Pilgrimage to the Home of American Golf

The Pinehurst, Southern Pines & Aberdeen area in North Carolina boasts a storied golf legacy unlike any other place in the country

By Brad King

For those who love the game of golf, one bucket-list item is surely a pilgrimage to the “Home of American Golf.” For more than a century, the North Carolina Sandhills region — Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen and other quaint, surrounding communities — has delivered not only some of the country’s best golf, but also world-class dining, shopping, entertainment and more.

The destination offers almost 40 golf courses within a 15-mile radius. The most storied of these, Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 Course is currently prepping for the 2024 U.S. Open Championship — the fourth U.S. Open and 11th USGA championship contested at the famed Resort which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year along with the Village of Pinehurst.

And it was recently announced that the USGA would establish “Golf House Pinehurst” — which will include, by 2023, a new equipment-testing facility, innovation hub, and a museum and visitor center. The $25–million investment includes the construction of a pair of buildings that will house 50 full-time USGA staff members near the clubhouse on the historic Pinehurst Resort property.

Most exciting for golf fans, the USGA also announced four additional U.S. Open Championships to be contested on Pinehurst No. 2 – in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 – joining the previously scheduled 2024 national championship.

The historic news means Pinehurst and the Sandhills of North Carolina will serve as the USGA’s first anchor site for the U.S. Open. “There is no better place for the USGA to plant new roots than the Home of American Golf,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis.

During the summer of 2019, more history was made when No. 2 and Pinehurst No. 4 — recently redesigned by architect Gil Hanse (who is also remodeling Oakland Hills) — served as the site of the 36-hole match-play final of the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship. And, for some of the most casual fun you will enjoy on a golf course, be sure to visit The Cradle, a 789-yard, nine-hole short course just steps outside the resort.

One of Donald Ross’s most praiseworthy creations, Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club is slated to play host to its fourth U.S. Women’s Open Championship in 2022. Architect Kyle Franz renovated Pine Needles and he also impeccably restored another Ross gem Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club.

Outside of Pinehurst No. 2, Southern Pines Golf Club is probably the most shining example of the Ross design philosophy. Now, Southern Pines has joined the Pine Needles and Mid Pines family of clubs.

The Cradle at Pinehurst

As for other partner properties, The New Course at Talamore was tabbed the area’s “Course of the Year” in 2018. This came after a major green complex restoration and the addition of signature sodwall bunkers was performed on the Rees Jones design. A year later, the King’s Course at Mid South — the area’s only Arnold Palmer Signature course — underwent a similar restoration and greens conversion, along with other club enhancements.

A must-play for many, Tobacco Road is a course of such uncommon beauty that it thrills and captivates the imagination with its creativity. Carving his way through an old sand quarry, the late architect, Mike Strantz, created one of the most celebrated and talked–about courses in the world.

Throughout the Sandhills, there are plenty more outstanding, if lesser known, public layouts like Longleaf Golf & Family Club, site of the U.S. Kids Golf Academy and one of the many courses that hosts the annual U.S Kids World & Teen Championships. Meanwhile, Legacy Golf Links is only one of four area clubs to have hosted a USGA championship, and the Jack Nicklaus II design’s finishing hole is a real “Bear.”

There are also several highly regarded private courses that are worth a little extra effort. Ask your travel consultant about the Country Club of North Carolina, Forest Creek Golf Club and the area’s newest, Dormie Club, which will debut a new clubhouse and on-site accommodations in 2021.