Golf Blog

Rebirth at Woodlake
A.B. Hardee was going to bring the ocean to the Sandhills. He was going to build a lake and a dam and install a wave-making machine on some swampy property in northeast Moore County. You could ride the waves on the lake, then play an Ellis Maples golf course around the lake.
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Pinehurst No. 2 Continues to Lead the Way in 2024
Pinehurst No. 2 has once again secured the top spot as the best golf course in the state as determined by the North Carolina Golf Panel. Pinehurst Resort will host the 2024 U.S. Open at the venerable Donald Ross course for the fourth time, June 13-16.
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Sandhills Pours Double Dose
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The Dynamic Decade
The last decade has seen an explosion in innovation in the golf and hospitality worlds. By June 2024, the Sandhills will have seen the launch and evolution of these top 10 stories for the last 10 years...
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A Dozen Master Strokes
No doubt the 20-footer Payne Stewart drained on the last shot of the 1999 U.S. Open is the most famous shot in a century and a quarter of golf in the Sandhills. But there have plenty more watershed wins, among them these dandy dozen...
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Hall of Fame Take Two
This new, six-acre Golf House Pinehurst complex, just steps away from the opening tee shot on Pinehurst No. 2, features the USGA Experience Building and World Golf Hall of Fame.
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Sandhills Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame arrives this spring. There is no Sandhills Golf Hall of Fame. But what if there were? Who might comprise the inaugural class of honorees? A dozen of must-haves could be found here:
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Payne at 25
To the left of the putting green on Pinehurst No. 2’s 18th hole stands a bronze statue of Payne Stewart. The champion of the 1999 U.S. Open, the first ever held at Pinehurst, was captured by sculptor Zenos Frudakis in the pose he struck after sinking the winning putt to edge Phil Mickelson.
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A U.S. Open Year
The Pinehurst elixir is two-fold. The village and club offer a blend of history and aesthetics and devotion to the game of golf that set a perfect table for such a competitive feast.
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Golfers Gift Guide
The American national championship is the big story in 2024, so of course the pro shop at Pinehurst is stocked with merchandise adorned by the Open logo.
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Pinehurst Holiday
On December 25th, there was Santa Claus. On the 27th, there was Donald Ross.
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A “New” Pinehurst Welcomes the World in 2024
Even if you’ve made a recent visit to the Sandhills region of North Carolina — the “Home of American Golf,” Pinehurst, along with the bourgeoning Southern Pines and Aberdeen areas — you will quickly discover that Pinehurst ‘24 is a decidedly different destination
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An Artist in the Dirt
Tom Fazio was working at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, in the mid-1970s on some course renovations leading up to the 1979 U.S. Open when he noticed an ambitious and talented member of the course maintenance staff named Mike Strantz. “Mike developed a close friendship with Andy Banfield of our staff,” Fazio remembers. “He was a talented artist and drew sketches of golf holes. He showed a real desire to get into golf course design. He liked us and we liked him. After the Inverness project was finished, we offered him a job working for us.”
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Act Two for Tot Hill Farm
If Mike Strantz hadn’t died from tongue cancer in 2005 at the young age of 50, would he ever have made it to Pinehurst proper to design a golf course? We’ll never know, of course, but at least 25 percent of his remarkable but all too limited design portfolio was built within 45 miles of the Village of Pinehurst. Twenty-five miles to the northeast is Tobacco Road in Sanford, which opened in 1998 with craggy edges, blind shots and dramatic ups and downs whittled from the site of an old sand quarry.
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Loving Our Black & Whites
A vintage photograph showing Pinehurst owner Richard Tufts seated on a bench beside architect Donald Ross taken in the 1940s had long captured Tom Pashley’s fancy. Here was Tufts, third generation of the Pinehurst founding family and a giant in American golf administration circles in the mid-1900s, alongside Ross, the native Scotsman and architect of four golf courses at Pinehurst by 1919 and nearly 400 nationwide through his death in 1948.
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Pinehurst Major-itis
The eight trophies sit in a glass display case at the east end of Heritage Hall in the Pinehurst Resort Clubhouse. To one side is the outside veranda and then the 18th green of Pinehurst No. 2, to the other a 100-foot hallway lined with photographs, memorabilia and shadow boxes telling the history of 125 years of golf at Pinehurst.
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When They Were Young
Ben Hogan was a 30-year-old journeyman when the PGA Tour came to Pinehurst in March 1940. Hogan had been playing for eight years and didn’t have a win to show for it. He was out of money — and confidence. If he didn’t crack the winner’s circle that year, he was going to go back home to Fort Worth, Texas, and work full-time as a club pro.
