Golf in Southern Pines, North Carolina actually predates that of the more famously known Pinehurst with the game being played as early as 1896. This was a result of the strong Scottish immigrant presence in the region. Golf on the current property of Southern Pines Golf Club dates back to 1906 when a primitive nine-hole course was laid out by two of Donald Ross’ assistants, listed above, which was later expanded to 18 holes by the duo. Finally, SPGC was transformed significantly by Ross in 1914.
A rebuilding of the greens in the 1990s took the course further from what Ross had built with its modern multi-tiered green design. In 2020, SPGC became the third piece of the Southern Pines trio of courses alongside Mid Pines and Pine Needles when Kelly Miller purchased the course from the local Elks Club. From there the scruffy local golf course was planned to be renovated back to the Ross sandhills style by Kyle Franz who had previously done work for Miller at his other two properties. Now the course features broad sandy waste areas throughout the property, expanded playing corridors, and bold undulations across the putting surfaces.
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Take Note…
Course no. 2. For a brief period before the Great Depression (1929-1933), Southern Pines had 36 holes. The Depression took away nine of those holes on the second course and the remaining nine lasted until 2004, when they were abandoned due to financial issues. This abandoned nine still sits in its raw form today and can be seen on the east side of the property bordering the 12th and 13th holes and the driving range.
Sand greens. Through the mid-1930s Southern Pines had sand greens which were then converted to Bermuda grass surfaces. During the 2020 renovation work, Franz reintroduced a “lost hole” that was presumably created by Ross in the 1910s to create an alternate nine-hole loop including today’s holes 1-4, the “lost par 3 fifth” and Nos. 15-18. Just below the actual green for this “lost hole” is a sand green that allows people to experiment with what it was like to play prior to the late 1930s grassing.
Mid-South 54-hole medal. While Sam Snead’s 63 in the famous 1946 match against Ben Hogan gets the most recognition in regard to Southern Pines Golf Club’s history, a prominent annual women’s tournament also took place at SPGC. The Mid-South 54-Hole Medal Play Championship was played for over a decade and featured many of the best women’s golfers of the day. You can watch footage of the tournament here.
Golf and horses. While golf is a huge draw in Southern Pines, it’s a major destination for equestrians as well. That bleeds into the town just as much as golf. Restaurants like Ashten’s and shops like The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines pay homage to the town’s equestrian roots. Less than five miles from Southern Pines Golf Club is Youngs Road, which is home to many horse farms.
