Welcome to The Country Club of North Carolina
Pinehurst, North Carolina
Welcome to The Country Club of North Carolina
THE FOUNDING VISION
The rich legacy of Pinehurst, the “Home of American Golf,” dates back 125 years, and includes incredible golf courses, hundreds of championships and almost every renowned figure in American golfing history. Situated in the heart of that golf mecca in the North Carolina Sandhills is The Country Club of North Carolina. The uniqueness of CCNC begins with its founding. In 1962 a group of North Carolina businessmen at last found a piece of property on which to enact an idea that had been percolating among them for some years. The concept was simple – To create a club of the finest quality in a central location for its members to golf and socialize. The location of Pinehurst, with ninety percent of the state’s population within 100 miles, along with the natural terrain and beauty of the Sandhills region, came to be the ideal place.
A PLAN COMES TOGETHER
The site found was a 900-acre wild and heavily forested tract on the border between the Village of Pinehurst and the town of Southern Pines. It had been owned since the 1920s by John Warren Watson, a successful Philadelphia engineer, who left unrealized at his death his own dream of a golf course and hotel on the site. (Watson’s house and boathouse still stand on the western shore of the 60-acre lake he created by damming three streams on the site, and that bears his name.) Raleigh accountant Dick Urquhart, Greensboro investment banker Hargrove “Skipper” Bowles, Greensboro developer and builder Griswold Smith, and Raleigh attorney James Poyner were the four founding members in the venture. The group soon enticed more than three dozen charter members, representing a Who’s Who of North Carolina business and philanthropy, to join them. To give shape to their dream the founders called upon the services of Atlanta-based land planner Willard Byrd and golf course architect Ellis Maples, a protégé of Donald Ross whose father was for decades the construction superintendent and greenskeeper for Pinehurst Resort, to design a community master plan and golf course.
A CELEBRATED OPENING AND EARLY YEARS EXPANSION
The course, with nines named Longleaf and Dogwood, opened for play in December of 1963, and quickly earned the reputation for excellence its founders envisioned. It was named to the inaugural Golf Digest Top 100 Courses in the U.S. in 1966, where it remained for 33 consecutive years, and soon began hosting prominent national championships. The two original nines proved so popular that the club retained Willard Byrd to build nine additional holes on land acquired in a property swap with the Tufts family, then owners of the Pinehurst Resort. Opening for play in 1970, it was named “Cardinal,” after the North Carolina state bird. In the late-1970s the club acquired additional property on the club’s western boundary from Robert Trent Jones. As part of the transaction Jones was commissioned to design nine new holes adjacent to Byrd’s nine. Now that CCNC had 36 holes, not 27, it dropped the separate names for each of its nines: the two original nines became “Dogwood” and the combined Byrd and Jones nines “Cardinal.”
Prominent championships began coming early, starting with the 1965 North Carolina Amateur. Shortly following, CCNC was the site in 1971 and 1972 of the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship (won by DeWitt Weaver and Jack Nicklaus) and the 1980 U.S. Amateur (won by Hal Sutton). It has also hosted the prestigious (over 120-year running) Southern Amateur on seven occasions (with Ben Crenshaw, Len Mattiace, and Webb Simpson among the winners). The club has recently hosted two more USGA Championships, with Doris Chen capturing the 2010 U.S. Girls Junior and Nick Dunlap the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur. More championships are on the horizon as CCNC will play host to the 2023 ACC Championships along with an eighth Southern Amateur (most all-time) in the coming years.
TODAY: A TRADITIONAL GOLF CLUB WITH MODERN COUNTRY CLUB AMENITIES
Now 59 years since opening, those 36 holes remain in place with the only changes being a 2001 Arthur Hills renovation of the Cardinal course and a 2016 Dogwood renovation by Kris Spence. Those updates have been well received as both courses are perennially ranked in the top 20 in the state (2023 #3 and #13) by the North Carolina Golf Panel. Today, the original 900-acre property has expanded to 2,000 and includes over 500 homesites to go with the 36 holes and over one hundred acres of lakes. The early lifestyle amenities of clubhouse dining, pool, tennis, rental cottages and recreational lakes have been added upon to now include multiple restaurants, outdoor dining, fitness center, pickleball courts and miles of walking trails. One of the unique characteristics of the club’s founding and culture was that few members lived in the Pinehurst area. With the charter and early members dispersed throughout the state, it truly was The Country Club of North Carolina. While the club of today has blossomed into a thriving residential community, the founding vision carries on as over half of the club’s membership are North Carolina or National members.
