tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81349983962021268402024-02-19T07:15:24.931-08:00DSG's Affordabili-TEESNews-Herald Staff Writer David S. Glasier has been playing golf for over 50 years and writing about it for over 30. Always operating on a tight budget, Glasier is on a lifelong quest to find good courses to play at affordable prices.News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-46690900483157370542014-06-06T21:24:00.002-07:002014-06-07T17:39:50.097-07:00Great memories and playing conditions in Ashtabula: Chapel Hills Golf Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Went to visit an old friend today in Ashtabula, an old friend named Chapel Hills Golf Course.<br />
Happy to report my friend is in good hands and in fine shape.<br />
First, a bit of personal history.<br />
Chapel Hills was a favorite of my late father, S.J. "Joe'' Glasier. He started playing the course in the 1960s while in the North Willoughby Golf Association, a traveling league that visited dozens of public courses in Northeast Ohio.<br />
For a period of five or so years in the 1980s, my dad would join sons David, Donald and Daniel as well as Steve the barrister, Art the neighbor with the hand towel and other acquaintances for Sunday morning rounds at Chapel Hill.<br />
For my dad, who preferred clear sailing on the golf course, Sunday mornings at Chapel Hill meant first-available-tee-time, first-footprints-on-the-first-fairway early. Those were good times,. even if it meant getting up at 5 a.m. so we could get out there to synchronize with the first beams of sunlight filtering through the trees.<br />
Back to the present.<br />
With Father's Day on the near horizon, memories of my dad and those golfing Sundays put me in the mood to make the trip to Chapel Hills for the first time in a long time.<br />
It was a picture-perfect morning, sunny and the temperature in the high-60s. I paid the senior rate for 18 holes, walking, $17, with $2 tacked on for the pull cart.<br />
Much to my satisfaction, from tees to greens and fairways in between, the course was in superb condition. That's a credit to Ray and Jamie Banary, the Mentor residents who've owned Chapel Hills for 10 years, course superintendent Jeff Piscura and his crew.<br />
As anyone who's played Chapel Hills will tell you, this is the dogleg-iest course in Northeast Ohio. Ten of the holes are doglegs - Five to the left, five to the right. The twists and turns take some getting used to, but as far as I'm concerned, this course's crookedness is a lovable eccentricity.<br />
The best of the doglegs, for my money, are the par-4 second, par-4 5th, par-4 8th and par-5 12th.<br />
Tree-lined, tight and 448 yards from the back tees, the 12th is one of the prettiest and most demanding par-5s in the area. Big hitters can think about reaching the dogleg as it turns sharply left to an elevated green. Mere mortals have to thread a second shot into the gap and leave the correct yardage for an approach into a shallow green.<br />
Other personal favorites are the par-4, 365-yard eighth hole and par-5, 505-yard 18th hole. The latter is an exceptionally strong finishing hole, especially from a back tee that requires a tee shot navigated through a tree-lined opening.<br />
By the way, at its maximum length of 6,038 yards, playing the back tees at Chapel Hills is not an exercise in macho delusion.<br />
When the round was complete, I introduced myself to Jamie Banary and chatted for a while about the exemplary playing conditions. She talked about the commitment she and her husband and their three sons have made to ownership of Chapel Hills.<br />
The basic rates at Chapel Hills are user-friendly, to say the least. It's $26 for 18 holes and a cart during the week ($23 seniors) and $31 for 18 holes with a cart on weekends. Weekday specials are really enticing: 36 holes with cart and lunch, $40; 36-plus holes with cart and lunch, $45; Monday and Thursday, 18 holes with cart, $20.<br />
Chapel Hills is easily accessible from the Route 45 exit off Interstate 90. Off I-90, you go south on Rt. 45, hang a quick right on Austinburg Rd. and go about three miles to the course.<br />
All things considered, Chapel Hills is an top-notch value.<br />
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Chapel Hills Golf Course<br />
<a href="http://www.chapelhillsgolf.com/">www.chapelhillsgolf.com</a><br />
3381 Austinburg Road, Ashtabula, OH 44004<br />
440-997-3791<br />
800-354-9608<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-79464570736945399772014-05-15T14:58:00.001-07:002014-05-16T11:02:58.799-07:00DSG's North Carolina Golf Vacation: More from the Yadkin Valley A big part of me wishes I could snap my fingers and be back in the Yadkin Valley.<br />
