Pinehurst – The roots of golf run deep in North Carolina.
It all started with Pinehurst Country Club. But before there was a golf course on the now hollowed grounds, it was built as a resort in 1895.
Pine forest to Pinehurst
Philanthropist James Walker Tufts purchased 5,800 acres that would eventually become the Pinehurst resort in 1895. It was ravaged timberland in the Sandhills region of North Carolina near Fayetteville.
Tufts bought the land for about $1 an acre. It was once a pine forest that had been cut down for timber, creating a large supply of serpentine and building supplies. What was left was a large pasture, which is where Tufts saw potential.
From the beginning, Tufts wanted the property to be a place where middle-class Americans could come and enjoy a break from everyday life, but many local residents thought he was a fool. A lot of people in that time thought the pine in the air could help with those who had developed respiratory illnesses during the Industrial Revolution.
On Dec. 31, 1895, after a year of work, Tufts opened a general store, dairy farm, boarding house, more than 20 cottages and the Holly Inn, which is still there today. The lush open areas of the resort Tufts had built were used for riding, hunting, polo, lawn bowling, cycling and archery.
Tennis was also planned to be played on the lawns of the Holly Inn.
From grazing to golf
History has it that golf was introduced in the dairy cattle fields, where they would hit little white balls and disrupt the grazing herds of cattle. Three years after the resort opened in 1895, there was golf.
A nine-hole course was constructed in February 1898, with the clubhouse constructed a few months later. John Dunn Tucker, Pinehurst’s first golf professional, was hired in 1899
to build an addition nine holes. The 18-hole course would become Pinehurst No. 1, the state’s first full golf course.
In 1900, Tufts hired Donald J. Ross, a world-renowned golf course designer who designed or redesigned more than 400 courses in North America, as director of golf operations at Pinehurst.
In 1903, Pinehurst Golf Club was officially established. Ross’ first 18-hole design was Pinehurst No. 2, the host of this week’s U.S. Open Championship.
He also built Pinehurst No. 3 and No. 4.
Pinehurst No. 2 has hosted some of the best in golf, including Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead. Snead once said Pinehurst No. 2 is “my No. 1 course.”
Present-day Pinehurst Golf Club has 10 full-length courses, a nine-hole executive course and an 18-hole putting course.
Pinehurst Country Club has hosted many of golf’s major events, including three U.S. Opens, a Women’s U.S. Open, a PGA Championship, three U.S. Amateur Championships and the 1951 Ryder Cup. This week, they will host their fourth U.S. Open.
U.S. Open returns to N.C.
It has been 10 years since the U.S. Open has held their event at Pinehurst.
In 1999, Payne Stewart claimed his second U.S. Open championship when he drained a 15-foot putt to defeated Phil Mickelson by one stroke. A few months later, Stewart tragically passed away.
At the second U.S. Open held at Pinehurst, Michael Campbell won his lone major championship when he defeated Tiger Woods by two strokes. In 2014, Pinehurst hosted its third U.S. Open, which was won by Martin Kaymer. Kaymer dominated the field and won his second major championship by eight strokes.
Pinehurst is known for its challenging play and seems destined for another spectacular major championship this week. The U.S. Open is scheduled to return to Pinehurst four more time with the major championship coming in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047.