It seems fitting that The Resort at Pelican Hill, a world-class coastal resort in Orange County whose architecture was inspired by the 16th-century Italian Renaissance, is undergoing a renaissance of its own this year.

The 5-star, 5-Diamond luxury resort in Newport Coast is renovating and refreshing its guest villas and bungalows at the same time that its two award-winning, Tom Fazio-designed championship golf courses are being enhanced under the leadership of renowned golf architect Brian Curley.

“It’s all part of the overall renaissance of the resort — we’re calling it the renaissance of the hotel and the restoration of the golf courses,” said Robert Ford, general manager of golf operations at Pelican Hill GC.

Renovations on the Ocean South and Ocean North golf courses — the centerpieces of the estimated $1 billion resort owned and developed by The Irvine Company — began in November 2025, starting with the Ocean South course. Ford said Curley’s crew is proceeding with nine holes at a time, so that 27 holes can remain open at all times for the public and resort guests to play. 

Though work was occasionally delayed by winter rains, Ford said back-nine renovations to the South began in early March in early March, with a target date of mid-May for the South to reopen in its entirety, at which time work on the Ocean North will commence. “The goal is to have all 36 holes completed and open before Thanksgiving,” Ford said.

Pelican Hill GC received widespread critical acclaim and won numerous awards when the Ocean South opened in 1991, followed by the Ocean North in 1993. Both courses were lauded for Fazio’s strategic designs, pristine course conditions, panoramic Pacifi c Ocean views and year-round playability in a climate known for 300-plus days of annual sunshine.

Both courses on the 504-acre hillside property were shut down for 23 months between 2005 and 2007 for what resort management termed a “two-year re-perfection” by Fazio.

At that time, renovations included returfing fairways and tees with a hybrid Bermudagrass, converting rough to fescue and rye grasses, modifying/adding bunkers, installing a new irrigation system and building a new driving range while the clubhouse restaurant and new resort hotel and villas were being constructed. The courses reopened in November 2007, and the hotel opened in November 2008.

This is the first major refresh since then. The current project is focusing primarily on bunker restoration and realignment, tee expansion and leveling and improvement to the green surrounds, as well as projects to enhance the aesthetics of the spectacular coastal setting for which Pelican Hill is widely regarded.

HONORING THE PAST, SERVING THE FUTURE

As a member of Pelican Hill’s original leadership team, Ford remembers what the courses looked like in the early 1990s. He served as head golf professional in 1991 when the South opened before being promoted to director of golf in 1997. He left in 2005, then returned to Pelican Hill in 2017 as golf general manager. 

Ford said that with the help of vintage photos and a probe, the large, undulating Poa annua greens, which have shrunk over the past three decades, are being restored to their original shapes, and new turf on the green surrounds is also being replaced. All bunkers are being refreshed — taking some out, adding some and filling all of them with Augusta white sand. The tee boxes are being lasered and re-leveled, some are being expanded, and new forward junior tees are being added. New drop-area tee boxes also are being added. 

To improve aesthetics, Ford said a mile of cart paths are being repaired, the four course restrooms are being refurbished and some trees are being added to replace trees that fell victim to the winds or have died over the years, some in strategic areas of the courses.

“Nothing is going to change in the routing of the golf courses,” Ford emphasized. “They are still going to be Tom Fazio-designed golf courses; they are just being restored by Curley. We’re just doing little things to bring these courses into the 21st century. We’re not forgetting about the past — we’re going to honor that and the integrity of the Tom Fazio designs. We just needed to restore a lot of areas.”

Curley was chosen to lead the Pelican restoration project because of his relationship with Marriott International, which took over day-to-day management of the resort in July 2024. 

“Curley came out and did hole drawings of what he wants to see on all 36 holes — whether it’s eliminating this bunker, adding this bunker or creating a new tee box here, whatever it is,” Ford said. “He’ll make sure the tees are where they need to be, the bunkers are where they need to be.”

A Pete Dye protégé, Curley is a veteran course architect with more than 40 years of experience whose course portfolio includes 150 courses in 25 countries, including two Marriott golf properties: Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert and Desert Ridge in Phoenix.

“These are two fantastic, expertly designed golf courses that have aged gracefully,” Curley said of Pelican Hill’s centerpieces. “But as with any golf course, time and play take their toll. This renovation will refresh the features, address turf health impacted by maturing trees and ensure the best possible playing experience for years to come. It’s an honor to build upon Tom Fazio’s legacy and ensure Pelican Hill remains one of the most beautiful and enjoyable golf experiences anywhere.”

Ford was candid about the ultimate goal of the course restoration project.

“Our goal is to get these two golf courses back in the Top 100 public access (rankings). We’ve been out of that for a while, which is natural,” he said, noting it’s been more than 30 years since the courses were built, during which time many other top-tier courses have been restored, and many new ones have come on the scene.

The South is best known for a stretch of four holes (Nos. 6-10) that are as daunting as they are scenic, including the beastly, uphill 455-yard par-4 9th; stunning back-to-back par-3s along the ocean (Nos. 12-13) that are must-stop photo opportunities; and arguably the most challenging four finishing holes in Southern California, including No. 18, a diabolical, 442-yard, visually intimidating dogleg left par-4 from an elevated tee box that boasts panoramic views and requires a forced-carry tee shot over a massive canyon and a second shot over a deep grass valley to an elevated, steeply sloped green.

Highlight holes on the North include No. 2, a 197-yard downhill par-3 requiring a forced carry; No. 9, an intimidating, 423-yard par-4 that requires a downhill tee shot to a progressively narrowing fairway followed by a dramatically uphill second shot to a green with a false front; No. 17, the course’s signature 558-yard dogleg-right par-5, which plays uphill and mirrors the 17th on the South; and No. 18, a 430-yard par-4 with a narrow fairway that sets up a downhill approach shot over a canyon to an undulating green well-protected by bunkers front and right. 

When Curley’s restoration is complete, Pelican Hill GC hopes to return to the best-of rankings on a regular basis, honors that befit courses commanding greens fees in the $400 range for public play. Both courses have long been widely regarded as among the best — if not the top two — of more than 50 golf courses in Orange County.

When the hotel’s renaissance is complete, The Resort at Pelican Hill will be rebranded as a St. Regis property and in 2027 will officially debut as The Resort at Pelican Hill, St. Regis Estate.