Since the vacation is over and I'm back at work, I'll settle for sharing with you the highlights of the final two days spent enjoying the first-rate golf, tasty wine and breath-taking scenery of this great destination in northern North Carolina.<br />
After a restful night in the Cabins at White Sulphur Springs, we made the short drive to downtown Mount Airy for breakfast at Barney's Cafe.<br />
Mount Airy is the birthplace the late actor Andy Griffith, who used it at the model for Mayberry, the fictional town that was home to Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith), deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) and all the characters who became viewer favorites in the classic 1960s comedy series bearing Griffith's name.<br />
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Barney's Café is a friendly, down-home place owned by Eric Fleming. Eric happened by on the Saturday morning we visited. Not only did he tell us about the restaurant's history and its popularity with local residents and tourists, he gave us an authoritative scouting report on Cross Creek Country Club, the course we'd be playing later that morning.<br />
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Eric Fleming</div>
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Eric is a longtime member at Cross Creek, which, as its name suggests, has water in play on many of its challenging, picturesque 18 holes. Before teeing off, we spent some time with Cross Creek's personable young pro, Brad Edwards.<br />
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Cross Creek sits on a beautiful piece of land about three miles from Barney's Cafe. It's a superior golf course, as is Cedarbrook Country Club, mentioned in the previous "Affordabili-TEES. installment, and Olde Beau Golf and Country Club,'' soon to be discussed in this installment.<br />
Which carries me to this rave about the value offered in the Yadkin Valley Golf and Wine Experience stay-and-play packages. Check them out at <a href="http://www.yadkinvalleygolf.com/">www.yadkinvalleygolf.com</a>.<br />
For two rounds of golf, two wine tastings and two nights lodging, the current prices range of $207 to $296 is off-the-charts outstanding.<br />
Back to the particulars of Days Two and Three of our stay in the Yadkin Valley.<br />
The round at Cross Creek was followed by another visit to downtown Mount Airy that included a stop at Old North State Winery.<br />
In the evening, we divided our time between stops at Round Peak Vineyards on the outskirts of Mount Airy and JOLO Winery and Vineyards in Pilot Mountain.<br />
Round Peak is owned by Mayfield Village native Ken Gulaian and his wife Kari Heerdt. They bought the winery, complete with a beautiful view of Skull Camp Mountain, in 2008. They're doing brisk business for their wines and craft beers.<br />
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Ken Gulaian, Kari Heerdt</div>
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JOLO opened April 15 and is the newest addition to the burgeoning winery scene in the Yadkin Valley, in particular, and North Carolina, in general. Owners J.W. Ray and his wife, Kristin, see to every detail including the operation of End Posts restaurant.<br />
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JOLO</div>
Our stay in the Yadkin Valley ended on a sunny Sunday morning with a stop at Olde Beau Golf and Country Club in Roaring Gap. The one-hour drive from Mount Airy to Olde Beau was a bit of a test, but the experience of playing the course owned by well-known college basketball TV announcer Billy Packer justified the effort.<br />
The elevation changes on the back nine at Olde Beau are amazing.<br />
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No. 17, Olde Beau</div>
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Here are a few parting thoughts for all you pondering a visit to the Yadkin Valley to enjoy the cool convergence of golf, wine, scenery and down-home hospitality.<br />
- Take advantage of the stay-and-pay packages offer by Yadkin Valley Golf. The prices cannot be beat.<br />
- Be prepared to do some driving to get to the golf courses and wineries. Our traveling times from the Cabins at White Sulphur Springs ranged from five minutes (to downtown Mount Airy) to one hour (Olde Beau). I suspect you'll experience a similar range of driving times using the other four choices of lodging offered in the packages.<br />
- Be meticulous about getting directions to the various venues.<br />
