USGA moving museum, offices to Pinehurst and adds U.S. Open dates to N.C. course

PINEHURST — The “Home of American Golf’’ welcomed some important new neighbors on Wednesday.

The United States Golf Association revealed plans to move significant parts of its organization to the Village of Pinehurst from the current location in Liberty Corner, N.J. The sport’s governing body will build a new equipment-testing facility, innovation hub, museum/visitor center and offices in the town by 2023, thanks to an incentive package approved by local and state officials.

Most of the details of the plan became public Tuesday evening, when the USGA gave details during a public hearing with the Moore County Board of Commissioners and later the Village of Pinehurst council.

But a major part of the agreement that was revealed Wednesday will see the USGA make the Pinehurst Resort’s famed No. 2 Course an anchor for its most prestigious championship — the U.S. Open. In addition to the 2024 U.S. Open that is already scheduled at No. 2, the USGA has named the course designed by renowned architect Donald Ross as the U.S. Open host in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047.

“The way we look at it, we are truly coming to the ’Home of American Golf,’ and how appropriate it is for the USGA to be in the home of golf,’’ USGA executive director Mike Davis said Wednesday. “Today is the start of something wonderful that will have an impact for decades to come.’’

The Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen communities have been dubbed the “Home of American Golf’’ due to the large number of courses and history associated with the game. The Pinehurst Resort has been the site of numerous USGA championships, starting with the 1962 U.S. Amateur. Three previous U.S. Open Championships have been conducted on the resort’s No. 2 Course, and in 2014 the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open events were played there on consecutive weeks.

Nearby Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, which is also a Ross-designed course, has been a prominent USGA site as well. Three previous U.S. Women’s Open Championships have been played at Pine Needles, and the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Open was also contested there. The course has also been selected to host the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open.

Bill provides up to $18 million in incentives

News of a potential USGA move to Pinehurst began to surface last week after state lawmakers passed House Bill 807 entitled the “Championship NC Act,’’ which will provide up to $18 million in incentives to a then-unnamed “sport championship employer.’’ Governor Roy Cooper signed the bill on Sept. 4.

“It was a bipartisan effort in the North Carolina General Assembly,’’ said Sen. Tom McGinnis, a Republican from Richmond County. “No one person gets the glory along for this fabulous announcement. Folks in the House, Senate, county of Moore, Village of Pinehurst along with Pinehurst Resort and the USGA — it was a team effort.’’

It began last August while the USGA was conducting the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship at the Pinehurst Resort, according to N.C. Secretary of Commerce Tony Copeland.

“I remember a year ago in August riding with Governor Cooper, and we met with (Pinehurst Resort owner) Bob Dedman and some from the USGA team about initiating what we are seeing the results of today,’’ N.C. Secretary of Commerce Tony Copeland said. “We are ecstatic.’’

USGA base for innovation, research and science

The official name for the USGA’s presence will be “Golf House Pinehurst.’’ The project will be a $25 million investment by the organization that will include constructing two buildings located near the Pinehurst Resort that will house 50 staff members. Staffers based in Pinehurst will include those involved in championship operations, Research and Test Center personnel and Green Section teams.

Groundbreaking on those projects will start in the spring of 2022, according to Davis, and will be completed by 2023.

Along with the offices, the USGA’s Equipment Testing Standards Test Center dedicated to testing golf balls and clubs will be relocated to Pinehurst. The campus will also serve as the USGA’s base for innovation, research and science in collaboration with in-state universities.

A golf museum and visitor’s center will also be established, but won’t replace the recently renovated USGA Museum and Library in New Jersey.

“We are honored to welcome the USGA to a second home in Pinehurst and the cradle of American golf,’’ said Dedman, whose company purchased Pinehurst Resort in 1984. “When the USGA was founded in 1894, Pinehurst was born a year later. Our two storied organizations have nurtured the game of golf since our inceptions.

“We are humbled to be named the first U.S. Open anchor site. Following our next Open in 2024, we’ll have hosted eight U.S. Opens in less than 50 years, which is a testament to our partnership with the USGA. We look forward to not only more U.S. Opens, but many other USGA championships being hosted here in Pinehurst.

“Bill Campbell, a four-time North & South (Amateur) champion, once said Pinehurst is not just a state of mind, it’s a state of heart. We’re looking forward to sharing our heart and soul at the Home of American Golf one day at a time.’’

Staff writer Sammy Batten can be reached at sbatten@fayobserver.com.