New look, old tradition: Bob Dedman Jr. has retained Pinehurst's allure while adjusting to changes in golf and hospitality.

• Author: Fields, Bill

On a sunny, warm day last fall, the golf courses at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club were full and the streets in the village bustled. Coming up on 125 years since James Walker Tufts founded Pinehurst as a retreat for the sick, his creation--long since having evolved into a haven for recreation instead of recuperation--seldom had seemed as robust.

"There's always opportunities to do better, but things are good right now," Bob Dedman Jr. says, responding that afternoon to a visitor's observation about the vitality, long before the coronavirus crisis emerged. "God willing and the creek don't rise--no more hurricanes, like 2018--this should be our best year in the history of the property. Hopefully, that bodes well for the future as well."

Far beyond the bottom line, the past and the future often meld into discussions of the present for Dedman, who as owner of the historic property has been unafraid to take bold steps on the tightrope between yesterday and tomorrow.

"It's like the history of the resort has now come full circle," says Audrey Moriarty, executive director of the Tufts Archives and Given Memorial Library. "It was started by one man who had a vision. And now we're back essentially to one man who has a vision and who can see something that isn't there. There is a strong parallel."

Over the last decade, under the leadership of Dedman and his management team including President Tom Pashley, a destination that dawned in the 19th century has polished its status in the 21st.

Pinehurst's No. 2 Course was dramatically restored to its Donald Ross-era glory by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw; Gil Hanse renovated the No. 4 Course, crafting a stellar design on some of the best golf land in the Sandhills; near the clubhouse Hanse also created The Cradle, a nine-hole par 3 layout that can be played with a couple of clubs, and Thistle Dhu, a putting course, both with an emphasis on fun.

An abandoned steam plant was transformed into the popular Pinehurst Brewing Co.; The Deuce became a stylish apres-golf grill overlooking the 18th green of No. 2; the members' clubhouse and Carolina Hotel dining room were renovated; new swimming, fitness and beach facilities were constructed for members; and, more recently, the Manor Inn was refurbished. Overall, the investment in those projects totals about $30 million, supplementing many other capital improvements.

"We've always gone back and tried to be more authentic and restore the character of Pinehurst," says Dedman, general partner of the resort's ownership group. "But at the same time, contemporize and make it so the legacy will last--allow it to be more relevant for the next hundred years. Part of it is looking back, but part of it is about always looking forward."

Pinehurst has been part of the Dedman family business since 1984, when ClubCorp, founded by Robert H. Dedman Sr., purchased the property from a consortium of banks, adding to its large stable of golf courses and city clubs. The Tufts...