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Round Peak Vineyards<br />
<a href="http://www.roundpeak.com/">www.roundpeak.com</a><br />
765 Round Peak Church Rd., Mount Airy, NC 27030<br />
336-352-5595<br />
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JOLO Winery and Vineyards<br />
<a href="http://www.jolovineyards.com/">www.jolovineyards.com</a><br />
219 Jolo Winery Lane, Pilot Mountain, NC 27041<br />
855-565-6946<br />
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Old North State Winery<br />
<a href="http://www.oldnorthstatewinery.com/">www.oldnorthstatewinery.com</a><br />
308 North Main Street<br />
Mt. Airy, NC 27030<br />
336-789-9463<br />
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Cross Creek Country Club<br />
<a href="http://www.crosscreekcc.com/">www.crosscreekcc.com</a><br />
1129 Greenhill Rd., Mount. Airy, NC 27030<br />
336-789-1826<br />
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Olde Beau Golf and Country Club<br />
<a href="http://www.oldebeau.com/">www.oldebeau.com</a><br />
729 Olde Beau Blvd., Roaring Gap, NC 28668<br />
336-363-3333<br />
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Barney's Café<br />
205 North Main St., Mt. Airy, NC 27030<br />
336-786-8305<br />
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Stay-and-play packages<br />
Yadkin Valley Golf<br />
<a href="http://www.yadkinvalleygolf.com/">www.YadkinValleyGolf.com</a> <br />
121 Hamby Rd., Suite 318<br />
Dobson, NC 27017<br />
(855) 398-4653 <br />
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Tourism info<br />
Surry County Tourism Development Authority<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.verysurry.com/">www.verysurry.com</a></span></b><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-61945601808679281242014-05-06T20:22:00.000-07:002014-05-06T20:22:07.424-07:00DSG's North Carolina Golf Vacation: Discovering Yadkin Valley Martin Armes and Craig Distl, I owe you big time.<br />
Martin, based in Raleigh, N.C, and Craig, based in Charlotte, N.C., are public relations specialists who represent golf tourism destinations in North Carolina and elsewhere.<br />
A couple of years ago, Martin gave me a heads-up about a media event Craig was pulling together for the Yadkin Valley region in northern North Carolina. I couldn't free up the time to be part of that event, but held onto the email containing information about Yadkin Valley Golf & Wine Getaways because, well, I love golf and wine.<br />
I'd also traveled through that part of North Carolina in recent years and it is a drop-dead gorgeous part of the country.<br />
When planning this golf vacation, I contacted Craig and asked him if he could create an agenda for me and traveling companion George Sweda that would approximate what he'd done for the golf-travel writers who took part in the event two years ago.<br />
Craig did just that, coming up with a schedule that had us playing three rounds of golf, visiting four wineries, eating some great meals, staying at the Cabins at White Sulphur Springs in Mt. Airy and driving through some of the prettiest country you'll see east of the Mississippi River.<br />
I'll be writing about our stay in the Yadkin Valley in great detail for the Travel section of The News-Herald, but here's the first of two quick overviews for "Affordabili-TEES.''<br />
We played out first round of golf at Cedarbrook Country Club in State Road. Designed by Ellis Maples, Cedarbrook is a classic layout with a satisfying blend of holes and extraordinarily challenging greens.<br />
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Cedarbrook CC</div>
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While there, made the acquaintance of PGA professional and general manager Zim Zimmerman.<br />
When the round was finished, we made the short drive to Grassy Creek Vineyards. Tasted some nice wine and enjoyed a tour of the vineyards with co-owners Lori and Derrill Rice.<br />
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Grassy Creek Vineyard</div>
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Dinner was at the Shelton Vineyards Harvest Grill in Dobson, a place we'd visited before on a previous trip.<br />
George skillfully navigated us back to the Cabins at White Sulphur Springs. More on the colorful history of this place in the Travel story.<br />
The tone had been set for what would turn out to be an eye-opening stay in the Yadkin Valley.<br />
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Stay-and-play packages<br />
Yadkin Valley Golf<br />
<a href="http://www.yadkinvalleygolf.com/">www.YadkinValleyGolf.com</a> <br />
121 Hamby Rd., Suite 318<br />