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Sleepy Summers No More
“It was sleepy during the summer for sure,” says Peggy Bell Miller, daughter of Warren and Peggy Kirk Bell. “All the staff went to Myrtle Beach. There was no business during the summer.” But, that has all changed...
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Kid You Not
Dan Van Horn was an engineer living in Atlanta and raising a family of three in the mid-1990s when it struck him how well the baseball equipment industry addressed the youth market and how poorly the golf industry was positioned for its junior players. “You could buy a lightweight bat that felt great in a kid’s hands, but golf clubs were just crude, sawed-off clubs that were still too heavy and had shafts too stiff for a kid’s strength,” he says. “My kids weren’t having any fun with golf.”
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Rock the Village
Pinehurst Business Partners, in collaboration with the Village of Pinehurst and the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, is thrilled to announce Rock the Village, an extraordinary art installation project designed to captivate visitors during the highly anticipated 2024 U.S. Open. Rock the Village will showcase the exceptional talents of local artists as they transform rocking chairs into magnificent works of art. These one-of-a-kind chairs, painted with creativity and passion, will be prominently displayed throughout the Village center, offering a delightful and immersive experience for residents and visitors alike.
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1999 U.S. Open: A Look Back
A U.S. Open at Pinehurst seems old hat now. In about a year, the esteemed No. 2 course will be the venue for its fourth rendition of America’s national championship, following 1999 (won by Payne Stewart), 2005 (Michael Campbell) and 2014 (Martin Kaymer). And after the 2024 competition, there are four more on the docket through 2047 as the USGA has tabbed Pinehurst No. 2 as an “anchor site” for the Open.
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2024 U.S. Open: A Look Ahead
The Village of Pinehurst, the broader Sandhills community and the revered No. 2 course are officially in countdown mode as the calendar swings to one year out from the 2024 U.S. Open.      Where did 10 years go so quickly since June 2014, the last time the USGA brought its marquee event to the sandy loam and turtleback greens of Pinehurst No. 2? “It’s exciting and energizing when you think that it’s actually here,” John Jeffreys, course superintendent of Pinehurst No. 2, says of the transition from Los Angeles Country Club on Father’s Day 2023 to the 2024 competition to Pinehurst.
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X Marks the 10-Spot
The Pinehurst Resort wanted to open its 10th course around the time Donald Ross’s masterpiece No. 2 hosts its fourth U.S. Open in June 2024. Tom Pashley, the resort’s president, contacted Doak in mid-2022, and if that Open were a year later Doak most likely would have passed.
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Pinehurst No. 2 Still Ranked Best Course in NC
Pinehurst No. 2 has once again secured the top spot as the best golf course in the state as determined by the North Carolina Golf Panel. Pinehurst Resort will host the 2024 U.S. Open at the venerable Donald Ross course for the fourth time, June 13-16, 2024.
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Golf Pride Retail Lab a must-see experience for your Pinehurst itinerary
That connection is a recurring theme around Golf Pride’s 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Global Innovation Center and headquarters, which debuted in 2019 near the entrance of Pinehurst Resort’s No. 8 course.
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A Few of Our Favorite (Golfing) Things
As we like to say around the Home of American Golf, “When the dogleg bites, when the bogey stings, when we’re feeling sad, we simply remember our favorite things, and then we don’t feel so bad.” With apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein, there really are an embarrassment of riches in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, particularly when it comes to golf and the associated activities and amenities. Around the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area, these are a few of our favorite things
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Southern Pines Golf Club Recognized
Southern Pines Golf Club, an original Donald Ross designed golf course built in 1906, has been recognized by raters from Golf Digest as one of the best renovation projects for 2022.
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Pinehurst Resort Announces New Course to be Designed by Tom Doak
Pinehurst Resort has announced that it will be creating a brand-new golf courses for the first time in 28 years. Pinehurst No. 10 is set to open in 2024 and will be designed by acclaimed golf course architect Tom Doak. Aside from the golf course, the site in Aberdeen will include a short course, clubhouse, guest cottages and other lodging. “Tom Doak builds incredible golf courses on sand and we’re excited to see what he’ll create in the North Carolina Sandhills,” says Pinehurst Resort President Tom Pashley. “We’ve worked with some amazing golf architects who’ve embraced our natural aesthetic and believe Tom will do something fantastic on this site.”
