“The Cradle,” designed by Gil Hanse, will feature nine holes ranging from 56 to 127 yards. The course will be located steps from the Resort Clubhouse, in the same area where the North Carolina resort’s first nine holes were carved out of sand in 1898.
On September 30, nearly 120 years after golf arrived at Pinehurst, the historic North Carolina resort will open The Cradle, a nine-hole short course designed by golf architect Gil Hanse. The Cradle, At 789 yards, the course, named to evoke Pinehurst’s reputation as the Cradle of American Golf, will feature holes ranging from 56 to 127 yards. It will be located steps from the Resort Clubhouse, in the same area where, in 1898, Dr. Leroy Culver carved the first nine holes out of the sand at Pinehurst.
Hanse’s design incorporates the native sandscape and wiregrass common to the original courses of Pinehurst. With holes that meander along the rolling terrain, The Cradle’s greens blend into the surrounding landscape and are protected by rough-hewn bunkers, all features that have long been hallmarks of Pinehurst golf.
“The beauty of golf at Pinehurst is that it is very natural, traditional and classic, especially architecturally,” says Hanse, whose restoration credits include projects at The Country Club, Los Angeles Country Club, Merion Golf Club and Oakland Hills Country Club, as well as the original design work of The Olympic Golf Course in Brazil. “That Pinehurst character, we believe, permeates through The Cradle. These nine little golf holes are on a historic piece of land, and we feel like each hole has its own identity that fosters the creativity golfers have enjoyed here for more than a century.”
Greens fees for The Cradle will start at $50 this fall and then vary seasonably, the resort announced. Children 17 and under will be able to play free when accompanied by a paying adult, and resort guests will be able to book tee times in advance. Public tee times will be available 24 hours in advance.
Bordering The Cradle will be Pinehurst’s expanded putting course, Thistle Dhu, which surrounds the resort’s famous Putter Boy statue. At 75,000 square feet, the new Thistle Dhu is four times larger than the original putting course built in 2012, with rolling hills and sweeping valleys sure to delight golfers of all kinds. Thistle Dhu, which will open in early October, will be free to play.
The opening of The Cradle and expansion of Thistle Dhu are two elements of a multi-year plan Pinehurst unveiled in November 2016 (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2016/11/pinehurst-n-c-resort-cc-redesign-no-4-add-short-course/). Following the successful opening of the Deuce, a new tavern overlooking the 18th hole of Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst announced that it had hired Hanse to build the short course and begin a redesign of Pinehurst No. 4. Hanse will break ground on the No. 4 redesign in October.
The logo for the new Cradle course features the “Golf Lad,” an iconic figure featured in original advertising for the resort and most recently used in the logo for the U.S. Opens and U.S. Amateur Championships at Pinehurst. In the Cradle logo, the Lad is shown resting comfortably in the nook of the letter “C”.
“Like the Putter Boy, who now overlooks play on The Cradle, the Golf Lad has been a lasting symbol of the genuine joy and passion for golf at Pinehurst since the game arrived,” says Pinehurst President Tom Pashley. “We hope golfers will share those same feelings on a short course designed to be fun and challenging while at the same time inspiring others to take up the game we all love.”
Added Pinehurst Owner and CEO, Bob Dedman Jr.: “Pinehurst’s place in golf goes back almost as far as the time the game was first introduced in America. As we embark on the latest era at Pinehurst, it’s symbolic that our newest course sits on the same ground as the original first holes of golf at Pinehurst. We look forward to watching players of all ages and all abilities enjoy golf at The Cradle.”
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