Membership at The Country Club of North Carolina
Resident & Moore County Memberships provide full and unlimited access to all golf courses and club amenities for those whose principal place of residence is inside the CCNC gates or Moore County.
North Carolina Membership is available to those whose principal place of residence is in North Carolina, but outside of Moore County*. The Membership comes with full access to all golf courses and amenities.
National Membership is available to those whose principal place of residence is in another state or Canada**. The Membership comes with full access to all golf and amenities.
*Reside in Moore County less than 90 nights per year
**Reside in North Carolina less than 90 nights per year
Non-Golf Membership
The Social Associate category is available to those of any principal residence and comes with full access to the clubhouse, pool, racquet sports and fitness.
Golf at The Country Club of North Carolina
An Exceptional Golf Experience
Since the opening of the Dogwood course in 1963, members and guests from all over the country have enjoyed the exceptional golf experience that CCNC provides. More than just the pleasure of playing outstanding courses in great condition, but also the natural beauty of the surroundings, the sense of playing through a quiet pine forest, the unhurried laid-back feel, and the warm hospitality of the members and staff all combine to make the golf experience one of the most memorable to be found. With over half the membership consisting of non-local residents, it’s also one that’s worth the travel.
DOGWOOD AND CARDINAL
THE GEMS OF PRIVATE GOLF IN THE SANDHILLS
Meandering up and down the rolling hills, through the long leaf pines, and around the picturesque lakes of CCNC are two exceptional and challenging golf courses. Both Dogwood, a 33-year member of Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses list, and Cardinal are perennially ranked high in the state by the North Carolina Golf Panel (2023 #3 and #13), and the highest ranked of all private, member-owned courses in the Sandhills. Opening in 1963, the Dogwood Course was originally designed by noted architect Ellis Maples along with Willard Byrd. In 2016, architect Kris Spence was brought in for a renovation, with the goal of updating the course while maintaining much of the elements of Maples’ original design.
The work included a move to Champion Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens and ultra-playable Zeon Zoysia fairways, the only zoysia course in the Sandhills. The Cardinal Course, designed by Willard Byrd and Robert Trent Jones, originally opened as a third nine in 1970 and completed with the final nine in 1981. Including “hybrid” tees, both courses offer 10 sets of USGA rated tees, allowing for play from almost any preferred yardage.
A CHAMPIONSHIP LEGACY
The CCNC golf courses have long been heralded as outstanding tests of championship golf. Long-standing relationships with the United States Golf Association, Carolinas Golf Association, and the Southern Golf Association have led to the hosting of many of their great championships. Victors at CCNC include the likes of Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Professional Match Play Championship), Ben Crenshaw (Southern Amateur), Hal Sutton (U.S. Amateur), and longtime CCNC member Webb Simpson (Southern Amateur). That legacy was most recently added upon with the 73rd playing of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in July of 2021, the Club’s third USGA national championship. The next champions to be crowned at CCNC will be at the 2023 ACC Conference Championships.
THE DORNOCH CONNECTION
In tribute to Donald Ross’ great influence in the North Carolina Sandhills, numerous areas of CCNC have taken on the name of his Scottish hometown of Dornoch. The Dornoch Grille, Royal Dornoch Villas, and Lake Dornoch to name a few. Ross was the first golf professional at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, who’s Championship course is ranked #4 in the world (Golf Digest). A close relationship between Royal Dornoch Golf Club and CCNC dates back decades, with a match between the two clubs played annually since 2011, alternating home and away.
An official reciprocal agreement now exists between Royal Dornoch Golf Club and CCNC, allowing members of either to play the other for no guest fees. CCNC is the only club in the United States to have such an arrangement with RDGC, a relationship CCNC members enjoy and look forward to maintaining for years to come.
