Pinehurst – It has been just over a year since the U.S. Golf Association opened Golf House Pinehurst.
The facility is a complimentary location to their New Jersey headquarters that features administrative offices just steps away from the historic Pinehurst Country Club in Moore County. At the same location, the USGA relocated the Wolf Golf Hall of Fame from St. Augustine, Fla., to Pinehurst.
At its former location inside World Golf Village, there were two golf courses. Slammer & Squire and King & Bear – taking their names from Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, respectively – remain open at the hall of fame’s previous Florida location.
The new location in Pinehurst features the USGA’s equipment-testing and research facility, a visitor-friendly USGA experiences, an outdoor educational landscape feature, administrative offices and the Wold Golf Hall of Fame.
They held a grand opening ceremony on May 10, 2024, on the grounds of their new campus.
Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, said at the grand opening, “When I joined the USGA, I shared with our internal teammates that while the USGA will always celebrate history, we’re not going to be afraid to make some. Today is proof positive that we’re just getting started.
“In four years, we’ve gone from vision to reality, and achieving this important milestone is the action of more than a visitor, but a neighbor. Together we’re going to do great things for the good of the game that will love on for another 20, 50 years and beyond.”
On the USGA campus in Pinehurst, they have the USGA Experience. It is an immersive view of golf and the USGA’s work to unify, showcase, govern and advance the game of golf. The Science of Golf & Championship galleries feature interactive multimedia displays that incorporate augmented reality, interactive touch screen, sculptures and trophies.
They also have the special exhibitions at the USGA Golf Museum that highlight their deep collection of golf artifacts, which are the most comprehensive collection in the world.
The USGA is known for their regulation and conforming list that dictates what equipment professionals on tours can use. At their Pinehurst facility, they have the USGA Research & Test Center, which is the only one of its kind in North America dedicated to testing golf balls and clubs for conformance to the Rules of Golf.
One of the most important parts are the outdoors and the ecosystem of a golf course. The USGA has also dedicated space to sustainability and conservation.
In Pinehurst, they opened The Glade and The Grove. The Glade is the USGA’s outdoor learning landscape, which will help to elevate awareness of the USGA’s ongoing work to help make golf more sustainable, with native plants and pollinator habitats. The Grove is an area dedicated to the restoration of the longleaf pine forest native to the region through a unique partnership with N.C. State University.
USGA staffers based in Pinehurst total 70 full-time employees representing Championship Operations, Equipment Standards, Player Development and Green Section teams. It also includes some of golf’s foremost scientific and management experts.
Golf House Pinehurst came to be through a comprehensive economic development effort involving representatives from the N.C. General Assembly, Office of the Governor, N.C. Department of Commerce, Moore County, the Village of Pinehurst and economic development experts.
The land that the USGA’s Pinehurst campus is situated on was provided by Pinehurst Resort & Country Club for a 150-year term.
Independent studies estimate that the total economic impact of the USGA’s long-term presence in Pinehurst will likely exceed $2 billion to the state. This also factors in the USGA championships coming to Pinehurst as it is a designated anchor site.
The USGA has announced 12 championship at Pinehurst Resort, including the 2024 U.S. Open won by Bryson DeChambeau. Pinehurst will also host the back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open in 2029, which was also previously held at Pinehurst in 2014.
Details: Visit usga.org/content/usga/home-page/golf-house-pinehurst/visitor-information.html.