Paradise in the Pines

Jaime Diaz has spent 40 years documenting happenings in the world of golf. The respect among his peers and a long list of career accolades are many. Diaz is a nine-time Golf Writers Association of America award-winner; earned the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2012; and was recognized by Jack Nicklaus as the recipient of the Memorial Golf Journalism Award. He spent time in his car...

Eric Kuester started his career at Pinehurst Resort as a front desk agent. Fast forward 20 years and Kuester is now on the front lines of one of America’s greatest golf resorts poised to host the 2024 U.S. Open, its first such championship in 10 years. Since the Resort hosted its first U.S. Open in 1999, capped off with one of the most memorable moments in golf history as Payne Stewart made an ico...

For nearly 10 years, Linda Parsons has served as the President and CEO of the Moore County Chamber of Commerce. During her tenure, Parsons has witnessed the growth of the Moore County business community, seen it more recently impacted by the COVID pandemic, and now emerging as one of the leading areas in North Carolina for growth and a positive business climate. In this episode of Paradise in the...

We hope you have been enjoying our bi-monthly podcast, Paradise in the Pines. The podcast is all about the people, places and stories that make us the Home of American Golf. This time, the podcast offers a unique twist. In a somewhat hostile takeover, we’re giving our boss a break and taking over the airwaves! In this episode, listen as CVB staffers Dan Dreyer, Ashley Baker and Melissa Holt talk a...

From a humble upbringing in Raeford, North Carolina, Sally Austin is recognized inside the Home of American Golf and beyond as a champion and trailblazer for women's golf. Austin's love for the game was instilled by her father and she honed her skills under the tutelage of the legendary Peggy Kirk Bell at Pine Needles, where she still teaches the game today. A faithful and diehard North Ca...

With Pinehurst Resort officially "on the clock" for the 2024 U.S. Open, we wanted to check in with Janeen Driscoll from the USGA to get the latest updates as we countdown to golf's national championship returning to the Home of American Golf. Plus, what's going on with the build out of Golf House Pinehurst, the World Golf Hall of Fame and so much more. Listen to the latest Paradi...

U.S. Kids Golf is a global brand, recognized around the world as one of the leaders in attracting youth golfers to the game. However, the epicenter of the efforts and leadership for U.S. Kids Golf is right here in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. Chris Vonderkall is vice-president of the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation and has been with the organization for more than two decades. The mission of U.S...

North Carolina is the sixth most-visited state in the country. The main reason why people make plans to visit the Tarheel State is Wit Tuttell, the Executive Director of Visit NC. Tuttell oversees a team passionate about everything from Murphy to Manteo and every town and hamlet in between, including the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area. To catch up with Wit, who enjoys minor league baseba...

Natalie Hawkins has been leading the charge for Moore County's economic development for over two years. As president of the Moore County Economic Development Partnership (formerly Partners in Progress), she and her team are constantly seeking new business opportunities and enhancing current ones to define the future of the area. To accomplish these goals, Hawkins is constantly speaking and neg...

Happy Anniversary to the Country Club of North Carolina as they celebrate their 60th year. The club has a championship pedigree dating back decades and has witnessed some of the greats in the game compete in USGA and other notable events, including the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Hal Sutton, Fred Couples and Webb Simpson, among many others. In April 2023, CCNC will host the Atlantic Coas...

Joshua Peyton is a purpose-driven person. As president of the Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) which he founded in Pinehurst in 2014, and as an Army veteran, served 20 years at Fort Bragg as part of the 82nd Airborne division. The VGA is a national non-profit organization that offers military veterans the opportunity to enjoy competition and community through golf. VGA membership is open to all U...

The fourth annual Painted Ponies Art Walk is a sure sign of spring in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area of North Carolina. More than a dozen beautifully painted ponies line the streets of downtown Southern Pines along Broad Street between February to early April in celebration of the deep equestrian culture in the Sandhills. The Painted Ponies are a public art display that benefits the...

