SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Southern Pines Golf Club in the North Carolina sand hills, a vintage Donald Ross-designed course dating to the early 1900s, is now under management of the company that owns and operates the famed Pine Needles and Mid Pines resorts nearby and will eventually be acquired by that same company.
Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club has purchased Southern Pines, originally a municipal layout, from the Southern Pines Elks Club, which had owned the course since 1951.
Pine Needles / Mid Pines management company has taken over operation of the facility. Pine Needles/Mid Pines President Kelly Miller said he is working toward a final sale when some infrastructure changes are made to the facility that have to do with environmental issues.
The deal consummates 15 years of Miller having his eye on the Southern Pines Golf Club and thinking that its Ross lineage would make it an ideal fit for the umbrella containing Mid Pines, a 1921 Ross design, and Pine Needles, a 1928 Ross course. He had had discussions with the Elks management at various junctures without ever being able to consummate a transaction.
“I’ve always thought it a wonderful golf course,” Miller said. “It’s one of the best routings in the area. It has great topography and a set of par-threes that are unmatched anywhere. The club has a lot of fascinating history and I think it’s perfect fit for us.”
