
Pinehurst Resort Announces "Pinehurst Sandmines, " Home to Pinehurst No. 10
By Brian Weis
PINEHURST, N.C. - Pinehurst Resort's first original golf course in three decades will have a distinctive home that features a name rooted in local history - Pinehurst Sandmines.
Pinehurst Sandmines covers more than 900 acres, most of it still wooded and undeveloped. With Pinehurst No. 10 highlighting the dramatically sloping northwest ridge of the area, the Sandmines setting offers Pinehurst the potential to expand its guests' experiences. A variety of future developments are being evaluated, including an additional 18-hole golf course, a short course, clubhouse and guest cottages.
"A year ago, we were excited to announce that Tom Doak would begin carving a new era of Pinehurst golf on this exceptional property," says Bob Dedman Jr., CEO of Pinehurst Resort. "Today, we take another step forward into our continued evolution with a nod to what came before."
Beginning in the 1920s, the sandy soil in this location proved useful to multiple mining operations, specifically Pleasants Sand and Supply, which was founded after World War II. Over the next half century, sand mined in Aberdeen was shipped along the adjoining railroad for building projects all over the United States, notably including another North Carolina landmark - the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Following Pleasants' closure in the mid-1970s, rugged dunes, mounds and berms forged from mining excavations were left behind to be reclaimed by nature. Now, decades later, that land and the untouched surrounding areas are being reimagined among the towering pines that restored it, the first fruit of which will be Doak's newest original, No. 10, which comprises about 250 acres of the total property.
"There's a lot of history at this place, and you just want to honor it," says Angela Moser, Doak's lead design associate on No. 10. "You want to have it be a part of what you're building, so you'll see reminders of it."
That is also reflected in the Pinehurst Sandmines logo. A rail car, dashed in railroad red color befitting the area's industrial innovations, features subtle hints about the property's past - and its future - within the car's structure and design. The car carries a "matterhorn" shaped mound that resembles the 25-foot sand deposit framing No. 10's dramatic 8th hole - a tangible, signature remnant of the commercial mine's influence that Doak freshly incorporated into No. 10's routing.
"Pinehurst's past, present and future is right here in the sand," says Tom Pashley, Pinehurst Resort President. "We look forward to seeing what more can be mined in this area."
To learn more, visit pinehurstresort.com.
Revised: 03/26/2024 - Article Viewed 558 Times
- View Course Profile
About: Brian Weis
Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.
As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.
Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.
In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.
On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.
Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.
Contact Brian Weis:
GolfTrips.com - Publisher and Golf Traveler
262-255-7600