Dobson, NC 27017<br />
(855) 398-4653 <br />
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Tourism info<br />
Surry County Tourism Development Authority<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.verysurry.com/">www.verysurry.com</a></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> Cedarbrook Country Club</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <a href="http://www.cedarbrookcountryclub.com/">www.cedarbrookcountryclub.com</a></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">225 Country Club Drive</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> State Road, NC 28676</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> (336) 835-2320</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> Grassy Creek Vineyard</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <a href="http://www.grassycreekvineyard.com/">www.grassycreekvineyard.com</a></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 235 Chatham College Circle</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> State Road, NC 28676</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> (336) 835-4320 </span></b> <br />
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Shelton Vineyards<br />
<a href="http://www.sheltonvineyards.com/">www.sheltonvineyards.com</a><br />
286 Cabernet Ln, Dobson, NC 27017<br />
(336) 366-4724<br />
<nobr><span class="skype_pnh_container" dir="ltr" skype_menu_props="{'numberToCall':'+13363664724' , 'isFreecall':false, 'isMobile':false, 'isRtl':false}" tabindex="-1"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"></span></span></span></nobr><br />
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(866) 901-1910<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-21775099711715654972014-05-05T19:31:00.001-07:002014-05-05T19:46:38.265-07:00DSG's North Carolina golf vacation: The "heart'' of Asheboro How fitting that the word "heart'' is closely associated with the effort to bring visitors to Asheboro, N.C. and eight nearby communities in Randolph County.<br />
Asheboro, population 26,000 and growing, sits astride NC Route 64 running east-west and Interstate 73/74 running north-south. It's about as close to the geographic heart of the Tar Heel State as you're going to find. <br />
While it isn't the highest-profile tourist destination in North Carolina, you'd be hard-pressed to find one with better attractions for its size (including the fabulous North Carolina Zoo), a better price point for budget-conscious travelers and friendlier folks to meet when you're there.<br />
Asheboro strikes me as a warm place with plenty of heart. Fancy it is not. Friendly it certainly is.<br />
That atmosphere of down-home hospitality is embodied by Tammy O'Kelley, director of tourism for the North Carolina Visitors Bureau. I've visited Asheboro twice in the last years. Both times, she did a great job pointing me toward places that embody the heart and spirit of the place.<br />
I'll soon be writing at greater length and detail about the Asheboro area for the Travel section of The News-Herald. For purposes of this blog, I'll focus on the first-rate experiences we had at Holly Ridge Golf Links and Asheboro Municipal Golf Course.<br />
Holly Ridge is in Archdale, about 10 miles north of downtown Asheboro just west of the US 311-I 73/74 interchange. Playing to a par of 72 from tee yardages ranging from 4,653 yards to 6,609 yards, Holly Ridge is both a great test of golf and an excellent value.<br />
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Greens fees for 18 holes with riding cart range from $25 (senior)/$31 (regular) Monday through Thursday to $31 on Friday and $40 Saturday-Sunday.<br />
Holly Ridge owner Luke Hollingsworth is both proud and pragmatic about his greens fees. He believes his customers are getting great value for their money. The feedback he gets from those customers, many of them from Northeast Ohio, buttresses that belief.<br />
The place gets great word-of-mouth reviews, and deservedly so. Designed by golf course architect Jim Bivins of Asheboro, Holly Ridge is eminently playable and pleasing to the eyes. There's a nice variety of holes with challenges arising from water, forced carries and contour. The greens and the complexes surrounding the greens are expertly maintained.<br />
We played the white tees at 6,144 yards and thought the course at that length both challenged and rewarded. Holly Ridge is an ideal walking course, a big plus in my book. <br />
