Pinehurst Resort history: All you need to know about the 2024 US Open host

The 2024 US Open will be held at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, Course No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Pinehurst Resort will host the US Open for the fourth time this year. The first US Open at the Golf Course was held in 1999 followed by two more in 2005 and 2014.

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club has a long history. As per Pinehurst official's website, Boston philanthropist James Walker Tufts bought 5,800 acres of land in North Carolina in 1895. He paid $1 per acre. After three years, in 1898, golf was first played in the area in grazing fields.

The same year, Tufts hired Dr. D. Leroy Culver to design the first nine holes at the course. John Dunn Tucker later expanded the course to eighteen holes. The first 18 holes became part of Pinehurst No. 1.

Next year, Tufts hired Scottish golf professional Donald J. Ross. Ross designed 18 more holes, becoming Pinehurst No. 2. The US Open will be played at the same course this year. One of his most famous quotes is (via Pinehurst):

"Golf is meant to be a pleasure, not a penance."

Ross remained with Pinehurst until 1948 till his death. He became a big name in course design and designed over 400 courses in North America. He redesigned the Pinehurst No.1 eighteen holes and then went on to design No. 3 and No. 4 and a course for caddies and employees.

The Pinehurst Golf Club was established in 1903. Currently, it has 10 eighteen-hole golf courses. Other designers than Donald Ross are Ellis Maples, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, and Jack Nicklaus. Eric Alpenfels, PGA, director of golf instruction and the Golf Academy said (via PGA):

"Pinehurst Resort lends itself to a 'buddy trip', due to the numerous course layouts it has. Furthermore, the courses have various levels of difficulty, ranging from easier layouts to much more challenging layouts, which even test the skills of professional golfers."

The course has five accommodations which include the Carolina Hotel, Holly Inn, The Manor, Carolina Villas, and Condos at Pinehurst. A recent redesign was done by Gilbert Hanse in 2018 on the No. 4 course before the 2019 US Amateur. The course also has The Cradle, a nine-hole short course, and Thistle Dhu, an 18-hole putting course.

---

A look at major golf tournaments hosted at the Pinehurst Resort

The first major tournament played at Pinehurst Resort was the PGA Championship in 1936. The major championships played so far at the course are as follows:

• 1936 - PGA Championship
• 1951 - Ryder Cup
• 1962 - U.S. Amateur
• 1994 - U.S. Senior Open
• 1999 - U.S. Open
• 2005 - U.S. Open
• 2008 - U.S. Amateur
• 2014 - U.S. Open
• 2014 - U.S. Women's Open
• 2019 - U.S. Amateur

Several future tournaments have also been announced at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. The US Open has been announced for 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047. The future tournaments are as follows:

• 2024 - U.S. Open
• 2027 - U.S. Women's Amateur
• 2029 - U.S. Open
• 2029 - U.S. Women's Open
• 2035 - U.S. Open
• 2038 - U.S. Amateur
• 2041 - U.S. Open
• 2044 - U.S. Women's Amateur
• 2047 - U.S. Open