When Kelly Miller and his partners went looking for a group to join them in upgrading the accommodations at both Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club and its sister property, Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, in Southern Pines, North Carolina, they wanted a group that would maintain the charm of the resorts while positioning them for the future.
Conversely, Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, which owns and operates some of the most famous golf hotels in the world, including the Rusacks at St. Andrews, Marine North Berwick and the Slieve Donard near Royal County Down, was looking for a property to expand its golf footprint into the United States.
It was an ideal collaboration of vision and opportunity.
“They are used to these older properties and rehabbing them. They have a great culture and they share our vision,” said Miller, president and CEO of the company that owns the two resorts as well as Southern Pines Golf Club.
It was critical, Miller said, that the partner honor the legacy and atmosphere created by World Golf Hall of Famer Peggy Kirk Bell and her husband, Warren, when they began developing Pine Needles in the 1950s. Miller, business partner Haresh Tharani and the Bell family will maintain full control of the three Donald Ross courses at Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines.
When other potential partners suggested tearing down the Mid Pines Inn, Miller and the Bell family resisted. A complete renovation of the existing 63-room inn will begin in the fall and is scheduled to be completed in six to eight months.
Across the street at Pine Needles, work will be done updating the 68 rooms and the lodge while keeping the essence of the resort, including the popular bar which won’t be drastically changed.
“These guys are incredible at their design work,” said Miller, who retained some design controls and approvals. “It looks spectacular.”
The project should be completed within one year, Miller said.
For Marine & Lawn, a division of AJ Capital, which manages more than $5 billion in real estate investments worldwide including the Graduate Hotels in college towns in the United States, partnering with Pine Needles and Mid Pines further enhances its growing brand.
“From the beginning, our vision for Marine & Lawn was to one day bring the brand to the U.S.,” said Phillip Allen, Marine & Lawn’s president. “What started with Rusacks St Andrews has grown to six iconic properties across Scotland and Northern Ireland, each selected for its deep connection to the game of golf and sense of place.
“For us, it’s always been about preserving the heart and soul of golf through thoughtful hospitality. We couldn’t be more excited to now bring that ethos stateside – and we couldn’t imagine a more fitting destination, or better partners, to do it with.”
Tap-Ins
Japan and Thailand won the boys and girls titles, respectively, at the Toyota Junior World Cup in Toyota City, Japan, on Friday. Japan’s team of Taisei Nagasaki, Koshin Nagasaki and Mao Matsuyama shot 32-under par and finished two strokes ahead of the United States, while Thailand’s Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul, Pimpisa Rubrong and Prim Prachnakorn shot 24-under and edged Japan by a stroke. Taisei Nagasaki and Colombia’s Tomas Restrepo (19-under) were boys co-medalists, while Japan’s Mamika Shinchi (13-under) was girls medalist. RESULTS
Jordin Cowing of Gilbert, Arizona, and Jacob Lewallen of Wylie, Texas, won the girls and boys divisions of the fifth annual First Tee National Championship at the Warren Golf Course at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Thursday. READ MORE
The R&A Foundation has reached £10 million pledged by philanthropic donors around the world since 2022, it announced Tuesday. To date, £5.4 million of the pledged £10 million has already been released to support a wide range of initiatives. READ MORE
Compiled by Ron Green Jr. and Mike Cullity