PINEHURST NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUTHOR LEE PACE RELEASES NEW BOOK
THE GOLDEN AGE OF PINEHURST
The Story of The Rebirth of No. 2
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (October 30, 2012) – First opened in 1907, Pinehurst No. 2 is considered by
many to be the greatest masterpiece of legendary golf course architect Donald Ross. In his new book, THE
GOLDEN AGE OF PINEHURST: The Story of the Rebirth of No. 2 (University of North Carolina Press;
October 2012; hardcover/$39.95; ISBN 978-1-4696-0790-0), author Lee Pace tells the story of the legendary
courses’ recent restoration.
The early 1900s witnessed the design and construction of many of America’s finest golf courses. They were built by
by mule and man, crude machines and architects walking the land lockstep with laborers. Strategy and the ground
game were more important than pretty marketing images and do-or-die forced carries. One of the courses much
revered and respected at that time and still today was Pinehurst No. 2.
The course was demanding physically and mentally. Ross gave players options on every hole and required them to
envision and execute recovery shots from the sandy perimeters and the pine forests as well as around the intricate
greens settings. No. 2 was a favorite of many of the nation’s finest professionals and amateurs. “It would never leave
the top five of my favorite golf courses,” noted amateur Billy Joe Patton, who won the 1962 U.S. Amateur on No. 2.
The modernization of golf courses in general and No. 2 in particular in the late-1900s and early years of the 21st
century stripped No. 2 of some of its essential character. The course retained its identity through its greens—small,
concave and surrounded by tightly mown dips and hollows. But it lost its width, its strategic appeal and its umbilical
cord to the rough-hewn ground Ross found so reminiscent of his native Scotland.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF PINEHURST is the story of the restoration of No. 2 from its slick and
monochromatic presentation to a more natural potpourri of hardpan sand, wire grass and the pine needles and pine
cones so indigenous to the Sandhills of North Carolina. The job was entrusted to the design team of Bill Coore and
Ben Crenshaw, whose work across America and the world has been heralded for its sympathetic use of the ground,
its strategic appeal and its Old World flavor. Their understanding of golf history and the work of Donald Ross and
their personal experiences in Pinehurst dating to the 1960s gave them an ideal perspective for such a challenging
task.
-more-
Upon No. 2’s reopening in the spring of 2011, Pinehurst members, resort guests, elite golfers and students of golf
architecture enthusiastically embraced the result. The story of No. 2 is salient throughout the game of golf with the
message that firm and fast with its burnished look is not bad at all. It is, as Bill Coore would say, what Mother
Nature intended in the first place.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF PINEHURST is distributed by The University of North Carolina Press in association
with the Tufts Archives. The book includes 190 color and 54 black-and-white photos and also features a 6-page
color fold-out section. For a selection of materials for media use, including a jacket image, author photo, and
illustrations, please visit http://www.ibiblio.org/uncp/media/pace/.
About the Author
Lee Pace has written about golf and Pinehurst for more than 25 years. His portfolio includes the coffee table books
Pinehurst Stories (1991 and 1999) and The Spirit of Pinehurst (2004). He has contributed to every major golf publication
and to a number of travel and lifestyle publications as well. Pace, a 1979 graduate of the University of North
Carolina, lives with his wife Sue in Chapel Hill.
About Pinehurst
Located in the North Carolina heartland, Pinehurst Resort, established in 1895, is a 2,000-acre property featuring an
award-winning spa, eight golf courses, tennis, and activities for the family. Widely known as the cradle of American
golf, Pinehurst has hosted more single golf championships than any other site in America, including the U.S. Open,
PGA Championship, Ryder Cup Matches, PGA Tour Championship and many others. It will serve as the site of
both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships in 2014 in back-to-back weeks through an
unprecedented decision by the USGA. See pinehurst.com or call 800-487-4653 for a complete list of events and
activities.
Connect with Pinehurst Resort at www.facebook.com/PinehurstResort, and on Twitter @PinehurstResort.
-###For a selection of materials for media use, including a jacket image, author photos, and illustrations,
please go to http://www.ibiblio.org/uncp/media/pace/.
UNC PRESS CONTACTS:
Gina Mahalek, Director of Publicity
919-962-0581
Gina_Mahalek@unc.edu
Michael Donatelli, Sales Director, UNC Press
919.962.0475
Michael_Donatelli@unc.edu