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Southern Pines Golf Club, a vintage Donald Ross-designed course dating to the early 1900s, is now under management of the company that owns and operates the Pine Needles and Mid Pines in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The course is currently undergoing an 18-month improvement plan that includes design tweaks from architect Kyle Franz, who has supervised restorations at Mid Pines (2013) and Pine Needles (2018.)
The restoration will be completed in two stages to allow the crew to work on one hole at a time for 18 holes to remain open for play throughout most of the work. The majority of the tree removal and bunker work has been happening since December 2020, and work on the greens, cart paths, and other areas started in May 2021. During this time, there will be temporary greens while the permanent greens are being renovated to allow the course to remain open. Play will be available for a reduced rate during this time until the restoration is complete, and Southern Pines Golf Club will open fully on September 1, 2021 (weather dependent.)
There are currently no plans for the “Little 9” at this time, as management’s focus is on perfecting every detail on the main course over the coming months.
Master Plan
Our goal is to make the golf course feel as much like a Ross original staying true to the well preserved routing and trying to remove the superfluous elements that have been added over the decades.
On every hole of the course, we will be widening the fairways to make them more inviting for the beginning level players, but also allow more advanced players to strategize. Removing the maintained rough around the greens, making it all clean fairway height, will encourage players to be creative and have more fun. Installing all new piping around the greens and new wiring in the fairways to get a modernized irrigation system, as well as tackling a great deal of bunkers, are huge tasks that will improve the course’s irrigation.
In the late spring, we will begin on the detailing work needed to make each green feel like the original Donald Ross greens. We want them to feel and play the way Ross originally intended, and in some cases, we’re starting from scratch again.
The Lost Hole
Southern Pines is unique among most American courses in that the ninth hole does not return to the clubhouse. Franz had access to aerial photos of the course dating to the early 1950s that shows a par-three hole positioned to the left of the fourth green and and connecting with the 15th tee. That hole would have allowed golfers to play one through four, this par-three and finish a nine-hole round with 15 through 18. The par-three was abandoned at some point in the mid-1900s, but we are building a new par-three hole to replace “the lost hole” from Donald Ross’s original design.
Restoration Update: Part II
Greens Q&A with Kelly Miller and Kyle Franz
Restoration In Progress
Slide the arrows on each photo to see the before/”after” of each part of the course, or click on photos to enlarge.
We will continue to update as more work is completed.
Overview from the 1st Green
We filled in the left green side bunker on the 5th hole and moved the left fairway bunkers further down so they play as Ross originally intended.
Work has begun on hole 6 to restore the foreground bunkers off the tee and the lefthand features and bunkers next to the landing zone. We will also be modifying the greenside bunkers to reestablish the blood-pumping shot that Ross intended.
Hole 7 features one of the best terrains on the course, and we are restoring Ross’ bunker pattern around the green. Two of these bunkers had been filled in over the decades.
We will be lengthening #8 to play like Ross’ original hole and restoring the back and left bunkers.
Work has started to remove the 3 left front bunkers surrounding the 9th green in favor of Ross’ original style.
Tree removal has started on the 10th hole to restore the meandering nature of fairway.
The 11th and 13th greens required the most extensive work of all the greens on course. The 13th green was intended to be a fall away green where it was highest in front and lower in back, which we will be reestablishing to bring back Ross’ shot making approach into the green.
We are restoring the left to right kicking feel to the 14th green and improving the severe bottom tiers, as well as adding in a new back tee on this iconic Southern Pines hole.
Notables on the 15th hole include restoring the iconic crossing hazard and the creek and washout feature on the righthand side. Re-establishing the front right bunker location from the original course, which had been moved over time, will create a walk-the-plank greensight effect.
On Hole 16, we’ve started the process of restoring the grand left hand greenside approach bunker and filling in the right greenside bunker which was not original to Ross’ plan.
Restoring the diagonal nature of the landing zone and the big, beautiful back greenside bunkering on Hole 17 has already made a huge visual impact from every angle.
On the finishing hole at Southern Pines Golf Club, we’ve been restoring the diagonal nature of the landing zone by adding a bunker in place of trees that had grown in, improving the severe bottom tiers of the greens and restoring the big bump on the front left of green, that is both a hazard and a helper.
In the News
Restored Southern Pines on track for autumn opening
Golf Course Architecture
Kyle Franz is nearing completion of a restoration project at Southern Pines Golf Club in North Carolina
A new era for historic Southern Pines Golf Club near Pinehurst
Golf Pass
Investment into the historic Carolina Sandhills course includes restoration work by architect Kyle Franz
In Search of ‘The Lost Hole’
Sports Illustrated
Course architect Kyle Franz is restoring Donald Ross’ “Lost Hole” as part of an extensive restoration of Southern Pines Golf Club, which was acquired by Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in July 2020 and will reopen in September 2021.
Revamped, Restored (And a ‘Lost Hole’ That’s Been Found), Southern Pines is Almost Ready for Splashy Return
Sports Illustrated
New ownership acquired the Donald Ross-designed Southern Pines Golf Club last year, and they are nearly finished with an overhaul that will return the North Carolina course to its former glory.
Another Ross renovation under way in North Carolina Sandhills
Triangle Golf
The latest project of note was announced early last year and is now under way at the Southern Pines Golf Club, a Donald Ross design that was operational as an 18-hole course starting in 1923.