Palmer Interior

Dream Houses

There are slightly fewer than 2,500 hotel rooms in the Sandhills area ranging from the original lodging establishment that opened in 1895 to more recent facilities with brand names like Marriott and Hilton. All perform exactly as ordered – offering a comfortable bed and all the accouterments for golfers hopping from one world-renowned course to the next.

Gessner Pace Golf Course Image

Walk It Off

During the USGA’s initiative in the early 2000s to promote walking, he took the lead within the club to develop a policy to encourage members to walk. “We developed a policy that said we think walking is a part of the game and should be allowed,” Ellis says. “You can really enjoy the game walking.

2024 US Open Winner with trophy

The Shot

Payne Stewart in 1999 needs a par to hold off playing partner Phil Mickelson, but his tee shot on the uphill, par-4 finishing hole misses the fairway to the right. He’s in five inches of suffocating rough, the grass wet on a cool, misty day. He punches out, has 78 yards to the hole, hits a three-quarter sand wedge to 18 feet short of the back-right hole location.