PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA | In the late afternoon of another warm summer day in Pinehurst – the resort operators answer the phone by saying, “It’s a beautiful day in Pinehurst” for good reason – Bob Dedman Jr. has found a soft chair and a cool drink in the den of the Fownes Cottage where he stays when he’s in town. Bob Dedman Jr. It’s a casually elegant place, close enough to the village green to hear the chancel bells that ring on the hour and near enough to the golf courses at Pinehurst Resort to feel the game as it quietly pulses like a heartbeat through everyday life here. Bob Dedman and his family own Pinehurst Resort. It sounds almost brash when it’s put in those terms, someone holding the deed to what can fairly be called the home of American golf. Dedman is many things – smart, influential and bold – but he’s not brash. In fact, he fits Pinehurst almost perfectly, appreciating the legacy that began more than a century ago while believing the resort’s best days are still to come. Dedman’s touch is like that of a good cashmere s...