The International, in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts, is set to reopen its Pines course to members on 6 June 2025 following a redesign by Coore & Crenshaw.
The New England club opened the Geoffrey Cornish-designed Pines in 1956 and the Tom Fazio-designed Oaks in 2001. Escalante Golf acquired the club in 2021 and has invested over $40 million into the 36-hole club. The first major project was a renovation of the Oaks by Tripp Davis.
Once work on the Oaks was complete, Escalante Golf turned to Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to lead a redesign of the Pines, which, for many years, was known as America’s longest golf course.
The architects have, over the past three years, completely redesigned the layout – not a single hole corridor or green site remains from the original design. It is now a par 71 and comes in just over 7,000 yards from the back tee.
“Over the last 20 or so years, 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. “While the new Pines course will still challenge players, it will do so without overly relying on sheer length. Instead, it will combine Bill and Ben’s classically 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.”
Some of the new holes, recently photographed by Matt Hart of meh shots, include the reachable par-five fourth, driveable par-four fourth and the short par-three sixteenth.
“We’ve failed, to be quite candid, if we have a signature hole,” said Coore. “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.”
Many greens are canted from front-to-back to encourage players to use the ground game for approach shots. The putting surfaces range from 4,200 square feet (hole sixteen) to 10,800 (the long par-three third) and feature 0007XL bentgrass.
Playing corridors are quite expansive and are framed by pitch pines, a species found across New England. Tees, fairways and rough areas have been planted with fescue grass.
Coore and Crenshaw have also incorporated indigenous materials to create distinctive features such as the dramatic ‘quarry’ around holes two, three and thirteen. The pair say this creation was to add visual interest and strategic depth, while showcasing their appreciation for the course’s secluded natural setting.
“As designers of some of the world’s greatest courses to open over the last 30 years, Bill and Ben’s reputation is sterling,” said Jody Tavarez, executive vice president of agronomy, Escalante Golf. “But beyond that, we share their great admiration for the classic golf courses built during the 1920s that featured a compelling blend of strategy and artistry. Coore & Crenshaw’s immense respect for the game’s history made them an ideal match for our overall vision for The International as a place where the game is celebrated.”