By: Brad King
While savoring its rich history, the Home of American Golf also eagerly anticipates its championship future.
The Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen region’s excitement boils down to two words: championship golf. Next up is the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Championship at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines from June 2-5, 2022. This will be the fourth Women’s Open at Pine Needles, where Annika Sorenstam (1996), Karrie Webb (2001) and Cristie Kerr (2007) notched previous titles.
In addition, the Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC) recently played host to the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur. It was the third USGA event contested at CCNC since the club’s debut in 1963.
Meanwhile, the USGA is busy constructing a second home at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club called “Golf House Pinehurst,” which will eventually be the site of the USGA’s equipment research and testing center, turfgrass agronomy and management offices, along with a museum and welcome center. The resort’s crown jewel, Pinehurst No. 2, was awarded the USGA’s first U.S Open anchor site, with five championships scheduled from 2024 through 2047. For the second time in 2029, No. 2 will host both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Opens in back-to-back weeks.
Other exciting news includes construction of The Lodge at Pinehurst hotel, a 64,000-square-foot, 34-room hotel on Pinehurst Resort’s campus that will overlook The Cradle Short Course. Plans for the hotel include meeting spaces, locker rooms, a fitness center and a bar.
The Cradle has been an overwhelming smash hit with all golfers, particularly with the millennial crowd. Golfers can pay $50 and play as many holes as they like on the Gil Hanse-designed, par-3 layout. The Cradle is now a “must play” — 789 yards of the most fun you’ll enjoy on a golf course.
The Resort recently acquired one of the Village of Pinehurst’s most iconic hotels, The Magnolia Inn, along with Villaggio Ristorante & Bar. The Magnolia has served as the gateway to the Village since it opened in 1896, less than a year after Pinehurst was founded.
Of course, there is plenty of additional golf buzz around the famed Sandhills, including a rousing renovation of Southern Pines Golf Club, a vintage Donald Ross-designed course dating to the early 1900s that is now under management of the company that owns and operates Pine Needles and Mid Pines.
Architect Kyle Franz says the Southern Pines GC project evoked the essence of a Ross original, staying true to the well-preserved routing while removing elements that have been added through the years. More than 700 trees were removed, accentuating dramatic vistas throughout the property. The Ross greens have been revamped and the bunkers restored. Franz also uncovered Ross’s “Lost Hole” — which is not part of the current routing — while researching historic materials prior to the restoration.
Other major renovation work has been done on area courses recently including Hanse’s facelift of Pinehurst No. 4, along with The New Course at Talamore Golf Resort, a popular Rees Jones original, and the neighboring Mid South Club, designed by Arnold Palmer.
At the now private Dormie Club, there’s a new, spacious and stylish 16,000-square-foot clubhouse, along with 15 cottages and a standalone pro shop among numerous other upgrades at the only original Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design in North Carolina.
The Home of American Golf remains proud of its past — and equally excited about its future. For the latest news about nearly 40 area courses and package information, please visit www.HomeofGolf.com.
