Golf Icons of the Sandhills

Golf greatness isn’t just tied to the places where the game is

played, it’s also tied to the people that have made these places

so great. The Sandhills have long been considered an area associated

with golf royalty, but it’s also safe to say that this southeast

region of the country would not be what it is today without

the people that helped shape it. From renowned golf course designer

Donald Ross to women’s golf icon Peggy Kirk Bell, the

Sandhills has a rich history of being influenced by the game’s

greats. Here’s a closer look at some of these icons that helped

mold Pinehurst and Southern Pines North Carolina:

DONALD ROSS

An area or region can’t claim the title of “golf’s greatest” without

some of the premiere courses in the world. And the mastermind

behind many of the world-class golf courses that you’ll

find in the Sandhills region is none other than Donald Ross. The

Scottish-born designer came to the United States with just $2

in his pocket, eventually becoming the course professional at

Pinehurst. That was all he needed to jumpstart his course designing

career.

Of the 600 courses throughout North America designed by

Ross, none are perhaps more famed than Pinehurst No. 2,

which has all the great elements of a Ross-signature course,

such as attention to detail, turtleback greens, double plateaus,

fall-away slopes and uphill approaches. In fact, his goal in de signing

courses was to present a different challenge to golfers

on each, so no hole played the same way.

BEN HOGAN

Before there was Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Dustin

Johnson, there was the great Ben Hogan. Broke and struggling

as a professional, little do many people know that Hogan was

actually contemplating retirement in 1940 before he earned

a key victory — his first national win — at the 19th North and

South Open at Pinehurst. It took him a decade to win his first

tournament since turning pro, but he didn’t stop there. He won

two more times in North Carolina that year and eventually went

down as one of the most iconic golfers of all time.

PEGGY KIRK BELL

As one of the founders of the LPGA as we know it, Peggy

Kirk Bell is another instrumental individual that influenced the

Sandhills region. Though Bell passed away in 2016 at 95 years

of age, her family still owns and runs Pine Needles Resort in

Southern Pines. While Bell remains one of the most notorious

female golfers of all time, what’s interesting about her story is

that she didn’t start playing the game until she was 17. A quick

learner, she won multiple amateur tour championships in the

1940s and followed these victories up with a spot on the 1950

Curtis Cup team, which included the best-of-the-best women

amateur golfers. Bell was the first woman voted into the World

Golf Teachers Hall of Fame when she entered in 2002, and was

also honored with the Bob Jones Award by the USGA in 1990.

Up until her passing, she was still very active in the day-to-day

at Pine Needles Resort, including giving lessons.

Behind all the U.S. Opens, PGA Tour events, LPGA Tour

events and U.S. Amateur Championships come the trailblazers

that helped make North Carolina’s golf paradise what it is today.

We’re proud to honor these legends of the past as we welcome

and cheer on the amateur and professional golfers of today.