Though no U.S. Open Championship is scheduled for the Sandhills in 2008, there will be no shortage of excitement in golf this year.

While the professionals are taking a break from visiting the area that has hosted five U.S. Opens (three Women’s and two Men’s) over the past 12 years, the amateurs will be taking their turn on the center stage.

The United States Golf Association has established a tradition here that is expected to extend well into the future. And that tradition continues this ­summer with the hosting of the U.S. Men’s Amateur Championship by Pinehurst Resort.

The best amateur golfers in the world will gather here for the event Aug. 18-24. A field of 312 golfers will ­compete in 36 holes of stroke-play over courses 2 and 4, with the low 64 ­qualifying for match play. The ­championship ­concludes on Sunday with a 36-hole final. Ten hours of national ­television coverage is scheduled.

The Amateur is the oldest USGA championship, first played in 1895 at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. There is no age restriction for the event, which is open to players with a handicap index of 2.4 or lower.

Some past champions include Walter Travis, Francis Ouimet, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Colt Knost won the national championship last year.

The champion receives a gold medal, a replica of the Havemeyer Trophy, and various exemptions for USGA ­championships as well as the British Open and an invitation to compete in the 2009 Masters if he remains an amateur.

Available ticket packages include Season Grounds $50 — Admission Monday through Sunday; Flex Book $40 — Book of four good-any-day coupons redeemable at the admission gate; Daily Grounds Tickets $15 — Gives holder access on any given day of the Championship; Junior Tickets — Children 17 and under admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

All U.S. Amateur tickets include ­parking at the Small Harness track.

The Men’s Amateur again bodes well for the annual Men’s North and South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst. Golfers planning to play in the national championship are eager to get in some rounds at Pinehurst and this should ­bolster the already prestigious North and South fields.

As well as the 1999 and 2005 Men’s Opens and the three women’s events, the USGA held the U.S. Senior Open at Pinehurst in 1994 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at Legacy Golf Links in 2000. That event was highlighted by the appearance of then 10-year-old Michelle Wie.

The U.S. Men’s Open will return to Pinehurst in 2014, but Pine Needles is still awaiting a date for its fourth Women’s Open.

The U.S. Kids Championship, hosted by several courses in the area and featuring a field of approximately 1,000 kids, will be back this summer for a third straight year. Get ready for some crowded fast food restaurants.

Once again, there have been ­renovations and upgrades at several courses in the area. Pinewild Country Club’s Magnolia Course, already ranked as one of the top courses in the state, reopened to rave reviews.

Avestra, which owns or manages ­several area courses, has taken the reins at Hyland Hills Golf Club and Southern Pines Elks Club. Both courses are undergoing extensive upgrades which have generated more play at both facilities.

Avestra also operates both Foxfire Country Club and the Country Club of Whispering Pines.

Pinehurst Resort is nearing ­completion of a renovation of its No. 1 Course. Greens and bunkers were totally rebuilt and the course promises to resume its role as a member favorite.

Mid Pines, the sister course of Pine Needles and located just across Midland Road, has benefited from several changes and more are planned for the Donald Ross course that opened in 1921.

Bayonet at Puppy Creek, which draws play from Hoke, Moore, Cumberland and Robeson counties, is enjoying a surge in interest since its new ­clubhouse opened last year. The acclaimed Willard Byrd layout also offers one of the best practice facilities in the area.

Golf in the Sandhills is life. The rest is just details.