Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina has tapped architect Gil Hanse to renovate Pinehurst No. 4, Golf Channel travel editor Matt Ginella reported Thursday on “Morning Drive.” No. 4, originally designed by Donald Ross in 1919 and playing next to Pinehurst No. 2, was most recently updated by Tom Fazio shortly after the return of the U.S. Open to the resort in 1999.
Pinehurst hired Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to renovate Pinehurst No. 2 prior to the staging of the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. Plans by Hanse at No. 4 call for a similar approach to bring in more native areas and make the course more walker-friendly.
Hanse, whose 2016 has been highlighted by the staging of golf’s return to the Olympic Games on his new course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also saw his design at Mossy Oak in Mississippi open earlier this year. Hanse has also recently been tapped by Mike Keiser to build a new course at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon.
Not only will No. 4 be renovated, but a new short course, which will also serve as a driving range during major championships, will be built on the property, between Pinehurst No. 5 and No. 3. Those layouts will be slightly altered to accommodate the addition.
You can read Ginella’s full feature story with interviews from Gil Hanse as well as Pinehurst President Tom Pashley on the news on Golf Advisor.