When the round was finished, we had a great time chatting with Luke about the history of Holly Ridge, built by his father and some partners and opened for play in 1994. Holly Ridge has a nicely stocked golf shop and a really good restaurant, the menu for which is printed on the back of the scorecard. Golfers are encouraged to place their order while still on the course to save time at the turn.<br />
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Luke Hollingsworth</div>
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I've played many a golf course on "Affordabili-TEES'' trips since launching the blog three-plus years ago. Off the cuff, I can't think of many courses that measure up to Holly Ridge in the merging of quality and price point.<br />
If you're anywhere near Archdale and Asheboro while on a golf trip, carve out time to play Holly Ridge.<br />
Asheboro Municipal is close to my heart (there that word again!) for three reasons.<br />
First, the 9-hole, par-35 course just off Rt. 64 has a rich history. Open since 1937, it was designed by legendary golf course architect Donald Ross of Pinehurst fame.<br />
Second, with three tee positions and a maximum length of 3,074, Asheboro Muni is the essense of user-friendly.<br />
Third, the place is devoid of pretense and has a 9-hole walking greens fee of $10. The pro, Andy Nelson, sets the easygoing tone in the cozy clubhouse.<br />
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Asheboro Muni for me summons memories of the late, lamented Casement Golf Club in Painesville.<br />
There wasn't time enough on this trip to sneak in a round at Asheboro Country Club, an 18-hole course west of town that has new ownership and reportedly is on the rebound under the guidance of general manager Brandon Turner.<br />
I've already made a mental note to play Asheboro Country Club and return to nearby Tot Hill Farm Golf Club the next time in Asheboro.<br />
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Holly Ridge Golf Links<br />
<a href="http://www.hollyridgegolflinks.com/">www.hollyridgegolflinks.com</a><br />
7933 U.S. Highway 311 South<br />
Archdale, NC, 27263<br />
(336) 861-4653<br />
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Asheboro Municipal Golf Course<br />
<a href="http://www.asheboroparksandrecreation.com/">www.asheboroparksandrecreation.com</a> <br />
421 Country Club Dr.<br />
Asheboro, NC 27205<br />
(336) 625-4158<br />
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Asheboro Country Club<br />
<a href="http://www.asheborocc.com/">www.asheborocc.com</a><br />
5105 Old Lexington Rd.<br />
Asheboro, NC 27205<br />
(800) 697-2143<br />
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Tot Hill Farm Golf Club<br />
<a href="http://www.tothillfarm.com/">www.tothillfarm.com</a><br />
3185 Tot Hill Farm Rd.<br />
Asheboro, NC 27205<br />
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(336) 857-4455</div>
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Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau</div>
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<a href="http://www.heartofnorthcarolina.com/">www.heartofnorthcarolina.com</a></div>
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145-B Worth St.</div>
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Asheboro, NC 27203</div>
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(800) 626-2672</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-68905671689534947012014-05-02T22:10:00.001-07:002014-05-02T22:15:51.798-07:00DSG in N.C.: Getting to play Pinehurst No. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ogTI3BEfkY/U2R4-vhzxpI/AAAAAAAAAGE/khX7qI8T4S0/s1600/18+on+No.+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ogTI3BEfkY/U2R4-vhzxpI/AAAAAAAAAGE/khX7qI8T4S0/s320/18+on+No.+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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View up 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2</div>
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This is written under the auspices of "DSG's Affordabili-TEES,'' but it isn't about affordable golf.<br />
It's about once-in-a-great-while golf.<br />
It's about taking advantage of a rare opportunity to tee it up on Pinehurst Resort's storied No. 2 course. designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1907.<br />
No. 2 is one of the best courses on the planet and, there's no getting around this, beyond the reach of most golfers from the standpoint of cost.<br />
Even if you are staying at the resort and paying the current golf package rate of $638 per night (double occupancy, 1 round golf, breakfast buffet, dinner included), it cost another $195 plus caddie fees to play the course on which history will be made in June when it hosts the U.S. Men's and Women's Opens. <br />
