By DAVID DROSCHAK When the Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau proclaimed itself the “Home of American Golf” neighboring Lee County wasn’t necessarily in the equation. After all, Sanford was once “The Brick Capital of the World” and very little high-end golf existed. But if there was ever a game changer it was Tobacco…
Former caddy for Payne Stewart shifting golf careers By DAVID DROSCHAK Mike Hicks has read thousands of left-to-right putts on the PGA Tour during his 33 years as a caddy, toted the bag for major champions Payne Stewart and Justin Leonard, traveled the globe, and witnessed professional golf’s psychological pressures up close and personal. A…
By Stuart Hall Golf history is abundantly filled with victories claimed as a result of another golfer’s failures. Few can forget Rory McIlroy’s final round at the Masters two years ago. He began the day with a four-stroke lead, but starting with the 10th hole, made triple bogey-bogey-double bogey en route to an 80 as…
By Christian Worstell In the heart of the village of Pinehurst is a quaint little sandwich shop. On a Tuesday afternoon, locals and out-of-towners flood the atmosphere with talk of golf, specifically next year’s U.S. Open to be held at Pinehurst No. 2. Through a narrow side door and up a set of creaky wooden…
By Kurt Dusterberg Knocked flat by the Great Recession, the retirement and second home golf course real estate market across the Triangle and North Carolina is finally coming back to life. For proof, look no further than St. James Plantation, the 6,000-acre golf and marina community near Southport, which has attracted approximately $50 million in…
The McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship is an innovative program designed to offer instruction, practice and playing opportunities to young golfers that may not have the financial means to practice at first-class facilities. Certain criteria needs to be met, including level of talent, need and commitment to the sport – as well as his proven dedication and…
By JOHN BRASIER No more than a decade ago, replacing healthy bentgrass greens with bermudagrass putting surfaces would have been unpopular and bad for business for elite golf courses along Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. “Everybody wanted to play bentgrass greens,” said Max Morgan, vice president of agronomy for National Golf Management’s 22 Myrtle Beach-area courses.…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Putting and short-game instructor David Orr had a nice list of clientele from his humble and somewhat secluded home base in small town Buies Creek that included PGA Tour players Charlie Wi, Roberto Castro, Troy Matteson and North Carolina’s Neal Lancaster. So it was exciting last June when he received a call…
Ben Hynson sits in Lochmere Golf Club’s grill room on a Thursday morning, relaxed and looking refreshed. Around him golfers pass en route to tee times; a staff member wonders aloud if mats should be used on the practice range; and a nearby table of men debates whatever comes to mind. For more than 25…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Few golf courses stir up emotions for Webb Simpson like Pinehurst No. 2. His family owns a home in the area, he’s a huge fan of Donald Ross layouts and as a youngster was a standard barrier for Tom Watson’s group during the 1999 U.S. Open. Simpson was dejected when he failed…