With Pinehurst Resort’s continued expansion, its chief rival in the Sandhills appears unlikely to be left in the dust.
Owners of the Pine Needles and Mid Pines resorts have announced a partnership with Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, which will take over management and oversee renovations on the hotels and their food and beverage services.
The Miller, McGowan and Tharani families own Pine Needles, Mid Pines and recent acquisition Southern Pines Golf Club, which has established itself as a worthy sister property after an extensive restoration.
In 1953, Warren and Peggy Kirk Bell took over at Pine Needles. They added Mid Pines, just across N.C. 2, in 1994. Kelly Miller and Pat McGowan married Bell daughters.
“This is an exiting initiative for our resorts,” Kelly Miller, president and CEO of the group, said in a release. “We’ve needed for some time to upgrade our lodging facilities as well as our food and beverage, and Marine & Lawn is an ideal partner for us.”
Both Pine Needles and Mid Pines have world-class courses designed by Donald Ross, who also designed Southern Pines, which does not include lodging.
Mid Pines is scheduled to close for renovations of 6-8 months in the fall. The golf courses will not close.
In the UK, Marine & Lawn’s golf portfolio includes Rusacks St Andrews, Marine North Berwick, Marine Troon and Dornoch State in Scotland; and the Slieve Donard near Royal County Down and Portrush Delphi.
Pinehurst Resort has expanded from seven courses to 10 in the past three decades with No. 11 under construction. Pinehurst has also acquired many lodging properties during the same time frame.