Luckily for yours truly, an invitation to participate in a Media Day for the U.S. Opens, presented jointly by the United States Golf Association and Pinehurst included the option to play No. 2 after the presentations were complete.<br />
Before proceeding, here's a tip of the golf hat to traveling companion and Hall of Fame golf writer George Sweda. <br />
Due in no small part to George's longstanding relationships with the USGA, Pinehurst and Pinehurst President and COO Don Padgett II, I was able to join George in going off the first tee with Padgett's son, Don Padgett III, and Malcolm E. "Mac'' Everett.<br />
Don III is executive director of the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational, set for July 30 though Aug. 3 at Firestone Country Club in Akron.<br />
Both of the Padgetts have deep ties to Firestone and Pinehurst, the elder Padgett having run the show at Firestone for 25 years before following in the footsteps of his father, Don Padgett, to take the top job at Pinehurst in 2004.<br />
Don Padgett was Pinehurst's vice president/director of golf when he died in May 2003. Before that, he'd been president of the PGA.<br />
Don III, a superb player in his own right, told me he'd played hundreds of rounds at No. 2.<br />
"It's my favorite course because if I'm here and playing, I'm on vacation,'' he said, smiling.<br />
Mac Everett, also a strong player, is one of the leading citizens of Charlotte, N.C. Now retired from his career in banking, Mac is tournament director of the 2014 Wells Fargo Championship, the PGA Tour event being staged this week in Charlotte.<br />
We teed off just after 1:30 p.m. in letter-perfect weather. No. 2 is a great walking course. Our group's caddies, Chris and Mark, made the 4 1/2-hour trip all the more enjoyable by offering advice on how best to navigate the course's twists, turns and demanding greens.<br />
No. 2 is a transformed course since the 2010 renovation masterminded by noted architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the former PGA Tour stalwart and two-time Masters champion.<br />
The Coore-Crenshaw rebuild restored the sandy waste areas flecked with native grasses and pine straw that had been part of Ross' original design. There is no rough to speak of on No. 2, and it is not missed.<br />
Maintained in fine form by Coore and Crenshaw were the "turtleback'' greens rising above the surrounding turf on No. 2. This was my third round at No. 2 and the first since the rebuild. The course always was magnificent. Now, it's superb.<br />
I'll always remember this round on No. 2 both for the golf and for the great vibe generated by my playing partners and the caddies. Everybody hit their share of good shots and shared many a laugh. The time flew by.<br />
We played No. 2 from the white tees at 6,300 yards.<br />
During the Opens, it will play at par-70, 7,562 yards for the men and par-70, 6,649 yards for the women.<br />
With the men playing first, from June 12 through 15, there are concerns about the playing conditions that will be inherited by the women when they play from June 19 through 22.<br />
It's my belief No. 2 will hold up well.<br />
Closer to the tournament dates, I'll publish a story focusing on this historic convergence of major tournaments.<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-45564502434573926682014-05-01T21:27:00.001-07:002014-05-02T08:24:33.669-07:00Day 3 of DSG's North Carolina Golf Vacation: Dormie Club On the face of it, there is nothing vaguely affordable about Dormie Club.<br />
Located about five miles outside of Pinehurst in West End, Dormie opened in 2010 as a private club with lofty aspirations.<br />
The $25 million project - $15 million for land acquisition and $10 million to design and build the course - was bankrolled by a group of well-heeled investors that includes founder and co-owner Robert Hansen.<br />
A New Jersey native whose been in the business of operating golf courses for most of his adult life, Hansen moved to Pinehurst a few years ago and lives in the house bordering Pinehurst No. 2 once owned by legendary architect Donald Ross<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AwUTq6f6e5k/U2MdmZgBTKI/AAAAAAAAAFg/6j51ejQFLqc/s1600/Bob+Hansen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AwUTq6f6e5k/U2MdmZgBTKI/AAAAAAAAAFg/6j51ejQFLqc/s320/Bob+Hansen.jpg" /></a></div>
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Bob Hansen</div>
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Dormie was designed by the golf architecture team of Bill Coore and PGA Tour great Ben Crenshaw. The walk-in greens fee during this busy season is $190 during the week and $215 on the weekend. During the heat of high summer, May 26 to Sept. 14, those numbers will moderate slightly to $95 and $115.<br />
