PINEHURST, N.C. -- When he spotted it, he knew he was where he wanted to be. It touched Bruce Chalas’ golf soul, brought a smile to his face, and whispered in his ear.

What was it he saw?

“I walked into a store in the village and there was a guy waiting in line. He had a golf glove hanging out of his back pocket. I said, ‘This is my kind of place.’ ”

A lifelong golfer from the Boston area – Babson College, Thorny Lea GC, collegiate coach at Boston College, Harvard, MIT, currently Boston University – Chalas many years ago chose to make Pinehurst, N.C., his home. Oh, he commutes frequently to the Boston area, but never has he regretted spending so much time in this golf mecca in North Carolina’s sandhills.

“There’s a nice vibe here,” said Chalas. “Golf is spoken here.”

So when it was suggested to Chalas that the question is not “should I make a golf trip to the Pinehurst Resort?” it is emphatically “whenshould I make that trip to the Pinehurst Resort?” he agreed.

“I live here and I like to listen to people in the village who have come to the resort. There’s always enthusiasm. Never have I heard someone say, ‘I’m not coming back.’ ”

The glories of the Pinehurst Resort are many, but perhaps tops is this: It is a world-class golf destination that is easily drivable from a variety of locales. (From Boston, 13-14 hours. From Columbus, Ohio, 8-9 hours. From Memphis, 12 hours. From Orlando, 8 hours.)

Now no place wears its moniker, “The Home of Golf,” as brilliantly as St. Andrews and you wouldn’t make a trip to Scotland without visiting the Auld Grey Toon. The same holds true for the Pinehurst / Southern Pines / Aberdeen area in the North Carolina sandhills. You owe it to yourself to visit this mecca that is rightfully known as “The Home of American Golf.”

It is an area rich in golf options – “roughly 40 courses in the sandhills,” said Chalas – but to those who’ve chosen to make the area their home, there is an undisputed truism.

“The (Pinehurst) Resort works hard to get people here,” said Jay Mickle, a farrier from the New Jersey area who moved to Southern Pines more than 15 years ago because his two passions – shoeing horses and playing golf – are the heartbeat of this area.

“The Resort drives the town and No. 2 drives the Resort,” said Chalas. “They do a great job of selling history and selling golf and selling excitement for the game.”

Given that we are still in a bit of U.S. Open mode – it was played less than two weeks ago at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course – it is a perfect time to conjure up thoughts of visiting the Pinehurst Resort. After all, whereas LACC was as exclusive as you can get, take a deep breath, open your arms, and cherish the fact that Pinehurst is as inclusive as you’ll find.

(No surprise then that the U.S. Adaptive Open will be held July 10-12 for a second straight year on No. 6.)

Heck, even the United States Golf Association has bought a second home in the shadows of the famed No. 2 course. Impressively, the USGA has declared Pinehurst world-renowned No.2 as its first “anchor” course for the national open. Having previously held the U.S. Open at No. 2 in 1999, 2005 and 2014, it will return there next June and is on board for returns in 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047.

If you read that and guess that the magic, the ambiance, and the aura of Pinehurst can’t be much of a secret, you’re correct. When you date back to 1895, as the Pinehurst Resort does, you have endless testimonies to support your legacy.

With a wide array of options for accommodations (The iconic Carolina Hotel; The Manor, which was favored by Arnold Palmer; The Holly Inn, The Magnolia Inn, the Villas, and the Condos) and dining, the choices continue with nine golf courses (a tenth, No. 10, should be opened sometime in 2024), plus Thistle Dhu, an 18-hole putting course, and Gil Hanse’s short-game creation, The Cradle.

Don’t be overwhelmed, however, because when you visit the Pinehurst Resort website – https://www.pinehurst.com/accommodations/ – you’ll be impressed by the ease with which you can navigate to book your trip and the variety of packages available. (Especially enticing are the Family Getaway packages where children under 17 play for free if accompanied by mom and dad, and the popular Buddies Trip deals.)

When he meanders through Pinehurst Village, either for breakfast or lunch at The Villager Deli, or for conversation with Tom Stewart at the Old Sport & Gallery, Chalas is constantly in awe of the steady stream of golf visitors, so many of them there because of the Pinehurst Resort. He can also explain why the entire sandhills area is thankful for the visitors who do come to savor the aura of the resort.

“My son (Greg) got married on the first tee of (the famed) No. 2 (course) a few years ago,” said Chalas. “I was told that there are like 50 weddings a year and there’s a stat that confirms that within a year of a wedding a crazy high number of guests decide to move to the area.”

Mickle can understand that lure of pine straw beneath your feet. That was him years ago.

“I was going back-and-forth (New Jersey to Pinehurst) for a few years when I realized it didn’t make sense. Everything I wanted was here. The ambiance, the golf, the horses . . . the recreation pursuits were too good to ignore,” said Mickle.

“The whole place sucked me in.”

Anyone who has been there would understand.

"Power Fades" will not be published next week. It will return July 12.