By David Droschak So how has John McConnell systemically assembled a successful private golf course portfolio across four Southeastern states while many in the industry scoffed at his notion of a “regional golf network?” Already with more than a dozen top-notch layouts designed by the likes of Dye, Fazio, Palmer, Norman and Ross, McConnell has…
By Bob Sutton It was time for Alamance Country Club’s renowned course to receive a bit of a facelift, and golfers should return in November after a significant “refreshening” of the Donald Ross layout. “We’re very lucky that we have our original 1946 Donald Ross plans,” said Ray Womack, a longtime member at the Burlington…
For more than six months now, COVID-19 has presented its share of challenges across so many fronts. The golf industry – and in particular golf resorts – had to think on their feet – weekly, daily and even hourly. And while golf was able to remain open across North Carolina while some business had to…
By David Droschak It was probably a no-brainer that Pine Needles CEO Kelly Miller would tap Kyle Franz to tackle the resort’s latest acquisition – historic Southern Pines Golf Club – as the architect of choice for a renovation project that is scheduled to begin this winter. The work by Franz at sister resorts Mid…
By David Droschak Remember the snickering from golf pundits prior to the 1999 U.S. Open coming to Pinehurst? How was the United States Golf Association going to stage such a major championship in a rural location? The greens would never hold up under the summer heat, would they? Where would the corporate support come from?…
By David Droschak Like so many small towns scattered across North Carolina, the local country club was for decades a gathering place for executives from the furniture or textile industries. Life was good, and business was booming. Eden, situated in northern Rockingham County near the Virginia border, was no exception, with Fieldcrest Cannon as a…
Stokes County course has been in the family for more than half a century By David Droschak Keith Robertson has a hard time letting go of a distressed hemlock tree on the 4th hole. You see, it’s personal to him and his family. Hemlock Golf Club in rural Stokes County was built by his father…
By David Droschak After a half century as a members-only club, the transition of Sapona Golf Swim and Tennis Club over the last year to a successful semi-private offering has been truly personal for general manager/director of golf Chad Newton and former club chairman Jason Barney. Newton and Barney each have strong emotional ties to…
By Brad King Safe to say, the cities of Winston-Salem and Tulsa aren’t often discussed in the same conversation. In this case, however, the dialogue that took place in mid-2018 was in regard to a pair of historic golf clubs: Old Town Club in the Triad area and Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma. Old…
By David Droschak With dozens of Donald Ross-designed golf courses scattered across the state of North Carolina from Asheville to Wilmington, golf enthusiasts have debated for decades the best of the best. One Ross course that has often flown under the radar has been the Southern Pines Elks Golf Club, especially over the last decade…