Great Minds Think Alike

As the reader would expect, before our trip to Pinehurst last October I did my homework, reading every manner of opinion on the Coore-Crenshaw restoration of Pinehurst No. 2.  In these cases the first place one looks is Ran Morrissett's Golf Club Atlas, and his review of the restored No. 2 can be found here.   

By now we've all heard ad nauseam about the removal of 35 acres of Bermuda rough and planting of the famed wire grass plants.  But one point discussed extensively by the Dweeb-American community was the centerline irrigation system, which much as the term implies, means simply that the irrigation lines run down the center of the fairways.  As part of the restoration, some 650-700 sprinkler heads were removed, and the Resort's water bill for the course is now a third of what it used to be.

The only problem with this knowledge was that the effect wasn't discernible to me at ground level, and I should note before the comments fly that I'm closer to ground level than most.  But in watching last night's Golf Channel coverage, the effect was immediately apparent, as the dark green in the middle of the fairways segues into brown as you approach the edges, providing a very appealing-looking transition to the waste area with, and this is maybe the most important aspect, no unwanted growth in the waste areas from excess irrigation.

I woke up to Shackelford opining on the very same issue, having arrived in Pinehurst on Monday.  Here's his more professional take on the issue:

But after walking the course again Monday of U.S. Open week, attention should turn to the

transition zones from fairway to the sandy scrub. They should not pose a rules issue but these transitions will be noticed in HD, perhaps to a point that people think it's poor maintenance by super Kevin Robinson and crew. The opposite is the case: the pine scrub areas are the work of a master maintenance and irrigation design team. 

To create a gentle shift from fairway to scrub takes artistry on a scale we rarely experience. How many times have you played a course lined by native areas, only to find the first five to ten feet more dense than areas well off the beaten path? All because of faulty irrigation design sending overspray into those natives. This is traditionally driven by the weird obsession with covering every inch of a property in irrigation "coverage," even at the expense of playability.

The photo above from Geoff captures the effect perfectly, as there is no rigid fairway boundary line and the lies will be sandier the closer to the edge you get.  But it's a far more natural look, as nature in my experience very rarely produces straight lines.  

Back to Shack, who helpfully provides 19th Hole talking points for those in need of them:

Pinehurst's return to a single row of irrigation heads that reduced the number by 700, has been key to the impressive playability of the transitions. The lack of a sharp contrast between fairway and scrub is beautiful to those who love their golf natural, though the look of the occasional exposed sand where there "should" be fairway may prompt cow pasture lines in 19th holes across the land. But we'd rather see a transition of sand and grass than tall stuff just off to the sides of play. The look also exudes naturalness. History tells us that the more natural a course seems or looks, the more we accept the arbitrary nature of things such as "waste" hazards. 

So if you hear people criticizing the brown and rugged Pinehurst, remind them that it's all about accentuating the playability of Donald Ross's design. Even if the initial impression may not seem like the lush beauty that golf grew addicted to, to some of us the imperfection is just perfect.

And Shack doesn't even bring out the heavy weaponry, the the restoration of these natural waste areas allows the player to actually see the lines of play from the tee box.  As a reminder of this stark difference, take a look at these photos from GolfCourseHistories.com of the first hole, in 2007 on top and 2012 below.  Which look do you prefer?

I believe that other holes would provide a more favorable comparison, but those are the only ones posted thus far at GolfCourseHistories.com.