Station 21, an upscale Southwestern grill, is just a few months older. Its name comes from the addition of the numbers of the two courses in the Sandmines.

The other addition, the World Golf Hall of Fame, isn’t so new.  It opened on May 10, 2024, and that began its second presence in Pinehurst.  The original World Golf Hall of Fame opened in Pinehurst in 1974, then was relocated to St. Augustine, FL., in 1998.

St. Augustine’s version was bigger, but the new Pinehurst Hall is more high tech.  It’s a perfect fit for the area now that the United States Golf Association has its headquarters and equipment testing facilities in Pinehurst as well. More on the Hall later.

Pinehurst Resort dates back to 1895, and its walls are adorned with classic photographs reflecting golf’s most historic moments.

There’s nothing old about Pinehurst No. 10, though. It opened on April 3, 2024, in the Pinehurst Sandmines, a 900-acre off-site location from the resort in the town of Aberdeen.  No. 10 was the first new design at Pinehurst since the 1990s and the building time took only 16 months.

“Tom Doak (the course architect) was anxious to finish it,’’ said Bob Farren, Pinehurst’s director of golf course and grounds management. “(The building) had an unusual timeline.’’

“That opening will be in the spring of 2027,’’ said Farren. Both Nos. 10 and 11 have some holes built on what was The Pit – a popular course in its day, and its clubhouse is still standing.

“No. 10 exceeded our expectations, and our expectations are always high,’’ said Farren. “People love it.  Nothing in our other courses compares to it.  It’s on a so much bigger scale and there’s no residential pieces to it.’’

Both Nos. 10 and 11 are predominately walking courses.  As is the case with the restaurants, the two layouts have their differences.

“No. 10 has a big and bold scale,’’ said Farren. “No. 11 will be quaint and intimate.’’

You can’t see the construction work being done on No. 11 from the holes on No. 10, but you can walk to it.  The courses will share the same practice range and lodging is being constructed to serve both layouts.

The lodging will be aimed at attracting golf groups. Rather than a hotel Pinehurst Sandmines will have a rustic 26-room lodge, and there’ll also be an eight-bedroom cabin. Nine luxury cottages had already been  built around the Pinehurst No. 8 course. They opened in 2025.

So, what’s next for Pinehurst? There’ll be renovation for Pinehurst No. 9, a Jack Nicklaus signature course that had been the old Pinehurst National until  2019. And Pinehurst No. 2 – the famous Donald Ross design that has hosted the biggest tournaments – is getting some fine-tuning done on its teeing grounds in preparation for the return of the U.S. Opens in 2029.

The Coore-Crenshaw team made dramatic changes on No. 2 for the last, very historic, U.S. Open of  2014. That marked the first time both the men’s and women’s tournaments were held on the same course in the same year.

“That was a bit of a reach,’’ admitted Farren, “and it could have been a disaster.  We’re thrilled that we’ll be doing it again.’’

But, before that, Pinehurst will hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2027.

As for the World Golf Hall of Fame, it has a more modern look than the St. Augustine version, which shared space with two unique courses – the Slammer and Squire (co-designed by Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen) and The King and the Bear (co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus).

At Pinehurst each Hall of Famer will have their own locker where meaningful items from their  personal lives and  careers in the game can are displayed.

The USGA plans to bring many of its artifacts to Pinehurst that couldn’t be moved to St. Augustine. Pinehurst’s Hall will also feature different players during the course of each year.  Payne Stewart is in the spotlight now through the end of 2026.

And, best of all, the upgrades won’t likely end any time soon.   Could there be a Pinehurst No. 12? Stay tuned.

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