Owners Of Pine Needles, Mid Pines Acquire Four More N.C. Golf Courses

The group that owns Pine Needles, Mid Pines and Southern Pines – three of the most respected public golf properties in Pinehurst, North Carolina, outside of the Pinehurst Resort – has further expanded its footprint in the Sandhills region with the acquisition of four additional 18-hole courses.

Rolling Pines LLC, a newly formed management company under the parent Mid Pines Development Group, added to its existing 54-hole portfolio with the purchase of the Country Club of Whispering Pines and Foxfire Country Club. Each facility has two 18-hole courses with deep ties to the region, although none were designed by Donald Ross, the architect of the group’s other three courses.

“We see great opportunities in both properties,” said Kelly Miller, the managing partner of the new ownership group and the son-in-law of the late Peggy Kirk Bell, a former professional golfer known for her advocacy in the women’s game who owned Pine Needles beginning in 1953. Miller has been with Pine Needles since the 1980s, working his way up to president and CEO over the years, and was instrumental in the company’s 1994 acquisition of Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club, and the 2020 purchase of Southern Pines Golf Club.

“Our goal is to make significant improvements on all four courses and get them on an upward trajectory,” added Miller. “The Sandhills area is growing, North Carolina is growing, and Raleigh, Sanford and Fort Bragg seem to be getting closer and closer to us. This is a chance to some polish some classic golf courses from outstanding designers and make them available to the public at a reasonable price.”

The acquisitions, financial terms of which weren’t disclosed, come after years of ownership changes at both facilities. Both the Country Club of Whispering Pines, which opened in 1959 with two Ellis Maples-designed courses, and Foxfire Country Club, established in 1968 with two Gene Hamm-designed courses, were purchased from GreatLife Golf Management.

Course Restoration Plans

The Rolling Pines ownership group plans to enlist golf architect Kyle Franz to develop master plans for the newly acquired courses. Franz has been instrumental in the group’s previous restoration projects, starting with Mid Pines in 2013 and Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in 2017-18, returning both to their original Ross character with rebuilt greens and reconfigured bunkers. He then oversaw the most dramatic transformation of the bunch at Southern Pines, with an 18-month restoration that followed its acquisition from the local Elks Club in 2020.

Franz’s work at Whispering Pines and Foxfire will differ from the faithful Ross restorations he completed previously, with a focus first on tweaking the courses and then developing a master plan as part of the new ownership’s long-term vision.

Haresh Tharani, whose family investments span retail, hospitality, and hedge fund management, has been a partner of the Miller and McGowan families since 2017 and brings additional capital as well as a shared vision for preserving the historic golf offerings in the region. He cites the appeal of the region and the potential of the properties as motivation for the acquisition.

“We have four seasons, low taxes, and a healthy business climate,” Tharani says of North Carolina’s appeal. “We’re close to the mountains and the coast. And in the middle is the Sandhills, one of the great golf destinations in the country. We have a deep commitment to the community and to the state. We believe in buying properties that have a great legacy and tradition, and both of these clubs fit that.”

Ties to the Region

For Miller, the purchase represents an extension of his commitment to the region. He recalls playing both Foxfire and Whispering Pines as part of a group with his father-in-law, Warren “Bullet” Bell, a former professional basketball player, and a group of 12 to 16 others who rotated between those courses as well as Pine Needles and Southern Pines every week.

“We had a great time. Over the years, Foxfire and Whispering Pines have had their challenges,” Miller added. “I have fond memories playing there and have had my eye on them for some time.”

The River and Pines courses are the centerpieces to the club at Whispering Pines and were designed by Ellis Maples, whose family also has roots in Sandhills golf. His father, Frank Maples, was construction and course maintenance chief under Donald Ross, thus working extensively in the Pinehurst area, while his son Dan Maples has operated a golf design firm from Pinehurst for half a century.

“Whispering Pines has great corridors,” Miller said. “They have some great golf there. The routing is really good. I have always been intrigued in the lineage to Pine Needles and Mid Pines because Ellis as a young man worked on the construction of both those courses.”

Foxfire is situated about six miles southwest of the village of Pinehurst and sits on a 2,000-acre site anchored by Lake MacKenzie, which serves as a formidable water hazard at both the Red Fox and Gray Fox courses. Hamm, who like Ellis Maples is a member of the Carolina Golf Hall of Fame, opened the first course in 1968, a layout that hosted the ACC men’s golf championship in 1970, 1973, and 1975. Nine new holes followed in 1972, and the facility became a 36-hole operation in 1981.

Course Access

In the near term, guests at both Pine Needles and Mid Pines will have access to the courses at Foxfire and Whispering Pines. There is the possibility of other synergies between the five properties, although the four new courses will operate separately from the existing membership structure at the original three clubs.

The investment reflects the group’s confidence in the golf potential of the Sandhills region, a destination known first and foremost among traveling golfers for the Pinehurst Resort and its 189 holes (and counting).

With 126 holes of golf now under management, the Rolling Pines group has reinforced that it, too, is committed to long-term stewardship, with a focus on making quality golf available to the public while retaining its historic character.

“We have a deep commitment to the community and to the state,” Tharani said. “We believe in buying properties that have a great legacy and tradition, and both of these clubs fit that.”