More Pat Jones's Q&A with Pinehurst's Bob Farren

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's more of Pat Jones' exclusive interview with Pinehurst's Bob Farren, along with some additional images that didn't make the November's print edition.

What’s Toby’s role?
I’d call Toby an interpreter. He reads Bill and Ben’s music, so to speak. They walk the ground and talk about things, he makes notes and brings them to life by adding a mound or taking out grass. It’s really different than most construction work in that way. It’s like painting using small brush strokes instead of a roller. And a lot of times it’s taking away rather than adding or building.

You mentioned Mike Davis’s involvement in the early discussions. How much has USGA figured into the plans?
Contrary to what a few folks have said, it wasn’t a USGA directive that we do anything. The USGA is enthusiastic   No. 1, from the left side.about where we’re going, but it was our choice to go there. They are the fan club…we’re the team.

That said, it fits with the platform of fewer inputs and a more naturalized look they’re advocating. Look at Chambers Bay and Erin Hills…the USGA is definitely going that way towards a less formal-looking golf course. If you think about Pine Valley on one end of the spectrum and Augusta on another…they’re courses of the same stature, but significantly different. Historically, No. 2 was on the same side as Pine Valley, Shinnecock and Merion. But in recent years, it had found its way toward the more formal look. It was “confused” and “too pretty” as Bill Coore likes to say.

How are the reviews of the changes so far?
The cool thing about this concept isn’t what the Tour players think, it’s the impact on our regular members and resort guests. All those things we’ve done the past 20 years have been largely for the success of the championships and didn’t have a lot of direct impact on daily play. But, most of this is really different from the standpoint of day-to-day play. Visually, in terms of playability, it’s going to have a real impact versus just building new tees way back where most people will never play.

No membership is ever 100-percent happy with a redo like this though.
Anyone who sees it now – compared to June or July –  No. 13, from the tee.they’re really going to get a sense of where it’s going to be eventually. Most members are saying, “I get it now.” Not everyone was thrilled but they’re coming around.

What’s the timeline?
We close No. 2 on Nov 16 to do some of the more invasive work around the greens – bunkering, etc. – and reopen in March. That’ll be the starting point. It’ll still take time and evolve. It’ll have to age and mature.

What’s been strange for your staff about this whole cultural shift?
It has been weird to break old habits. We’ve had to teach them that it’s okay to rake bunkers outward back over turf edges. And pine cones and pine straw is now what we want in non-turf areas. It’s okay. It’s natural.

How much will it reduce maintenance costs if with less   No. 13, from the right side.highly maintained turf?
I don’t know that it will. We’ll be redirecting hours to the corridor of play and focusing on tee to center fairway and center of green. The farther you get from the center, the less predictable it’s going to become. It’ll be less-irrigated, less-manicured, less-dense and less-predictable the farther you get from the center of the fairway. But, at times, that’s where you’ll want your ball because that’s the better approach shot for your game.