PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA | In the house where Donald Ross spent a sizable portion of his later life, his tiny office remains much as it was more than 75 years ago.
It’s small, and its walls have pieces of golf artwork and photographs from days gone by. A slender bag holds a few hickories, and there are a couple of pictures of Ross himself, put there to remind guests of why Dornoch Cottage, just off the third green at Pinehurst No. 2, is the most revered residence in this village.
A drafting table sits against one wall, covered by a routing map of Pinehurst No. 4, originally built by Ross but recently redone brilliantly by Gil Hanse, who stayed in the house while recapturing the former glory of some of Ross’ best work.
The ghost of Ross, Hanse has said, never sat down beside him, though he would have been welcome.
There is a window above the desk, and legend has it that Ross would leave the light on at night so that any passersby might think he was still at work. He often was, because he designed approximately 400 courses and for several years oversaw what is now Pinehurst Resort.
Ross, while Scottish born, is the American version of Old Tom Morris, having taken the game from its infancy here and molded it into an industry. As his 150th birthday approaches (Nov. 23), Ross remains Rushmore-worthy. There is no greater evidence of his enduring genius than the course sitting just beyond the rose bushes that he cultivated in his backyard at Dornoch Cottage.
But what would Ross think of the game today?
Golf has become its own multinational corporation: part sport, part entertainment, part business.
Ross would be amazed at what the game has grown into and how it has become a familiar part of American life, even though about 90 percent of the population doesn’t play. They still know about golf and, whether it’s Tiger Woods’ celebrity or driving by another layout on their way someplace else, the game is there.
For all the credit Ross gets as a designer – there’s No. 2, Seminole, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, Plainfield, Essex and Aronimink just to name a few notable clubs – his impact reached far beyond the courses that he built.
“He would practically have a coronary at the pace of play. He and Henry Fownes (who designed Oakmont) did a scientific study of how long it would take to play No. 2 with a foursome. The answer was: 2hr, 40m!”
Chris Buie, Writer of “The Life & Times of Donald Ross"
Ross helped make golf professionals more than mere workers – though when he came from Scotland to Boston, Ross’ papers listed him as a servant. That’s how a golf professional was seen in the late 1890s.
Today, top golf professionals are like CEOs, and the best not only know how to fix a swing but know how to work a room. Ross gets credit for much of that.
Ross taught club making, he refined the business of golf and he pushed to improve course maintenance. One Pinehurst local likened Ross’ impact to that of Henry Ford, at least in terms of the game’s growth here.
Author Chris Buie is a Pinehurst native and wrote “The Life & Times of Donald Ross,” chronicling the man as much as the work he did. Buie believes Ross would love how the game, at its core, has stayed true to its principles. It’s still about honor and integrity, even if some people like to listen to music while they play and golf attire is far less formal than it was.
When Pinehurst was named the first anchor site of the U.S. Open, it was a nod not just to No. 2 and what the area means to golf but a recognition of what Ross created and to the many who have maintained the soul and the spirit of that creation.
Ross worked for years getting Pinehurst No. 2 the way he wanted it, and he would no doubt approve of the way many of his best courses have been adjusted over time to fit the new game. Ross understood that courses aren’t static. They can and often should grow and change over time, just as the courses and equipment changed over his lifetime.
It’s fair to assume Ross would feel as many of us do, that the game remains as elusive as ever for the bulk of players but that it’s lost something at its highest level because of the emphasis and impact of power. Ross believed in rewarding power but with accuracy, placing bunkers or hazards strategically to demand a level of precision for the longest hitters.
He also believed in hitting mid and long irons into greens. Ross would likely be dismayed by the number of wedges professionals hit into par-4 greens these days. He might not recognize the game the way Bryson DeChambeau plays it.
Ross also would know the game has forever fought battles about distances, doomsayers decades ago saying the game was being ruined. It was happening in 1899 when Ross came to America as the Haskell ball was transforming the game.
Like many of us, Ross would be disheartened by the pace of play. Golf shouldn’t take as long to play as it does, and he probably wouldn’t like all the golf carts running around courses.
“He would practically have a coronary at the pace of play. He and Henry Fownes (who designed Oakmont) did a scientific study of how long it would take to play No. 2 with a foursome. The answer was: 2hr, 40m!” Buie wrote in an email.
It’s been 74 years since Ross passed away in a Pinehurst hospital, but the courses he built, the lessons he taught and the impact he made live on.
In the evening quiet at Dornoch Cottage where Ross and his second wife, Florence, would live from November through April for more than 20 years, there is a peace about the place.
The game is thriving, and Ross’ impact feels eternal.
He can rest easy.
Top: From left: Donald Ross, John Barton Payne, Richard S. Tufts and H.J. Hughes at Pinehurst in 1926
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