By Hunter Chase - The Pilot
A little more
than 100 years ago, the Carolinas Golf Association
operated out of a room in a home in Charleston, S.C.
On September 29,
2014, the CGA opened the doors to the Carolinas Golf
House, its brand new headquarters located adjacent to
the Pine Needles conference center in Southern Pines.
And the growth
of the organization is reflected in the new 13,000
square-foot two level building, said Jack Nance, the
executive director of the CGA.
“It (the CGA)
came into being because they wanted to have a
championship overseer and buy a trophy,” said Nance.
From the five
clubs and their desire to have a Carolinas Amateur
Championship that existed in 1909, the CGA has grown to
where it serves the needs of more than 700 clubs and
close to 150,000 golfers in South Carolina and North
Carolina.
The CGA is the
second largest golf association in the country and
oversees more than 220 tournaments a year while
providing numerous services, including handicapping, to
its members.
The new
headquarters will also be the home of the 35-year-old
Carolinas Golf Foundation that has provided more than
$1.5 million for Carolinas-based golf initiatives and
grow-the-game programs.
As the
non-profit organization has grown, so has the need for a
bigger building. The CGA has been operating out of a
building in West End since 1991.
“We brought up
the subject of a new building in 2000,” said Nance. “I
never knew it would be 14 years later before we had
one.”
The CGA’s
executive committee discussed the need for a new
building in 2000 and approved the Pine Needles proposal
in 2010.
The project cost
$2.2 million, said Nance, and will probably approach
close to $3 million by the time all is said and done.
Construction started in December 2013.
“I’ve learned a
lot about building in the last 10 months,” said Nance.
‘Great Marriage’
From its
beginning in Charleston, S.C., the CGA has been based in
various locations, including Pinehurst, the
Winston-Salem area and West End.
The CGA moved to
a 4,200 square-foot building in West End and has been
there since 1991.
“We literally
outgrew the West End location,” said Nance. “We started
with four staff members and now we have 15. We really
enjoyed our time there. It was a good 22 years.”
Nance said that
Pete Tufts was instrumental in the move to West End.
The Tufts family
of Pinehurst fame has been a longtime influence in the
success and growth of the CGA. Nance said that when the
CGA was based in Pinehurst, Richard Tufts was a
steadying hand.
“He (Tufts) was
the glue for the association,” said Nance. “For 20 to 30
years he really kept it together. It’s pretty neat the
records he kept. They are handwritten in this beautiful
cursive style. They (the records) are an interesting
read.”
Nance noted that
when the CGA moved here in 1991 the area hadn’t been the
scene of any U.S. Opens, but that the organization
realized it was moving to a “golf-centric” location.
Since the early
1990s, Moore County has been a mecca for the USGA’s
national championships, including a U.S. Senior Open
Championship, four U.S. Women’s Open Championships and
three U.S. Open Championships.
Most recently,
the USGA conducted its historic back-to-back Opens at
Pinehurst No. 2 this June.
“It has been a
great marriage,” he said. “We did not leave Moore
County, it’s the Wall Street of golf. This is a unique
golfing location.”
Speaking of
unique, the moniker for the new building — the Carolinas
Golf House — is also unique. According to Nance the name
Golf House is trademarked by the United States Golf
Association for its national headquarters in Far Hills,
N.J.
Nance said that
he wrote to the USGA asking permission to use Golf House
in the name of the new building.
“I was glad they
were willing to do that for us,” he said. “They had one
caveat — that the name include Carolinas.”
A Lot of Space
While giving a
tour of the new facility last week, Nance kept stopping
to hit switches to turn off lights.
“I think the
utility bill is going to be a bit different here,” said
Nance.
The building is
also going to be a bit different than the previous
location, mainly because of the amount of space
available.
Nance said the
first floor is being called “tournament row.” It is
where the staff is located that handles the many
tournaments the CGA presents, and also includes lots of
storage space.
The second floor
is dedicated to the GHIN handicapping services and
record keeping. There is also a large conference room
located on the second floor.
In fact, the
first use of the Carolinas Golf House occurred on
September 20th when the 18-member executive committee
had a board meeting.
“That was the
first official meeting we’ve had in this location,” said
Nance.
Although the CGA
opens the doors for business on Monday, the official
ribbon-cutting grand opening will be held in February
2015.
There is another
area on the first floor that will be developed over time
— a gallery dedicated to the history of the CGA.
“We are in an
organizing effort for the gallery, working on a theme,”
Nance said. “We know it’s going to be a showcase of golf
in the Carolinas.
“We want people
that walk in to spend some time and see what the CGA has
provided for the last 100 years.”
Some information
for this article came from CGA news releases.
What is the Carolinas Golf Association and Foundation?
The Carolinas Golf Association (CGA) is a 501(c)3
not-for-profit organization, a regional golf association
founded in 1909 by golfers from five golf clubs. Their
goal was to create a committee to conduct a Carolinas
Amateur Championship. No one then would have suspected
that, 100 years later, the CGA would be a full service
organization for 700 golf clubs and its golfers.
The CGA offers membership services to more than 165,000
golfers of CGA clubs that includes: extensive tournament
program for golfers of all ages and ability, an agronomy service, a
quarterly magazine mailed only to members, USGA handicapping
service, USGA course
ratings, Rules of Golf and handicap system education,
handicap licensing and certification along with USGA outreach programs.
The Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF) was formed by the
Carolinas Golf Association in 1977 to
support Carolinas golf initiatives, turfgrass scholarships,
junior golf developmental programs and many other projects.
The CGF is funded principally by the
Carolinas Golf Association but also by contributions from
individual golfers interested in promoting and supporting
junior golf, women's golf, turfgrass research and management
and many other worthwhile Carolinas projects. According to
Internal Revenue Service regulations, the Foundation must
generate at least 10 percent of its receipts from golfers
who want to give back something to our game.
The CGF is also a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization.