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Coore & Crenshaw Roots Run Deep
Golf architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw each have a significant tie to the Sandhills and Pinehurst No. 2 from their respective early days in golf. Coore was born in 1946 and grew up in nearby Davidson County. As a boy, he made frequent trips with adult golf friends and boys his own age to Pinehurst to play limitless summertime golf on No. 2, this before the advent of air conditioning and Pinehurst becoming a year-round resort
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The Hanse Touch
Gil Hanse launched his golf design firm in 1993 and for nearly two decades carved a niche doing restoration work on classic courses across the United States, among them Merion, Winged Foot, Fishers Island, The Country Club, Los Angeles Country Club, Oakland Hills and Baltusrol.
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Jones Family Imprint
Jones Family Imprint Across The Sandhills of North Carolina with favorite courses such as Pinehurst No. 7 and CCNC's Cardinal Course.
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The Big Three
It made for a great story in the heady days of the late-1980s golf boom: Arnie and Jack battling it out once again, staking their immense abilities and reputations face-to-face as they’d done so many times at places like Augusta and Pebble Beach and Oakmont. Only this battle wasn’t with their drivers and putters and steely determination to hole 12-footers for birdie. This was about golf-course design.
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Pinehurst Area Buzzing with 2023 Excitement
Headed into 2023, there’s a palpable buzz pulsing throughout North Carolina’s Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area — or as it is more globally recognized, the “Home of American Golf.”Golf around Pinehurst boasts a storied legacy unlike any other place in the country, offering a variety of memorable sporting experiences on layouts created by the most renowned names in the game including Donald Ross, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, Gil Hanse, Dan Maples and many others. With nearly 40 golf courses in the Tar Heel State’s Sandhills region, all concentrated within a 15-mile radius of each other, there are a host of memories to be made. In addition to North Carolina’s best collection of golf courses, the area also serves up world-class dining and shopping, outdoor adventures, equestrian facilities and more.
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Maples Roots Run Deep in Sandhills Golf Design
“For me, Pinehurst is such a special place for golf,” says Fazio, who at 77 is still designing new courses and working on renovations of his earlier works. “Put Donald Ross in the equation and it’s even more special. It’s been an historical destination for over a century. There’s a special feeling — a feeling for golf and its tradition and history and longevity.”
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“For me, Pinehurst is such a special place for golf!”- Tom Fazio
“For me, Pinehurst is such a special place for golf,” says Fazio, who at 77 is still designing new courses and working on renovations of his earlier works. “Put Donald Ross in the equation and it’s even more special. It’s been an historical destination for over a century. There’s a special feeling — a feeling for golf and its tradition and history and longevity.”
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Talamore Resort Debuts New Toptracer Range
Autumn around the Village of Pinehurst area is the most popular time of year for a golf vacation. This fall, guests at Talamore Golf Resort in the “Home of American Golf” will be able to enjoy the resort’s new Toptracer Range. The Toptrcaer technology uses high-speed cameras, coupled with sophisticated computer algorithms, to provide instantaneous ball tracking information to guests using the range featured 10 hitting bays.
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What Goes Around…
The World Golf Fame will move back to Pinehurst and be located on the second floor of the new Golf House Pinehurst facility the USGA is building on land adjacent to the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club golf clubhouse.
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Fall into Pinehurst Golf
Fall around the Home of American Golf may be the most enticing season of all, when there’s a nip in the air on the first tee and you’re out of your pullover by the turn.
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Pinehurst No. 2
No Resting on Laurels Around the Home of American Golf
Calling these “the best of times” around the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area of North Carolina might seem like it’s saying a lot, but sometimes the shoe simply fits. Just take a look at everything that is currently happening around the Home of American Golf.
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Donald Ross
Donald Ross Could Golf His Ball
Anyone who has ever teed it up in the Pinehurst area knows the name Donald Ross. A transplanted Scot, Donald Ross fused his home course knowledge (Royal Dornoch and its elevated, contoured greens) and his study at St. Andrews (strategic options) to become the most honored and most prolific early American architect. Between 1919 and 1926, six U.S. Opens were played on his designs. Pinehurst No. 2 was his masterpiece, but Seminole, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill and Inverness weren’t far behind. In the Sandhills alone, he crafted Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines, among others. Less known about Donald Ross? He could really play.
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St. Andrews Clubhouse
From Cradle to Cradle
Nothing in 30 years has changed my early opinions: Pinehurst is the spiritual home of golf in the United States and St. Andrews the spiritual home of golf in Scotland — and for the rest of the world. There are no two places on earth where the senses are so saturated by golf. For all the traits they share, Pinehurst and its surrounding communities and St. Andrews with its web of proximate villages could be considered first cousins, perhaps even siblings. Yet their differences highlight how special and unique each destination is.
