In anticipation of the 2024 Men’s U. S. Opes to be played on the
venerable Pinehurst No. 2 course comes the release of the definitive history of
North Carolina Sandhills golf: The Legendary Evolution of Pinehurst, Home of
American Golf. Written by veteran golf course architect Richard
Mandell, it is a detailed account of the evolution of the golfing fields
of the Sandhills of North Carolina and how it mirrored the growth,
and directly affected, the game of golf in America a century ago
to today.
The Legendary Evolution of Pinehurst, Home of American
Golf has forty-five new pages with numerous updates, including
a brand new chapter chronicling the restorations of Pinehurst No.
2 and Mid Pines, the development of The Dormie Club and other
advances in the recent past. This is a must have for those who love
Pinehurst and the history of golf courses. In addition to the new
text are 112 never before seen new images as well as an introduction
from two-time Masters Champion, Ben Crenshaw. The Legendary Evolution of Pinehurst, Home of American Golf is the untold
story of one of the three most popular golfing destinations in the world. This 424
- page, four-color history is more than just a coffee table book. Few authors have
written books about Pinehurst. None of those writers has ever completed such a
detailed review of an iconic landmark of the game of golf in the United States.
The Legendary Evolution of Pinehurst, Home of American Golf reveals design,
construction, and maintenance trends throughout the history of golf development.
The book provides insight into the ingenuity and creativity of design and construction
techniques of the past and how they relate to decisions made today. Articles from
newspapers of the times will reveal the public’s exposure to trends of the design
industry whose details are not explored in most books written about golf architecture
today. Reprinted letters from the major players (Donald Ross, Albert Tillinghast, Tufts
family members, Herb Graffis, etc.) give the reader a “fly on the wall” understanding
of day to day operations and challenges.
The design evolution of Sandhills golf courses is documented from pre-design site
decisions to renovation projects throughout their history, to how these events have
defined each golf course as it lays today. The reader will hear directly from each
architect about design choices and challenges as well as construction tales which make
each golf course’s history different. Inside these pages is the story of The Pinehurst Resort, Pine Needles, Mid Pines Golf
Club, Southern Pines Country Club, The Country Club of North Carolina, Tobacco
Road, Dormie Club, and countless other courses of the Sandhills. Rare, never-beforeseen
photographs of the early days of Sandhills golf include construction scenes as
well as the only known construction drawings of Pinehurst No. 2, one of the most
famous golf courses in the world.