The Pines at The International will reopen on June 6, following an extreme makeover by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
Located in Bolton, Massachusetts, 40 miles west of Boston, The Pines had long basked in the reputation as America’s longest golf course. That label is now ancient history.
Built originally in 1899 as Runaway Brook, a nine-hole public course, that layout was abandoned in 1955 when Geoffrey Cornish fashioned an entirely new track, with the help of top New England players Francis Ouimet and Paul Harney. The new spread instantly became the longest course in the U.S. at 8,040 yards and featured steeply pitched greens and deep bunkers.
International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) purchased the property in 1961 for use as a private club and corporate retreat. It changed the club’s name to The International Golf Club in 1967.
In 1972, Robert Trent Jones was summoned to soften the greens and bunkers, but he also added more length, stretching the course to 8,325 yards and par 73. This calling card, though, began to lose its luster early in this century as golfers became less focused on course difficulty as a measuring stick for quality. Instead, they have signaled a preference for courses that are strategic, walkable and enjoyable to play.
Coore & Crenshaw completely reimagined The Pines over the past three years. The firm created a totally new layout — not a single hole corridor or green site remains from the prior version. The routing, a par 71 measuring just over 7,000 yards from the back tees, is now more artfully draped over the land’s rolling topography and reflects Coore & Crenshaw’s trademark emphasis on beauty, strategy and playability.
“Over the last 20 years or so, there’s been a significant change to the perception of what constitutes a ‘great’ golf course,” said Jeff Kindred, chief operating officer for Escalante Golf, owner and operator of the club. “While the new Pines Course will still challenge players, it will do so without overtly relying on sheer length. Instead, it will combine Bill and Ben’s classicly inspired architecture with firm-and-fast course conditioning to create a playing experience that requires both creativity and skilled shotmaking. This throwback to option-oriented golf is embraced by today’s players and drove our decision to rethink The Pines and begin a new chapter in The International’s 125-year history.”
Fundamental to Coore & Crenshaw’s design philosophy is the idea of creating a rhythm from one shot to the next. This connectivity ensures that every hole contributes to the overall experience, giving a sense of flow and continuity to a round of golf. To accomplish this, the duo carefully select holes of varying lengths and strategic demands. Examples on The Pines include No. 16, a tantalizingly short par 3; No. 4, a reachable par 5; and No. 8, a temptingly drivable par 4. Every hole on the golf course is memorable and its own unique test, while seamlessly tying back to the larger 18-piece puzzle.
“We’ve failed, to be quite candid, if we have a signature hole,” Coore said. “To me, that basically is saying that you spent all your efforts on that one hole. You grounded the entire golf course around one hole. Instead, we believe that every hole could be a signature hole to someone, and we are proud to say we’ve accomplished this on The Pines.”
The Pines’ new architecture will shine even brighter thanks to the strategic use of fescue grass on fairways, tees and in the rough. This turf, most commonly found on seaside golf courses in the British Isles, encourages shots to bounce and roll more than the grasses typically found on other New England courses. Fescue also requires less frequent mowing and lower inputs of water and fertilizer.
Bentgrass, specifically the 007XL cultivar, will be used on the greens. It was selected for its exceptional turf density and fine leaf texture, which enhances putting quality and creates a consistently smooth surface. In addition, 007XL performs particularly well in cool weather, maintaining active growth and strong visual appeal during lower temperature periods — an important trait for the New England climate.
Many of the greens are also canted from front-to-back, rather than the more typical back-to-front arrangement. This will further entice players to consider bouncing their approach shots into an interesting variety of hole locations. The greens themselves are fairly large, ranging from 4,200 square feet (the short par-3 16th) to 10,800 square feet (the long par-3 third). Playing corridors are quite expansive, as the course features some 55 acres of fairways. The holes are frequently framed by pitch pines, a species that thrives in the sandy pockets of soil sporadically found across New England, Long Island and New Jersey.
Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the club’s 660-acre property, Coore & Crenshaw also incorporated the surrounding landscape into the vision for The Pines, using indigenous materials to create distinctive features. The dramatic “Quarry” around holes two, three and 13 is a prime example. It adds both visual interest and strategic depth, while showcasing their appreciation for the course’s secluded natural setting.
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with The Country Club in Salt Lake City! pic.twitter.com/uF97LvVN3k
— OCM Golf (@OCMGolf) May 21, 2025
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BREAKING GROUND AT THE BOULDERS
Casa Verde Golf and architect Art Schaupeter recently broke ground on a renovation of the North course at the Boulders Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Situated in the farthest reaches of north Scottsdale, next to the aptly named town of Carefree, the Boulders rocks with 36 holes that melt into the native desert landscape, highlighted by the giant saguaro cacti and the prehistoric rocks that give the resort its name.
The North was originally designed by Jay Morrish in 1985. Schaupeter, a veteran architect with more than 30 years of experience, will lead the effort in restoring the greens to their original shapes and sizes. The putting surfaces will be carpeted in TifEagle, an ultra-dwarf hybrid grass that offers improved speed, consistency and playability as well as smooth transitions during seasonal weather changes. TifEagle is also a more resilient turf that supports the region’s water stewardship efforts and does not require the annual overseeding process that traditionally takes place in October on Arizona golf courses.
In addition to the greens renovation, the Boulders will also invest in tee box enhancements. All tee boxes on the North course will be laser leveled and resurfaced, as will all tee boxes on the South Course's par-4 and par-5 holes.
"We are truly excited for the North course refinement project and the tee renovation projects," said David Benham, the Boulders’ director of club operations. "This further illustrates our commitment to maintaining top playing conditions and club environment for our members and guests."
"The net result to the North course refinement project will be more pin locations and playability enhancements to what is already an iconic course," Schaupeter said. "Arizona courses that have recently converted to TifEagle greens include Stone Canyon, Superstition Mountain, TPC Scottsdale, Silverleaf and Terravita."
The North course enhancement project comes three years after the Boulders executed bunker renovation projects on both courses, installed new pump stations and renovated the South course’s greens.
CAMPUS COMMONS OPEN FOR PLAY AGAIN
Campus Commons Golf Course reopened in early May following a complete redesign from architects Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate. The nine-hole, par 3 course debuted in 1971 and sits on 17 acres adjacent to the American River, near Sacramento State University and downtown Sacramento, California.
Closed since late 2021 due to erosion control and levee repairs performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the American River, the course underwent some significant changes in the redesign.
"We lost a few acres due to that work," said Kurtis Wolford, the course superintendent. "But, I’m excited. We made it to the finish line, and the course is ready to go."
Because the course may experience intermittent flooding, the redesign features no sand bunkers or cart paths, but it does have extensive subsurface drainage. It also features splendid views of the river.
"Hole number 3 could be the most picturesque in Sacramento," Wolford said. "From the tee to the green, the entire hole sits right along the river."
The newly constructed golf course features 4,000 square foot USGA greens. Primarily, the challenge to the golfer will come from the green contours and from the shaping around the greens. The new irrigation system is comprised of valve-in-head Toro sprinklers and Toro satellite controllers and will use domestic water flowing through a new Watertronics pump station. The greens were sodded with Pure Distinction bentgrass and the balance of the course was sodded with Santa Ana bermudagrass.
