BOLTON, Mass. — There’s a new golf course in New England with an old school feel to it.
The International, a 36-hole private club in Bolton, opened its brand new golf course — The Pines — for members last year.
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“It’s like an old jigsaw puzzle,” said golf architect Bill Coore, who helped redesign the course along with partner and former professional golfer Ben Crenshaw. “This is New England; they’re used to a little quirky and they drive on these weird roads.
“You’ll see things out there (on the course) that will be a little bit different.”
Best known for decades as America’s longest golf course, The Pines was completely reimagined over the last few years by the Coore & Crenshaw team.
A par-71 course that measures just over 7,000 yards from the back tees, The Pines’ new design holds a strong emphasis on beauty, strategy and playability.
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An aerial view of holes No. 2, 3 and 13 at the new Pines course at The International in Bolton.
“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, COO for Escalante Golf, which is the owner and operator of The International. “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 shot making.
“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.”
Originally opened in 1901, The International’s 36-hole layout has evolved over the past five years.
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Since acquiring it in 2021, Escalante Golf renovated the club’s Tom Fazio-designed Oaks course, which opened in 2001 and has bentgrass fairways and plays 7,116 yards with a par of 72. That redesign was led by architect Tripp Davis.
The new Pines course is a complete redesign of the old one. The Pines’ new architecture showcases strategic use of fescue grass on fairways, tees and in the rough. This turf, usually 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 golf courses.
Bentgrass is being used on the “fairly large” greens and was selected for its turf density and ability to perform well in cooler weather.
Hole No. 14 at the new Pines Course at The International in Bolton.
Many of the greens are also sloped from front-to-back, rather than the more typical back-to-front arrangement, which will entice players to bounce approach shots into a variety of hole locations.
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The playing corridors are quite big, as the course features some 55 acres of fairways for more of a “links” style of golfing — even with a plethora of trees. The holes are frequently framed by pitch pines, a species that thrives in the sandy pockets of soil sporadically found across the East Coast.
“We’re very, very proud to be associated with this,” Crenshaw said. “The International is a great place and we’re happy to be here. … (It has a) touch of old school.”
The par-3 16th hole at the new Pines course at The International in Bolton.
Drawing inspiration from the club’s 660-acre property, Coore and Crenshaw also incorporated the surrounding landscape into their vision for The Pines by using indigenous materials to create distinctive features. The dramatic “Quarry” around Holes 2, 3 and 13 is a prime example.
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Oh, and watch out for the “Wizard Tree” behind the 15th green and the eight-foot greenside bunker on the 16th, a 135-yard par 3.
“They nailed it. They 100 percent nailed it,” said general manager Michael Galvin. “It already feels like The Pines has been here for 25 years.”
Formerly known as the longest course in America, The Pines now finds itself in the conversation of being one of the top new courses in New England.
“There’s a lot of people that are really, really excited with everything that is to come,” Galvin said.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Check out the new Pines course at The International in Bolton
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