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Pinehurst No 8 No 100 America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses
Cut from a nature preserve with no surrounding development, No 8, designed by Tom Fazio in 1994, is one of the most serene experiences in the area. Fittingly, there’s a wild element to the course as the holes move in unexpected directions towards racy greens that change style from scene to scene. The modernness of the design cuts against the genteel Pinehurst aesthetic, and there’s not a lot of routing cohesion, but it’s a fast-moving train that’s worth the ride. Fazio’s team returned in 2022 for touch ups and to restore the fast and firm playing surfaces.
Pinehurst No 6 Many would put the sexier Jack
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Nicklaus-designed No 9 in this spot, but No 6’s simple logic is more appealing to me. It was designed and built in the dark ages of the 1970s by George and Tom Fazio and is one of the sleepier courses in the area. But don’t be too judgmental – with all the sandy pyrotechnics happening around the neighbourhood, No 6 chugs along with quiet grace, presenting traditional hole after traditional hole of smart, e!ective bunkering through a property that rolls high and low through lovely stands of pine. There’s a lot to be said for this kind of maturity.
46 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JUNE 2024
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