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Waltzing on the Danube with Peggy Kirk Bell
Twenty-five years ago, I drew one of those assignments that happen in life — to the fortunate few. As a senior editor at LINKS magazine, I signed on to document the first golf cruise put on by Kalos Tours, a respected travel outfit from Chapel Hill, N.C.  On the docket were easing down the Danube on the River Cloud, a modern equivalent of a 1930s-style private yacht, embarking for sightseeing excursions in Hungary, Austria and Germany and occasionally breaking up the days with golf rounds in each country.  Ain’t no bad in that lineup, as my mother-in-law used to say. Little did I know that the highlight of the trip would be the irrepressible joy that radiated from our “celebrity” host, Peggy Kirk Bell.
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Grande Dame of Women’s Golf
Peggy Kirk Bell’s influence around the Sandhills, and on the game of golf, will be on full display during the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles.
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Pine Needles Goes Back in Time
Following a restoration that took it back to its original Donald Ross design, Pine Needles will look and play much different than it did during its last U.S. Women’s Open in 2007.
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The New Course at Talamore
Talamore Doing More for 2022
The popular resort in the Home of American Golf has numerous enhancements and new amenities arriving soon, including a Toptracer Range, cutting-edge EcoBunkers and a 15,000-square foot putting course.
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Foxfire Red Fox Course
Undiscovered Pinehurst
The history of golf in the Sandhills of North Carolina practically writes itself. National championships, titans of the game, legendary architects and award-winning golf course designs, all have their place in Pinehurst and the surrounding Southern Pines and Aberdeen area.
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Talamore and Mid South: History of Their Own
Tucked between the century-plus traditions of Pinehurst three miles to the west and Mid Pines one mile to the east, two 1990s era courses have established golfing bona fides of their own.
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Dormie Club’s New Era
Bill Coore remembers walking the property of what would become Dormie Club around 2006 before engineers had delineated any wetlands on the land northwest of the Village of Pinehurst.
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Tobacco Road Golf Club - Sunset
Nature’s Canvas: Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road is one of the Home of American Golf area’s most distinctive golf courses. It’s appropriate then that the club has one of the most cutting-edge social media presences.
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Tobacco Road Golf Club - Fairway
Remarkable Golf Stays in The Pinehurst Area
While the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area of North Carolina boasts some of the best golf courses in the country, the variety of living quarters to enjoy during your stay is just as numerous.
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Pinehurst No. 2, Hole 18
2004 Ryder Cup That Wasn’t
With the 2023 Ryder Cup on tap for later in September in Italy, it’s fun and perhaps a bit revealing to hark back to Pinehurst’s two Ryder Cups — the one in 1951 that did happen as everyone knows about and the one in 2004 that did not happen that hardly anyone knows about.
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Pinehurst No. 2, Hole 18
No. 2 Celebrates 10 Years
Ripping out grass on a U.S. Open golf course was, indeed, an extremist move. But Pinehurst owner Robert Dedman Jr., CEO Don Padgett II, and architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were willing 11 years ago to roll the dice on Pinehurst No. 2, the site of multiple major championships throughout more than a century.
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Pinehurst’s Ryder Cup 1951
The PGA of America brought the 1951 Ryder Cup to Pinehurst No. 2 for the ninth rendition of the event launched in 1927 and originally sponsored by English seed merchant and entrepreneur Samuel Ryder.
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Southern Pines Golf Club Flagstick
Fall Renewal in the Sandhills
This fall, there is a sense of rebirth around the Home of American Golf.
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Lee Pace Tom Pashley Pinehurst No. 4
Sandhills Embraces Walking Culture
For those who prefer to sling a bag over their shoulders, push a trolley or hire a caddie, the pendulum is swinging back in the early 2020s, both in how the game is played and how courses are designed and maintained. Courses that two decades ago required golfers to ride a cart are leaving transportation to choice.
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Episode 2: Golf Tips with Nick Bradley
In this golf tip, Nick talks about a simple 100-110 yard wedge shot that at times may not be so simple. Maybe it is a well protected green with bunkers where the ball must fly over them to reach the green. The key here is your finish.
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Episode 1: Golf Tips with Nick Bradley
In an exclusive series with the Home of American Golf, world-renowned golf instructor Nick Bradley provides valuable golf tips for you to improve your enjoyment of the game. 
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Mason's Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuit
Hunger Games – Sandhills Golfers Dining Guide
Memorable rounds at the Home of American Golf are fueled by great eats at breakfast, lunch, and dinner with dining and libations as varied and impressive as the area’s storied courses. Planning for early morning coffee, a hearty breakfast, post-round libations, or a celebratory dinner after solving 18 difficult problems, is as easy as a two-foot gimmie here. The only possibility for bogie is not taking full advantage of the area’s unique offerings and hidden gems.
