Pinehurst Resort is one of our country's most prestigious golf destinations, with a history that dates back to 1895 when James Walker Tufts, the owner of the American Soda Fountain Company, purchased 5,500 acres of land in the sandhills of central North Carolina to build a resort town. The town was named Pinehurst and it was designed to be an area for leisure and relaxation. This truly amazing place is known as "The Cradle of American Golf."

Modern Lodging with a Dash of Old Charm

Tufts hired Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York, and by the end of 1895, the leisure resort already boasted a general store, dairy, boarding house, the Holly Inn, and over 20 cottages. After Pinehurst's first hotel, the Holly Inn, opened in 1895 and the resort town continued to flourish, the Carolina Hotel's construction began in 1898.

In the past few years, the hotel rooms, the lobby, and the common areas have been updated with improved infrastructure, but visitors can be sure that the renowned hotel still feels like a place guests have enjoyed for over a century. The Pinehurst Hotel was opened in 1901 and became the center of a variety of leisure activities, including horseback riding, polo, lawn bowling, archery, tennis, and bicycling.

Pinehurst - Home to the U.S. Top Golf Tournaments

The first golf course was built in 1898, and the resort quickly became a preferred destination for avid golfers worldwide. Currently, Pinehurst Resort boasts eight championship courses, with over 30 golf courses in the area. In 1899, John Dunn Tucker was hired to create nine additional holes to the layout and create Pinehurst's first 18-hole golf course. In 1900, Tufts hired Donald J. Ross, a renowned golf course architect who built the resort's four golf courses.

Over the years, Donald Ross's masterpiece, Pinehurst's No. 2, has been home to an impressive number of major golf tournaments, such as:

• the 1936 PGA Championship
• the 1951 Ryder Cup Matches
• the 1962 and 2008 U.S. Amateur Championships
• the 1989 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship
• the 1991 and 1992 TOUR Championships
• the 1994 U.S. Senior Open
• the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open Championship

The greatest golfers have played its courses, including Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus, so every time you play at Pinehurst's courses, you'll be walking in the footsteps of golf legends. Other sports have hosted championships at Pinehurst, including the U.S. Croquet Championship, the U.S. Tennis Clay Court Championship, tips, and the World Lawn Bowling Championship.

Golf Vacation Packages for an Unparalleled Golf Experience

Those who want to learn more about Pinehurst's history will find various artifacts, documents, photographs, maps, letters, diaries, and newspapers at Tufts Archives, which is open to the public. If you're interested in going on a golf vacation with your friends or family to Pinehurst, check out our fully customizable packages for this historic golf destination!

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