Pinehurst Resort and Country Club announced the acquisition of National Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course that is also located in the Village of Pinehurst. The course has been renamed Pinehurst No. 9 and is located less than three miles from the famed resort.
The Robinette family, which had developed National Golf Club in 1989, sold it five months after the company’s CEO, Claude Robinette, passed away.
“He would appreciate the direction it’s going in, and the future it will have through the Pinehurst relationship,” Neil Robinette, Claude’s grandson, told the Triangle Business Journal. “We will still be involved out there, on the real estate end. We have several real estate development opportunities in the club.”
Pinehurst Resort is expecting a surge of visitors, starting with the 2014 U.S. Open and the Women’s Open, which will be played in back-to-back weeks starting on June 12.
The acquisition gives the resort added inventory for guests and members. The course is immediately available to Pinehurst Country Club members. Pinehurst Resort guests will begin play at No. 9 in early July.
“We’re very excited to add this ninth course to our offering and look forward to welcoming National’s members to the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club family,” said Jay Biggs, SVP of Golf and Club Operations for Pinehurst. “The golf course presents a challenging test in a beautiful setting that complements our eight other courses.”
The acquisition reflects Pinehurst’s continued emphasis on enhancing amenities for members and resort guests. Pinehurst recently completed a $4 million renovation of its clubhouse and has plans for an expansive, multi-million dollar aquatics facility targeted for completion in summer 2015.
It has plans for a new course, designed by Rees Jones, and it acquired The Pit in early 2011. But the new development has been on hold and Pinehurst has plans to remake The Pit, which is closed, into a new course designed by Coore and Crenshaw.
National Golf Club recently underwent a renovation that softened green contours and re-grassed with more consistent A1/A4 bent grass. National Golf Club also includes a 30,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, five tennis courts, pool, banquet facilities and restaurant.
“We’ve budgeted considerable capital resources for both the golf course and the clubhouse,” said Biggs. “We will immediately implement enhanced maintenance practices for the golf course and will begin a clubhouse renovation and expansion in the coming months.”