Dormie offers motorized carts to anyone who chooses to use one, but it is envisioned as a walking course on which golfers can choose to use a caddie. Caddie fees are $80 for a single and $65 per player for doubles.<br />
So, how is it that the traveling golfer of modest means ever could fit a round at Dormie into his or her budget?<br />
The answer in this instance is the same I'd offer in similar circumstances at the majority of upscale golf destinations. Look for the best stay-and-play packages and do the math.<br />
Legacy Golf Package, based in nearby Aberdeen at Legacy Golf Links. books for 27 courses in the area including Dormie.<br />
The Premiere II package offered on <a href="http://www.legacygolfpackage.com/">www.legacygolfpackage.com</a>, currently priced at $529 per person (quad occupancy), is a 3 rounds/2 nights deal with rounds at Dormie, Legacy and Talamore. Package buyers stay in a Pinehurst condo. Breakfast at Pinehurst Track Restaurant is included.<br />
Here's what you get for $529 - three rounds of golf (estimated walk-in greens fees, $440), two nights lodging (estimated market value, $350) and two free breakfasts (estimated $30). That's $820 of value for $529.<br />
Is it cheap? No. Is it worth it if you can swing it? Heck yes.<br />
You can reason your way to thinking the round at Dormie is paid for, and then some, with the difference between market value and Legacy's package price.<br />
Which begs another question: Is Dormie all that it's cracked up to be and worth the expense?<br />
Without hesitation, I'd answer "yes'' on both counts.<br />
Coore and Crenshaw went with the lay of the land on the 390 acres given over to the golf course. With its naturally occurring sandy waste areas flecked with native grasses and vegetation, the holes are nicely framed and given to changes in elevation. The putting surfaces are large, smooth, fast and smartly contoured.<br />
From the par-4, 402-yard first hole to the par-4, 410-yard 18th hole, there isn't a hole at Dormie that isn't pleasing to the eye and challenging. We played Dormie from the white tees at just under 6,000 yards and par-71.<br />
Other tees are red (5,180 yards), blue (6,576 yards) and black (6,883 yards).
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhCXGhWBwMM/U2MeDfebx6I/AAAAAAAAAFo/_ecsP797flc/s1600/Dormie+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhCXGhWBwMM/U2MeDfebx6I/AAAAAAAAAFo/_ecsP797flc/s320/Dormie+17.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dormie No. 17, par 5, 489 yards</div>
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The clubhouse (pictured below) is a lodge left over from the days when the 1,200-acre property was a private hunting preserve.<br />
Hansen was at Dormie on the day we played there. He shared with us the history of the building project and how the original plan to be strictly private had to be scrapped in the lingering aftermath of the economic collapse of September 2008.<br />
Although he still plans to eventually take Dormie private and add amenities such as a 10-hole "short course'' and learning center, for now Hanson is content to have public play serve as Dormie's lifeline.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRsUnSzCLAI/U2MefYWZfjI/AAAAAAAAAFw/SnR6gba9Rxs/s1600/Dormie+clubhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRsUnSzCLAI/U2MefYWZfjI/AAAAAAAAAFw/SnR6gba9Rxs/s320/Dormie+clubhouse.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Dormie Club<br />
6033 Beulah Hill Church Rd.<br />
West End, N.C. 27376<br />
(910) 215- 4587<br />
<a href="http://www.dormieclub.com/">www.dormieclub.com</a><br />
<br />
Legacy Golf Package<br />
12515 U.S. Highway 15-501 South, Aberdeen, N.C. 28315<br />
(910) 944-8838; toll free, (888) 287-2199<br />
<a href="http://www.legacygolfpackage.com/">www.legacygolfpackage.com</a><br />
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</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-43740825773059752212014-04-30T21:07:00.001-07:002014-04-30T21:07:35.576-07:00Day Two of DSG's North Carolina golf vacation: Seven Lakes Country Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0miVgVTlQs/U2HIXvuHb_I/AAAAAAAAAFA/DjwG9xPvob8/s1600/slcc+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0miVgVTlQs/U2HIXvuHb_I/AAAAAAAAAFA/DjwG9xPvob8/s320/slcc+sign.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You hate to throw
around the "p'' word too much, but the experience of playing my first
