|
Roaring Gap Club Architect: Donald Ross Year: 1925 2663 Roaring Gap Dr, Roaring Gap, NC 28668 Phone: (336) 363-9605 Course Access: Private www.RoaringGapClub.com |
Roaring Gap Club
The club dates back to 1925, when Leonard Tufts, president of Pinehurst Inc., and a group of affluent North Carolina businessmen, proposed the development of a private mountain community to reside during the summer months. Pinehurst had already become a popular winter enclave in the Sandhills, and Tufts envisioned a companion golf retreat with the perfect climate for his Yankee clientele, who were tiring of their long trip back north every summer.
In 1926, Roaring Gap Club was formed, and Tufts served as the first president. In fact, brochures and press releases referred to Roaring Gap as “the Pinehurst of the Mountains”.
Because Roaring Gap started as a joint venture with Pinehurst Inc., Tufts made sure that Donald Ross, his golf director in Pinehurst, was the hands-on architect from start to finish. After all, Ross already had made quite a name for himself outside Pinehurst by designing courses during the summers throughout the northeast. Until 1938, even Ross' assistants at Pinehurst, including Palmer Maples, interned as head professionals at Roaring Gap every summer.
When recounting Roaring Gap's golf legacy, few clubs can claim such a distinguished start. Realizing this, the club has recently shown a greater sense of appreciation for their golf course and its architectural integrity. Naturally -- the club figured -- a layout so intimately tied to Ross and Pinehurst should be taken seriously three generations later.
It all stems from the belief that works-of-art deserve close care and meticulous preservation. "It's really no different from protecting historic antebellum porches from weathering or being glassed-in and updated", says Walker Taylor, who spearheaded the restoration of Wilmington Municipal and Cape Fear Country Club in his hometown of Wilmington.
"Besides, club folks too often underestimate the value of tradition and heritage", says Taylor. "Certainly, a Ross design is an attraction, but its authenticity makes it one of the most powerful marketing tools available for clubs today".
Ross eventually left behind an impressive legacy of 413 courses, where 100+ USGA national championships have been played. Today, twenty-five Ross thoroughbreds are ranked in Golfweek's "America's Best 100 Courses", many of which gained their fanfare following a sensitive restoration.
Small wonder club officials across the country are making the journey to the Tuft's Archives, the Donald Ross repository at the Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst, to uncover rare archival evidence that reveals exactly how Mr. Ross intended for their course to look and play.
The club dates back to 1925, when Leonard Tufts, president of Pinehurst Inc., and a group of affluent North Carolina businessmen, proposed the development of a private mountain community to reside during the summer months. Pinehurst had already become a popular winter enclave in the Sandhills, and Tufts envisioned a companion golf retreat with the perfect climate for his Yankee clientele, who were tiring of their long trip back north every summer.
In 1926, Roaring Gap Club was formed, and Tufts served as the first president. In fact, brochures and press releases referred to Roaring Gap as “the Pinehurst of the Mountains”.
Because Roaring Gap started as a joint venture with Pinehurst Inc., Tufts made sure that Donald Ross, his golf director in Pinehurst, was the hands-on architect from start to finish. After all, Ross already had made quite a name for himself outside Pinehurst by designing courses during the summers throughout the northeast. Until 1938, even Ross' assistants at Pinehurst, including Palmer Maples, interned as head professionals at Roaring Gap every summer.
When recounting Roaring Gap's golf legacy, few clubs can claim such a distinguished start. Realizing this, the club has recently shown a greater sense of appreciation for their golf course and its architectural integrity. Naturally -- the club figured -- a layout so intimately tied to Ross and Pinehurst should be taken seriously three generations later.
It all stems from the belief that works-of-art deserve close care and meticulous preservation. "It's really no different from protecting historic antebellum porches from weathering or being glassed-in and updated", says Walker Taylor, who spearheaded the restoration of Wilmington Municipal and Cape Fear Country Club in his hometown of Wilmington.
"Besides, club folks too often underestimate the value of tradition and heritage", says Taylor. "Certainly, a Ross design is an attraction, but its authenticity makes it one of the most powerful marketing tools available for clubs today".
Ross eventually left behind an impressive legacy of 413 courses, where 100+ USGA national championships have been played. Today, twenty-five Ross thoroughbreds are ranked in Golfweek's "America's Best 100 Courses", many of which gained their fanfare following a sensitive restoration.
Small wonder club officials across the country are making the journey to the Tuft's Archives, the Donald Ross repository at the Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst, to uncover rare archival evidence that reveals exactly how Mr. Ross intended for their course to look and play.
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
