Gil Hanse reimagines Pinehurst No. 4

A shot of the 11th hole of Gil Hanse’s new design of Pinehurst No. 4. (Photo provided by Pinehurst Resort & Country Club)

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club will unveil a completely reimagined No. 4 course on Sept. 20, the work of renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse.

In 2017, Pinehurst hired world-renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse to build a 789-yard short course called The Cradle. After this course opened to critical acclaim, the resort’s leadership brought Hanse back to reimagine the property’s course No. 4. Hanse set out to revive its original sandy, scrubby and rugged aesthetic.

Hanse, designer of the 2016 Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, envisioned No. 4 as a “companion course” to its famed sibling, No. 2. Recognizing the seamless connection, the United States Golf Association named the two courses hosts of the 2019 U.S. Amateur.

Although No. 4 will be a natural counterpart to No. 2, it will not be a duplicate. In fact, Hanse believes No. 4 features the most interesting topography on the entire property.

A rendering of the 9th hole of Pinehurst No. 4. (Rendering provided by Pinehurst Resort & Country Club)

“It is a companion in the landscape, but it is not a tribute in the features. The greens are different, the approaches are different and we wanted to take advantage of the landforms, which are much more dramatic than those on No. 2,” says Hanse.

Hanse equated redesigning No. 4 as a chance to “play in the sand” as nothing in golf compares to the Sandhills region of North Carolina and its underlying soil.

With a gleaming lake as the centerpiece and natural ridgelines defining corridors, golfers are now treated to a brazen blend of sand, native wire grasses and wider fairways.

The par-5 9th hole is a great example of how No. 4 has been reinvented through Hanse’s vision and touch. More than 25 pot bunkers are replaced with sprawling, sandy native areas, and a massive crossbunker spans the width of the fairway, connecting with nearby holes and tying together the natural landforms. Green complexes throughout the course have been lowered to fit the landscape, and are complemented by Hanse’s distinct bunker designs.