Golf House Pinehurst opened Friday at North Carolina’s Pinehurst Resort, one month ahead of the return of the U.S. Open to the Sandhills, the U.S. Golf Association announced.
The seven-acre facility features the World Golf Hall of Fame, which recently relocated from St. Augustine, Florida, as well as the USGA’s equipment testing and research facility, the USGA Experience and an outdoor educational landscape display.
“When I joined the USGA [on July 1, 2021], I shared with our internal teammates that while the USGA will always celebrate history, we’re not going to be afraid to make some,” CEO Mike Whan said. “Today is proof positive that we’re just getting started.”
In honor of the opening, admission will be free through June. The 124th U.S. Open is scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course. READ MORE
The USGA has joined the golf community in Pinehurst, North Carolina, in committing $1 million over five years toward the Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program at Sandhills Community College to help train course-maintenance professionals. READ MORE
TAP-INS
Pat Bradley, a Massachusetts native and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, has donated her collection of 100-plus artifacts to Mass Golf’s headquarters at the William F. Connell Golf House in Norton for the newly created Pat Bradley Room. Bradley, 73, won 31 times on the LPGA Tour, including six major titles in the 1980s. Her sterling silver trophy from the 1981 U.S. Women’s Open will be a feature of the display. READ MORE
SuperStroke has acquired Lamkin Grips, the companies announced. SuperStroke, based in Wixom, Michigan, debuted in 2009 as a maker of oversized putter grips. Lamkin, a San Diego-based third-generation family-run business founded in Chicago in 1925, was the first manufacturer of leather golf grips. READ MORE
The field for the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship was set last week through play at six regional sites as 30 five-woman teams and six individuals from non-qualifying teams advanced. The NCAA final will be held May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. READ MORE
Ian Pattinson was named captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, officials announced. His one-year term will begin September 20 with the traditional driving-in ceremony. Pattinson, a club member since 1989, was a longtime rules official for the R&A and the Open Championship. READ MORE
Stu Francis will be honored with the Princeton Varsity Club’s Citizen-Athlete Award for his contributions to sport and society, the university announced. Francis, a 1974 Princeton graduate and resident of Hillsborough, California, is a former USGA president. READ MORE
Compiled by Steve Harmon