Village People
By Lee Pace
Noted golf writer, author and blogger Geoff Shackelford had not been to Pinehurst in the decade since the 2014 U.S. Open was held on No. 2.
Fresh in his mind the third week of June in arriving in the Sandhills was the memory of the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews, one of the most unique major championship venues because literally across the street from the 18th fairway is a hotel, pub, retail store and private residences.
“One real bummer of the last U.S. Open at Pinehurst was a sense that the Village was not as much a part of the week as it should have been,” says Shackelford, whose “Quadrilateral” blog focuses on golf’s four major championships. “This time it felt different, and while it’ll never have the connection St. Andrews does with the Old Course because of simple tournament security and logistics, the effort made was noticeable. Wednesday night’s concert made for an ideal kick-off and really captured the essence of why people love Pinehurst. Like at St Andrews, I had many heartening random chats with fellow golf fans of all ages just enjoying the beauty of the Village and the excitement surrounding the championship.
“And as someone who has not been there since 2014, all I can say is, ‘Wow.’ The Village looked incredible. So many shops, places to hang out and so much character. I can’t wait to come back.”
It’s a half-mile walk north from the golf clubhouse at Pinehurst to the stake James Walker Tufts in 1895 hammered into the sandy loam at the top of what would become the Village Green. Meanwhile, the main entrance to the Open championship because of bus access and egress is positioned on the south side of the resort complex.
“People had a nice time and there was a lot of happiness in the street,” adds Andy Hofmann, whose family owns the Pine Crest.
Pinehurst’s newest friend and ally is the United States Golf Association, which was founded the same year Pinehurst was created and on Father’s Day 2024 wrapped up its 1,000th championship. That such a significant round number could fall by pure happenstance in Pinehurst certainly means there are bigger forces at play here — particularly with the USGA just christening its Golf House Pinehurst venue.
“You hear the bells, and you know you’re in Pinehurst,” says Ben Crenshaw, who with partner Bill Coore orchestrated the watershed restoration of No. 2 a dozen years earlier. “It’s yet another little connection to the past, another little statement that this is no ordinary place in golf.”
Images Courtesy USGA
Chapel Hill-based writer Lee Pace has written about golf in the Sandhills since the late 1980s and has authored a dozen books about clubs, courses and the people who’d made it special over more than a century.
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Pine Crest Inn50 Dogwood Road
PO Box 879, NC 28374
Old Sport & GalleryThe Harvard Building
95 Market Square Pinehurst, NC 28374