Roughing It

At Pinehurst, the birthplace of golf in America, natural is the name of the game.

- Mike Croley

Gil Hanse was confused. He was standing in the fairway on the 18th hole of the No. 4 course at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina and looking toward the clubhouse. From the topography maps he’d studied, he knew the previous architect had raised the ground here 6 feet. He turned to Bob Farren, the head super intendent, and asked, “Why the hell would he do that?”

Hanse is the hottest architect in golf. A student and practitioner of minimalism, he brings a back-to-the-land approach to course design. Known for being one of the few architects who still regularly climbs aboard a bulldozer, Hanse has become almost a household name for his work on the 2016 Olympic course in Rio de Janeiro and his appearances on U.S. Open telecasts during the past four years. Hanse’s claim to fame are inventive, striking designs including those at Boston Golf Club and Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland. Last year his Black course at Streamsong Resort in Florida was named the best new course in the U.S. by Golf magazine, and he’s been busy renovating a number of the country’s premier championship links, including Merion and Winged Foot.

He’s been everywhere and seen a lot, but Hanse couldn’t figure out the rationale for raising golfers 6 feet for their second shot, playing into the green.