Bob Farren is known as the “keeper of the greens” at Pinehurst Resort, a responsibility he has enjoyed for 41 years as the Director of Golf Course & Ground Management. In 41 years, you could say Farren has seen it all – a resort that was owned by the bank when he arrived in 1982 to now one of the most revered and globally-recognized golf resorts in the world and the first anchor site for the U...

If you are a fan of the arts, you are familiar with the Arts Council of Moore County. That means you likely know Chris Dunn and Ray Owen, a dynamic duo that are passionate about the arts and its place in the culture of Moore County. The Arts Council is the center of a thriving creative district, with arts and cultural industries generating $13.2 million in local economic activity annually. The Cam...

If you follow professional golf, the names inside the ropes are household names. As a journalist covering the sport, Ron Green, Jr. is one of the most respected names inside the ropes and in the industry. This year, Green, Jr. was named the 2023 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism by the PGA of America. He is the 32nd recipient of the award. His 93-year-old father, Ron Green...

If you haven't been to Red's Corner in Southern Pines, what are you waiting for? North Carolina's first and only permanent food truck and beer pavilion is the hottest place to be and be seen in Moore County. The vision for Red's Corner comes from owner, Rachel Jurgens who is from Bend, Oregon where food trucks have been prevelent for years, so she wanted to create the same vibe her...

Abby Liebenthal has a passion for the game of golf. She grew up around the game in Toledo, Ohio and as the assistant dirctor of media and CRM marketing for the USGA, she enjoys working and playing in the Home of American Golf otherwise known as Pinehurst, NC.  Aside from her main career role, she has found another purpose as the founder and president of Fore The Ladies, a female-based, non-pr...

Kevin Drum is someone you should meet. Better yet, sit at the bar in the establishment he owns, the Drum & Quill, and enjoy a long conversation with a guy who loves Pinehurst almost more than life itself. Business owner, marketer, storyteller, and more, Kevin is passionate about life, golf, a good cocktail, and life in Pinehurst.  Kevin's dad was Bob Drum, whose work with CBS Sports golf...

The brainchild of Pinehurst entrepreneurs Angela Robb and Nicole Stein, the Sandhills Trolley Company has taken the Sandhills by storm. This is not your granddaddy's trolley with the boring tour guide droning on. These trolley tours are fun, interactive and the themes are seemingly endless.  From Brews Cruises to Comedy Cruises to Coffee Tours and more, Robb and Stein have found a niche and a...

For the first anniversary Paradise in the Pines podcast, we bring back our inaugural guest - Tom Pashley, president of Pinehurst Resort. Perfect timing, too as the Resort is still basking in the glow of the annoucement that the tenth golf course will be built. Yes, the "tenth course" not Pinehurst No. 10. Pinehurst's newest golf course will be created by venerable course architect Tom Doak and it...

Jessica Halling and her husband, Brad, are Army veterans and proud owners of what will become the newest distillery in Moore County, NC – the Brad Halling American Whiskey Ko. (BHAWK). The destination distillery is expected to open in early 2024, just in time for the U.S. Open which is set to be played at Pinehurst No. 2 in June of that year. The campus will be located off Yadkin Road in Southern...

Forthcoming

Micah Niebauer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Southern Pines Brewing Company in Southern Pines, NC. He spent 11 years in the United States Army serving as a green beret, 3rd Special Forces Group, Company Commander.   Micah Niebauer attended The Wharton School and received his MBA from the insitution in 2019.   Entrepreneur, innovator, brewmaster, leader, soldier and board member,...

Ben and Phil talk pots and Seagrove history. 

Maness has been involved with aviation his entire career: for over 10 years with the Air Force, including as a Captain for the inaugural class of the first TOPGUN training wing in California and two years as a pilot for the Air Force precision flight squadron, the Thunderbirds. Following his military career, Maness joined U.S. Airways where he served as a pilot for 22 years. Prior to accepting his...