Before becoming an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, world renowned golfer Julius Boros lived in the Sandhills of North Carolina. His first competitive round at Mid Pines came in a one-day Pro-Am tune-up ahead of the 1948 North & South Amateur at Pinehurst. He carded a bogey-free 67 to win the event. He went pro the next year and was named Head Golf Professional at Mid Pines in 1950, in part due to an arcane rule that prohibited professional golfers from receiving prize money from tour events during their first six months.

In 1953, Boros and Frank “Pop” Cosgroves, the father of his late first wife, along with Warren “Bullet” Bell and his wife, Peggy, pooled together their money to purchase the deteriorated Pine Needles Golf Course from the Catholic Diocese. Two years later the Cosgroves set their sights on Mid Pines and negotiated the sale of their share in Pine Needles to the Bells. Boros agreed to liquidate his Pine Needles interest as well. He went on the help create the Senior PGA TOUR and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1982. He is remembered today for his relaxed swing, exceptional short game and, of course, his famous catch phrase: “Swing easy, hit hard.”