AN UNPARALLELED GOLF LIFESTYLE
On top of playing two exceptional courses, CCNC members enjoy a golf lifestyle that includes first-class practice facilities, available tee times, walkable courses, organized golf association and daily play along with an active junior golf program. No matter how one enjoys their golf, their ideal lifestyle can be found here.
Amenities at The Country Club of North Carolina
RENTAL COTTAGE PROGRAM
The Country Club of North Carolina’s Rental Cottage Program is available to members and their guests during visits to the Club. The fully equipped homes have from 3 to 5 bedrooms with private baths and provide space and comfort to accommodate a short weekend stay up to a week-long vacation. Our full-time accommodations staff handles it all; from booking, check in/out, and housekeeping. Sponsored guests using the homes are also afforded the privilege of using other Club amenities including golf, tennis, pool and dining facilities.
RACQUETS
Our beautiful Racquet Sports facility features 8 Har-Tru Tennis courts, 4 Pickleball courts, and a Pro Shop situated on a pine-covered hillside overlooking Watson Lake. This spectacular setting creates a great environment to enjoy tennis on our well-maintained clay courts and newly built Pickleball courts. The active racquets programs include regular play, leagues, events and instruction for members of all ages and skill levels.
EXQUISITE DINING
Whether it’s lunch with a friend on the Clubhouse Terrace overlooking Watson Lake, beverages with your playing partners following a round, or a birthday dinner for the entire family, the CCNC Clubhouse and dining facilities provide a variety of venues for dining throughout the day, from casual comfort to formal ambiance. The Dogwood Bistro, Firepit Terrace and Lounge offer cocktails and casual fare, the bar offers a tapas menu, while the Watson Dining Room provides a more formal setting. Lighter fare and additional bar area also available at the Dornoch Grille (including breakfast), the Cardinal Halfway House, and poolside at the pool cafe. In 2020, CCNC completed a renovation that included updates and enhancements to much of the dining areas of the clubhouse. These include the casual dining, casual bar, outdoor dining terrace, and member lounge along with several new private dining rooms and a new ladies locker room and lounge. A new amenity to come through the renovation is the addition of 75 wine lockers and the kickoff of the CCNC Wine Society program.
MEMORABLE GATHERINGS
Known in its early days for large ballroom dances, the CCNC calendar of today remains filled with parties, holiday gatherings and special events both large and small. Whether it’s intimate dining on New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day, the fine dining of a 5-course wine dinner, a family feast on Easter, Mother’s Day, and Thanksgiving, or outdoor summer parties on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, CCNC has something for everyone with over 30 social events throughout the year.
FITNESS CENTER
Opened in 2017, the CCNC Fitness Center houses a variety of fitness equipment for all ages and abilities. The center is located in the lower level of the 5,400 square foot Racquets and Fitness building overlooking beautiful Lake Watson. The center is open from 4:00am to 10:00pm daily and accessible via individual FOB. Along with the wide range of available equipment, personal training is available through Director of Wellness and Certified Personal Trainer, Al Van Vliet.
SPLASHING AROUND
With its hilltop setting and spectacular view of Watson Lake, the swimming pool, with cafe, activity center and playground, is the perfect summer setting for family activities from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The pool is fully staffed with trained lifeguards and swim instructors. A youth swim team, family and adult-only parties, and an end-of-season “pooch plunge” are just a few of the pool complex activities held each year.
FISHING AND SUMMERTIME FUN ON THE WATER
Both Watson Lake and Lake Dornoch provide a quiet and relaxing experience for kayaking enthusiasts and fishermen alike. Fishermen have an opportunity to catch brim, crappie, northern largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, non-breeding carp and pickerel (jackfish) while kayakers may commune with the extensive list of wildlife that call CCNC home.
SCENIC NATURE TRAILS
While the CCNC community is home to 22 miles of scenic roads to walk or bike, an even more peaceful setting can be found on a four-mile-long walking trail through the club’s East Lake neighborhood. As a certified member of the Audubon Sanctuary Program for Golf since 2003, CCNC is committed to the preservation of our natural areas and habitats within the community.
Contact Membership Development & Communications Nick Gray To Learn More!
Nick Gray – Membership Development & Communications
Phone: (910) 692-1530
Email: ngray@ccofnc.com
1600 Morganton Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374
