PINEHURST, N.C. – There is a softness beneath your feet when you arrive. That is the endless cushion of pine needles.

But the tranquility that settles over you and the comfort that permeates the pores? That is the unmistakable presence of golf. It is behind every door, out every window, in every smile that greets you to this mecca that has been crafting its ode to golf for more than 100 years.

Before there was Bandon Dunes, or Streamsong, or Sand Valley, there was Pinehurst, which is the essence of golf the way St. Andrews is the soul of golf. Should you not quite take my word on that, perhaps Arnold Palmer could convince you.

He was 74 years old in the spring of 2004 when Palmer felt the urge to rekindle his love of Pinehurst because it “has always meant (so much) to the Palmer family.”

Palmer was accompanied by the woman who in 2005 would become his second wife, Kit Gawthrop. (Winnie Palmer had died in 1999). And the requests were simple (a room at the Manor Inn and some dinner reservations) which was typical of Palmer, and perfect for Pinehurst; unpretentious and attentive, they had in common.

Stephen Boyd, who worked in special services and business development for Pinehurst, coordinated the visit for Palmer and was surprised to see a set of golf clubs come off the plane.

“Mr. Palmer,” said Boyd, “I didn’t think you were playing golf.”

Palmer smiled, winked, and said, “Stephen, I’m not playing golf. But you don’t come to Pinehurst without your clubs.”

Indeed, you do not, and if the Pinehurst Resort’s nine courses and its newest gem, the short-game “Cradle,” aren’t enough of an attraction, there are dozens of other golf courses in Pinehurst and Southern Pines and bordering towns to whet your thirst for golf.

Courtesy of Stephen Boyd In a thank you letter to Stephen Boyd, Arnold Palmer let it be known that Pinehurst was a special place for him and his family.

What will also serve you well on a visit to Pinehurst is a deep appreciation for the game’s history as homage is paid throughout the village to the Tufts family (they founded the resort and championed amateur golf), to Donald Ross (who made No. 2 his monument to golf), to photos of champion golfers that hang in every hallway of every inn, every clubhouse, every golf course.

Of course, rich history only exists when words have been chronicled by writers in possession of a keen knowledge and genuine love of a subject and were present to witness happenings and the people who created the magic. Given what is is central to the way of life in Pinehurst, it’s no surprise that giants of the written word who helped mold golf legends and spread the gospel of golf called this mecca home.

Charlie Price, most famously associated with “Golf Digest” and a man who saw Bobby Jones’ greatness in person; Dick Taylor, who brought “Golf World” to life; and Bob Drum, a quick-witted sportswriter who just so happened to pretty much discover a Pittsburgh-area hotshot named Arnold Palmer, were gentlemen who shared not only a love of golf and Pinehurst, but an uncanny passion for storytelling.

Their stories often appeared in print publications, but many of them more colorfully filled the air at the iconic Pine Crest about a par 4 and a par 5 away from where Payne Stewart (1999), Michael Campbell (2005) and Martin Kaymer (2015) won U.S. Opens. Palmer, of course, made sure a stop-in at the Pine Crest was on his agenda in 2004 and he directed Kit to a corner of the bar where he smiled warmly and was prompted to call his longtime assistant, Doc Giffin.

When Arnold told Doc that he was sitting with “Charlie Price, Dick Taylor and Bob Drum,” Giffin wondered if his great friend had lost it. All three of those legends had died. But Palmer laughed softly and explained that three barstools had been dedicated to this trio of golf writers and Giffin understood that Palmer was simply doing what one does in Pinehurst – offering reverence to golf’s cherished history.

Time has marched on, of course, yet it is comforting to know that it does so a little more slowly here in Pinehurst.

A copy of “PineStraw” – a beautifully-done monthly magazine that celebrates the people and lifestyle of the Sandhills – was in my room at the Holly Inn and a scan of the March issue’s masthead produced four names whose golf-writing talents have graced the landscape in my time.

James Dodson, the author of “Final Rounds” and “A Golfer’s Life,” the autobiography of Palmer, is a contributing editor. Lee Pace, whose books and stories about Pinehurst capture the heart of this area, is a contributor. Bill Fields, a gifted writer with “Golf World” whose talent for historic pieces is uncanny, is also a contributor. And Jim Moriarty, whose feature stories in “Golf World” were always extraordinary, is the magazine’s editor.

It provided a sense of comfort to know that such a marvelous tradition carries on in Pinehurst, that while the era of Price and Taylor and Drum has faded, the passion they had for golf and the people who play it lives on.

Golf is not a good walk spoiled. Never has been. And a trip to Pinehurst will drive home that point.