When the U.S. Women's Open came to Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in May, 1996, the belle of the ball was none other than the matriarch of the house, Peggy Kirk Bell. If you want proof that good things happen to those who wait, look no further than Mrs. Bell. She and her late husband, Warren, were proprietors of Pine Needles beginning in 1953. They were first offered the chance to host an Open in the 1960s, but there was too much monetary risk involved before golf truly became a game for the masses and the advent of widespread corporate support. But the USGA returned in the 1990s, partly because the Sandhills area of Southern Pines is a golf mecca, partly because of the quality of the Donald Ross golf course, and partly in tribute to what Mrs. Bell has meant to the game of golf over five decades. This Open is such a tribute, and it should be, to Peggy Kirk Bell, says noted amateur player and course architect Alice Dye. She has done so much for women's golf. Think of the thousands of people she's taught. That's one thing. But her leadership in the spirit of the game, the ethics and integrity of the game have been profound. And she's always been so enthusiastic in her leadership.
When it was over, the USGA said it wanted to come back in five years. This family and this community are passionate about golf, USGA official Judy Bell (no relation) said. There's such a feeling for the game here. The people of this community and state embraced this event. That's a key with us. Mrs. Bell grew up in Ohio and learned the game as a teen-ager. She became quite proficient early on and was a member of the 1950 Curtis Cup team. Then she was a founding member of the LPGA in 1951 and played the tour for more than a decade, until she settled down with her husband to teach golf and raise their three children at Pine Needles. Peggy was the public-relations arm of the team and Warren the nuts-and-bolts man behind the scenes. But you'd see both every night in the dining room, greeting guests and making them feel like old friends. Now Mrs. Bell is still active at Pine Needles, teaching alongside son-in-law Pat McGowan. The resort's Golfaris have become renowned in the world of golf as comfortable and fun weeks of golf instruction and camaraderie for the gals. No one has ever met Peggy Kirk Bell and not fallen in love with her. Her warmth is what makes Pine Needles a special place.
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