Pinehurst and Southern Pines, NC

While savoring its rich history, the Home of American Golf also looks forward to 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. CCNC also became the 16th site to have hosted both the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Meanwhile, the USGA is busy planning 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, as well as 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.

Other exciting news includes construction of The Lodge at Pinehurst hotel, a 64,000-squarefoot, 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, but with the millennial crowd in particular. Golfers can plunk down $50 and play as many holes as they like on the 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, and 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. It is the secondoldest hotel in the Village behind the Holly Inn, which opened its doors on New Year’s Eve in 1895.

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 golf course project evokes 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 architect Gil 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-squarefoot clubhouse, along with 15 cottages and a standalone pro shop among numerous other upgrades. The only original Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design in North Carolina, Dormie Club is the sister course to another CooreCrenshaw gem in the Dormie Network, Hidden Creek Golf Club outside Atlantic City, N.J. The Home of American Golf remains proud of its past — and equally excited for its future. For the latest news about nearly 40 area courses and package information, please visit www.HomeofGolf.com.