After the end of World War I, the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina found itself overwhelmed with visitors. A group of Pinehurst regulars saw an opportunity to create a release valve: a private club, with lodging, about five miles from the main hub of resort activity. They brought in architect Donald Ross, who had designed Pinehurst’s first four courses, to scout a 5,000-acre expanse of sandy, undeveloped land just north of the town of Southern Pines. Ross selected an attractive valley and set to work on a 36-hole plan. He ended up building just one 18-hole course, which opened to strong reviews in 1921.
In contrast to the subtle topography of the Pinehurst courses, the property at Mid Pines is hilly and varied. Perhaps inspired by the excellence of the terrain, Ross produced one of his finest routings. The course alternates nimbly between the high and low sections of the property, presenting a balanced array of uphill, downhill, sidehill, and ridge-to-ridge shots. Ross’s use of the land is the primary source of Mid Pines’ challenge. In order to score well, players must hit precise approaches from all manner of uneven lies.
Ross’s design eventually became hidden beneath overgrown trees and lush turf. In 2013, owner Kelly Miller hired Kyle Franz, who had served as an associate on Coore & Crenshaw’s 2011 restoration of Pinehurst No. 2, to return Mid Pines to its roots. Using a 1939 aerial photograph as a reference point, Franz reinstated the course’s waste areas, expanded its fairways and greens to their former dimensions, and cleared some obtrusive trees. The project established Franz’s reputation as a solo architect and restored Mid Pines’ reputation as one of the best courses in the Pinehurst area.
Take Note...
The Inn. Like the golf course, the Mid Pines Inn opened in 1921. The Georgian-style building was designed by New York architect Aymar Embury II, and it provides a handsome backdrop for Ross’s 18th green.
Coming out of war-time. During World War II, Mid Pines was repurposed as a military base. When it reopened in 1944, the inn was in disrepair and the golf course overgrown with hay and wild grapes. The owner, Durham-based Homeland Investment Company, appointed Frank and Marie Cosgrove to manage the property. Over the next three decades, the Cosgroves nursed Mid Pines back to health. In 1953, they partnered with professional golfers Julius Boros (Mid Pines’ head pro) and Peggy Kirk Bell to purchase neighboring Pine Needles Golf Club. This lineage of ownership survives to the present day: Bell’s son-in-law Kelly Miller now oversees Mid Pines and Pine Needles, along with nearby Southern Pines Golf Club, which the family bought in 2020.
Dream team. Although Kyle Franz had little experience as a lead architect when he took on the Mid Pines restoration in 2013, he was well connected among shapers who had worked for Bill Coore, Tom Doak, and Gil Hanse. His associates on the project included the highly skilled likes of Kye Goalby, Dan Proctor, George Waters, Jonathan Reisetter, Brian Caesar, Norbert Painter, Jeff Stein, Zach Varty, and Jose Avila. Those names may not be familiar to the general public, but they carry a lot of weight in the golf construction industry. It’s no surprise that the project at Mid Pines was executed at such a high level.
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