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Tobacco Road 15th Green
“Bermuda Revolution” Around Sandhills Leads to Ideal Year-Round Golf
Many Sandhills area golf courses have converted their green complexes from bent grass to Bermuda over the past decade, creating greens that are perfect for putting.
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Top 10 Places for a #Sandhills Selfie
Boasting an abundance of picturesque spaces and memorable places, Moore County — including the Southern Pines, Pinehurst, and Aberdeen communities — serves up plenty of opportunities for a #SandhillsSelfie. In 1996, Pinehurst was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior, a designation that includes the entire historic district of the Village of Pinehurst, including the country club and five golf courses. Perfectly complementing our centerpiece are countless other special sights stretched far and wide throughout the North Carolina Sandhills.
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SP Golf Club Hole 18
Franz Part 3: On Sandhills Topography
In part 3 of a multi-part Q&A series with golf writer Brad King, Kyle Franz discusses the unique topography around the Sandhills and what it was like working at Southern Pines Golf Club during one of the coldest and wettest Februarys in recent memory.
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Bird's eye view of Village of Pinehurst
First Timer’s Guide to Pinehurst
Welcome to the Home of American Golf! The Sandhills of North Carolina are anchored by the towns of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen. Although most visitors come here to play 18 holes, and there is no doubt that golf (and Donald Ross) squarely put this region on the map, there is so much more to do in the area than hitting the links.
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Franz Part 2: The Legacy Continues
In part 2 of a multi-part Q&A series with golf writer Brad King, Kyle Franz discusses the various eras of Ross’s design work around the Sandhills and how Ross’s golf course design work compares to the artistic musical genius of The Beatles.
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Bottlebrush: Pinehurst Area’s Best Kept Secret
Bottlebrush, a six-hole par three course at Longleaf Golf & Family Club, is perhaps the best kept secret for golf in the Sandhills of North Carolina.
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Kyle Franz
Franz Creating Legacy on the Links
With his ongoing improvement project at Southern Pines Golf Club, architect Kyle Franz is coming full circle renovating a variety of Donald Ross-designed golf courses in North Carolina’s Sandhills region.
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Finn Scooters at Pine Needles
Spring Primer: Local Knowledge from the Home of American Golf
The Home of American Golf stands more than ready to shine this spring, and when planning your spring visit to the Pinehurst area, this important local knowledge might make your trip even more memorable.
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Midland Road: The “Fifth Avenue of Golf”
Offering groundbreaking golf designs and insight into the history of the game, including U.S. Opens and Ryder Cups, Midland Road has rightfully earned its nickname: The “Fifth Avenue of Golf”
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18 Holes of Local Knowledge for the Sandhills Golfer
Navigating the “Home of American Golf” can be an enjoyable pastime for those who love the game. Allow us to make your life a little easier — and your trip a bit more enjoyable — with some insider tips. Your first round is on us.
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CCNC Dogwood
Donald Ross First of Many Architects to Design U.S. Open-Quality Courses in Sandhills
As the “Home of American Golf,” the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area has long held close ties with the U.S. Open. This is the final of a three-part series detailing some of our area’s connection with one of golf’s most storied events.
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Mid South Clubhouse
Former U.S. Open Champions Provide Pinehurst Area Some of Its Finest Designs
In and around the North Carolina Sandhills, some of the finest golf course design creativity by a trio of legendary former U.S. Open champions — Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player — is on full display.
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Home of American Golf and U.S. Open Connections
As the “Home of American Golf,” the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area has long held close ties with the U.S. Open. This is the first of a three-part series detailing some of our area’s connection with one of golf’s most storied events. 
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Carolinas Golf Association Hall of History
The Home of American Golf Is filled with so much history, that’s why any visit to the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area must include a tour of the Carolinas Golf Association Hall of History.
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Tobacco Road: A Truly Unique Golf Adventure
Any golf excursion to the Home of American Golf usually includes the obvious choices – Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst No. 4, Pine Needles, Mid Pines, and perhaps Mid South and Talamore. For the record, there are nearly 40 golf courses in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area, and you really can’t go wrong teeing it up at any of them!
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The Drum & Quill in Pinehurst, NC
Our Favorite 19th Holes in the Home of American Golf
Among the things that we particularly enjoy around the Sandhills are a round of golf followed by an ice-cold brew. We thought this would be the perfect time to celebrate some of the area’s most enticing spots to bend your elbow and enjoy our friendly cheer across the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area of North Carolina.
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Insider Golf Tips
From the latest golf tip videos from some of the area’s best pros, to some insider scoop on what’s happening at the area’s courses, check out the latest below as you plan your getaway to The Home of American Golf.
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