Donald Ross remains one of Pinehurst’s most celebrated legends, known for his pro- found impact on golf — the sport that all but defines

Pinehurst’s small-town character. With his new book, “The Life and Times of Donald Ross,” local author Chris Buie proves that there’s more to Ross’ story than one might expect.

After publishing his first book, “The Early Days of Pinehurst,” in 2014, Buie had no clear inclination to write another book — that is, until he was struck by what he describes as an epiphany.

“The first day that I went to the 2014 Open, I walked up, and I was standing on the hill there, where you could see the clubhouse from one side and down the No. 1 course, and it was totally filled with people,” he says. “I mean, I couldn’t believe it. I realized that none of these people would be here if it wasn’t for this one guy. I was, like, can you imagine, more than a hundred years after you create something, you have droves of people coming from all over the world to see your work.”