124. Pinehurst #4 and Chechessee Creek
Pinehurst Resort-Course #4, November 20, 2018: I first played Pinehurst #4 in 1974 during my second visit to Pinehurst. As an architectural know nothing (or at best “know not much”) in those days, I thought it was really special. I played it a number of times in the 1970’s, but since joining CCNC in 1998, had only played it once (in 2013).
It first opened in 1919 and was originally designed by Donald Ross. After World War II (and probably after Ross passed away in 1948), Peter Tufts started tinkering with its design. In 1973, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. completed a redesign of #4, which was modified by his son Rees in 1982. Then in 1999 Tom Fazio added his touches and completed its conversion to a lush, tree lined parkland course…marked by numerous small pot bunkers.
Over the past 10 years, the Pinehurst Resort embarked on a bold plan to upgrade its offerings and the following facilities have been upgraded, developed, or refurbished:
o Pinehurst #2 was restored to its original design principles (appropriately adjusted for todays equipment and distances) and reopened in 2010 to rave reviews; Coore-Crenshaw led the restoration and in 2014 the US Open returned to Pinehurst #2 for the third time and is returning again in 2024 (see my Post #104 regarding Pinehurst #2);
o Thistle Dhu, an 18 hole 15,000 sq. ft. putting green opened in 2012 and incorporating the word “fun” into Pinehurst’s lexicon; this is named after a large practice putting green built by Mr. James Barber of Barber Steamship Lines in the backyard of his Pinehurst home. Legend has it that upon inspecting the completed green, Barber exclaimed “This’ll do!”, which became Thistle Dhu and now is the name of the Resorts’ practice green.
o Pinehurst Cradle, a 9-hole 780 yard par 3 course opened for play just over a year ago, and I played it October 19, 2017 as my 1,000thgolf course; it has been a real attraction for young golfers, elders, families, and scratch players since…many of whom have been enjoying Thistle Dhu (see my Posts #102 regarding The Cradle and #122 regarding short courses);
o Pinehurst Brewing Co., installed in Pinehurst’s old steam power plant that once supplied electricity and stream heat to the Village; it is now a brewery and restaurant incorporating many of the architectural features of the original steam house, and adds “fun” to the agenda after the sun sets;
o Pinehurst #4, which has now reopened after completion of a massive redesign by Gil Hanse, perhaps the game’s hottest architect.
I played it with Steve Smith, a friend from CCNC and Toronto. Steve is also a Panelist for Golf Digest, and was at the Ohoopee outing the prior week (Post #124).
I had a number of reactions to the redesign. It is very bold…opening up sweeping vistas by removing or thinning tree stands ands replacing many small pot bunkers with bold and large waste and regular bunkers…akin to those installed on #2 by Coore and Crenshaw. However, this is in no way a copy of #2…the greens generally sit low against the ground (as opposed to #2’s famous crowned greens)…and while Pinehurst #2 is relatively flat (with the exception of #5, #13 and #18), #4 has always been blessed by more dramatic land movement.
The basic routing of #4 is essentially the same as before…but the greens are very different. Prior to Hanse’s efforts, they were fairly flat…today they are bold and feature strong slopes, mounds, and ridges. I thought the best holes were #2, #5, #7-10, #16 and #18.
On the negative side, I thought some of the greens might be too extreme, and while the drainage is much improved from before (when it was not good), there were a good number of very soft wet areas. It is true that Pinehurst had received a lot of rain over the prior month, but I had played CCNC-Dogwood two rain-free days earlier and it was much firmer and faster than #4 (the courses lie about 1 mile apart). I plan to play #4 again in the coming months to give it a second look. In the meantime…I think it belongs just outside of a USA Top 100…but look forward to seeing it again. In any case, I had a 43 – 40 = 83.
Chechessee Creek Club, November 21-23, 2018: Pat and I first played Chechessee Creek in March 2011 during a drive back from a golf trip to the Palm Beach Jupiter and Vero Beach areas of FL. We returned to Chechessee in mid-November that year and have returned every Thanksgiving from 2012 -18. In total, I have played Chechessee 26.3 times and Pat has played it 20.5 times in our nine visits.
We stayed this year in Beaufort, SC at the new home of our friends Dolly and Richard Brown. John Hill and his wife and Cathy Carter joined us for Thanksgiving dinner, and the weather held with no rain.
As I have covered Chechessee on Posts #65 and #104, I shall be brief. CCC opened in 2000 and was designed by Coore-Crenshaw. Put simply Chechessee has the best clubhouse built in the last 75 years, and it has the subtlest slopes on its greens, near the greens, and near its bunkers and other hazards/trouble spots that I have ever seen…with the possible exception of The Old Course. Miss the top of what appears to be a mild slope…and watch your ball start moving back about 10’-40’. You really have to know this course and think around it. Played three rounds...had 85, 93 (ugly), and 78 (same guy??? as wifey says...
As many of you who live on the USA’s east coast (or from reading my last few posts) know, over the past two months the rainfall here has been at historic highs. While its greens were simply perfect, Chechessee’s fairways showed the effects of these rains…probably because they had been overseeded with rye grass several weeks ago. I am not a fan of overseeding except in unusual circumstances…and Chechessee does not, into my mind, meet those circumstances. Hope they go back to dormant Bermuda grass in 2019. Still love the place!
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