Stevenson grew up around Mid Pines and still works there during the golf season.
“It was a family operation with my sisters and I working 12 to 15 hours a day,” she recalls. “We got to know all the guests and it became like one big family.”
She has been the social director at Mid Pines ever since I have known her, which goes back to the ‘70s. She and her late husband, Jack, and their staff made sure the guests at Mid Pines enjoyed their stay.
My late husband, Stan, and I were among those guests for over 17 years. Mid Pines has a certain ambiance that makes it elegant in its presentation. Jackets and ties are needed in the formal dining room each evening, and there are always fresh flowers on every table. Patrons enjoy the same waiters and waitresses year after year.
I enjoyed a couple of hours reminiscing with her. She recalled the great friendship between her late sister, Buttons, and Peggy Kirk Bell during their college years and beyond.
“They were close friends and very fine amateur golfers,” she recalled. “I was not as good but would often accompany them on their golf trips as a chaperone or most likely as a gofer.”
Stevenson recalled an occasion that took place a few years ago.
“I was surprised with an 80th birthday party and Peggy was just wonderful,” she said. “The Mid Pines dining room was full of guests, and many of them laughed and cried right along with us as Peggy presented a wealth of home movies. I was not unhappy when the film broke and the visual presentation came to a halt.”
Truly, this is a friendship that has endured the test of time.
During the Women’s Open, you can find Stevenson as a volunteer in the Merchandise Pavilion or ringing the cash register in the Pro Shop at Pine Needles or Mid Pines.
She points out that if you are a guest at either Mid Pines or Pine Needles, which are both owned by the Bell family, you are welcome to play either course during your stay. A shuttle will bring you from one course to the other.
As soon as the tournament is completed, Stevenson will be heading to her home away from home in Massachusetts. She enjoys an ocean view and sharing a round or two of golf each week with cherished friends.
Mid Pines will beckon again in the fall and she will return to her golfing and family roots here in the Sandhills.
Hamilton’s Home: Betse Hamilton’s business card reads, “Director, U.S. Women’s Open Championships.”
It is a long title for a very responsible job. Hamilton can always be found on site at least six weeks prior to any U. S. Women’s Open Championship. She is the sole USGA representative for those six weeks leading up to the Championship.
Hamilton is a North Carolina native, now living in Pinehurst.
“I only have to drive eight minutes to my office at Pine Needles for this tournament,” she says. “Usually, I am away from my home working at sites that are located all over the United States.”
She had a cottage built in the village of Pinehurst because she thinks it is the most beautiful place in the world.
“I have nieces and nephews that love to come and stay with me,” she says. “We can walk to the ice cream parlor or just enjoy the peace and quiet of life in a small village. When I have been away for weeks at a time it is a wonderful feeling to return to Pinehurst and all that it has to offer.”
Her first golf-related job was with Pinehurst Resort setting up golf outings for clients. It wasn’t long until the USGA recognized her skills and asked her to come to work for them. She is now in her 17th year with the USGA.
I waited at the USGA office hoping to get a few minutes of her time. Hamilton arrived in a golf cart with three children aboard — her niece, nephew and a friend. They had just seen Mia Hamm and her friends playing four holes of golf on the Pine Needles four-hole practice loop. It was hard to determine who was having more fun, Hamilton or the kids.
The demands on her time were very evident as she walked from the cart to the entrance of the USGA offices. She was greeted three times by people who just needed “one minute of her time.”
She was gracious and patient and smiling as she listened to each one, gave the answer needed and then entered her office. The phone was already ringing, she was just minutes away from another meeting and yet found time to help me out as well.
She is a perfect example of the old adage, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”
“I really am the luckiest person in the world,” Hamilton concluded. “I love my job, I enjoy the traveling, and I love my nieces and nephews and they love me.”
It was a pleasure to watch a pro, not a golfing one, in action.
