in the Heartland
The Heartland of North Carolina is the large part of sandy foothills located between the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the rich agricultural plain behind the seashore wetlands, which has become Home of America's golf.

- Pinehurst, home of America's golf
James Tufts is the man who is supposed to have discovered the Sandhills in the Heartland of North Carolina. In 1895,  drawn by ill health, he came from Boston to find "a better place to be"(which is till the State's slogan). He discovered and fall in love of these sandy soils under the pines which scented the air and provided their providential shade. Coming by full trains, New Englanders escaping the winter followed Tufts in his resort and some begin to play golf in the dairy fields of Tufts property. So he decided to built his own first nine holes. In 1898, the legendary Donald Ross arrived from Scotland and began his legacy as course architect by redesigning it and creating the famous Pinehurst #2 still ranked in the very short list of the most famous courses in the world.
Nowadays Pinehurst Resort counts eight courses but if, amateur, you have the privilege to play the famous #2 don't forget that Ross called it: "the fairest test of championship's golf I have ever designed". Players have to drive long and straight and hit long iron as well. But above all, they must have a "razor-sharp short game due to small greens that fall around the edge". In 1999, the average score for the four days of the US Open was 74,5 shots! So never complain for the "love grass" along the narrow fairways or the "unfriendly" greens. The "love grass" is the original rare grass of the Sandhills and the dome shaped greens (where even the greatest pros balls don't stick on it and roll down the slopes) are still how they where designed 100 years ago. And this is also why so many major competitions are played here. In 1999, the regretted Payne Steward rolled in an uphill 15-footer put on the 18th amidst the roar of thousands in the gallery. "It deserves another US Open because it is a golf that tests every single facet of your game," said Woods. The US Open comes back here in 2005.

The historic accommodations are still there. Entering the Village of Pinehurst onto Carolina Vista, there is at the end of the lane a large and impressive white building with a sort of south colonial architecture. It is the Carolina Hotel that dates back to 1901 with his lobby, hall of history lined with photos of Pinehurst through the years. Since its opening, the Carolina has set the standard for elegance. 210 cozy rooms and suites, elegant Dining Room for traditional cuisine, the historic Ryder Cup Lounge and its white rockers lining the wrap-around porch for after-golf beverages, snacks and stories. Pinehurst Resort encompasses also in the Village the Manor Inn with his Mullighan's Grill casual restaurant or the Holly Inn, first hotel opened in 1895 (but renovated in 1999). The Pine Crest Inn, once owned by Donald Ross, is today "the" place for a drink and a large Caesar salad is prepared at your table at the Magnolia Inn, an historic bed and breakfast that also serves lunch and dinner.
They have been completed in the course of years by a large range of accommodations around new golf courses: Golf Inns, Hotels & Motels, villas, homes and suites of all categories and prices has been built in the larger area: Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, which counts more than 40 courses designed by Ellis Maples, Dan Maples, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones... That entire gigantic complex became Home of America's Golf. And the area has been ranked by Golf Digest's low handicap readers as third world best golf destination after Monterey (California) and Saint-Andrews (Scotland). And the old Village of Pinehurst was designated a National Landmark in 1996 and is the only site in the country recognized for its significant role in US golf history.

The Pinehurst Putter Boy


Unfriendly greens
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The Carolina Hotel
The Ryder Cup Lounge
Pinehurst n°8

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