round at Seven Lakes Country Club was darn near perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All the elements of a
great golf day lined up, from the course (terrific) to the weather (ideal) to
my playing partners, Hall of Fame golf writer George Sweda from Concord
Township and Willoughby native Brad Poplyk, the pro at Legacy Golf Links in
Aberdeen, N.C.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seven Lakes, aptly
named, is about 15 miles west of Pinehurst Village off NC Rt. 211, the main
east-west access road into Pinehurst off Interstate 73/74.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Opened in 1976 and
designed by Peter V. Tufts III, great grandson of Pinehurst founder James
Walker Tufts, Seven Lakes is at once much-honored and under-rated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although it is a
mainstay on lists of the top courses in North Carolina and the Sandhills area,
Seven Lakes doesn't have a profile as high as many of the courses in the
Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nor, thankfully, does
Seven Lakes have the knee-buckling price point of many of the publicly
available courses in the Sandhills region.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Beginning May 17 and
running through June 6, the weekday fee for 18 holes (with cart) is $65. That
drops to $55 from June 23 to Sept. 12.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>During the two weeks in
mid-June when the two U.S. Opens are being staged at Pinehurst No. 2, Seven
Lakes is going with a greens fee to $85.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By standards applied
to upward pricing at courses throughout the Sandhills region during the
two-week run at Pinehurst No. 2, $85 is reasonable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While we're on the
subject of pricing, I'll again recommend that you use Legacy Golf Package (see
info below) to arrange for play at Seven Lakes and lodging in the Pinehurst
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for the course,
it's a winner from first hole to last. On my scorecard, eight of the holes were
singled out as "outstanding''.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My favorites are the
par-4, 344-yard 4th, par-5, 468-yard 11th and par-4, 308 yard 14th holes. All
have water in play and all require accuracy and course management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before we played,
Seven Lakes General Manager and PGA professional Mike Floyd sang the praises of
course superintendent Scott Clawson and advised us the greens are widely
regarded to be among the best in the area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Floyd wasn't blowing
smoke in either regard. Seven Lakes is expertly maintained and the greens roll
fast and true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you're planning a
trip to the Pinehurst area and Seven Lakes isn't on your list of courses to
play, you're cheating yourself out of an affordable, first-rate golf
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many golfers from
these parts are loyal customers at Seven Lakes, Floyd told me. It's not a
surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seven Lakes Country
Club<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2000 Seven Lakes
South, Seven Lakes, NC 27376 (mailing address)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>124 Devonshire Dr.,
Seven Lakes, NC, 27376 (physical address<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(910) 673-4653; toll
free (888) 475-2537<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.sevenlakescountryclub.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Legacy Golf Package<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.legacygolfpackage.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>12515 U.S. Highway
15-501 South, Aberdeen, N.C. 28315<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(910) 944-8838; toll
free, (888) 287-2199<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_25-11icjOc/U2HHVnZfdUI/AAAAAAAAAEo/_gIh8lT2Jpc/s1600/brad+p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_25-11icjOc/U2HHVnZfdUI/AAAAAAAAAEo/_gIh8lT2Jpc/s320/brad+p.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Brad Poplyk</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UbohFLtRPpk/U2HHzTYirFI/AAAAAAAAAEw/CxPxnFTXxLg/s1600/slcc+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UbohFLtRPpk/U2HHzTYirFI/AAAAAAAAAEw/CxPxnFTXxLg/s320/slcc+lake.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O3ev9s7sgDM/U2HH-K8235I/AAAAAAAAAE4/R5GVqjilSQk/s1600/dsg+tee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O3ev9s7sgDM/U2HH-K8235I/AAAAAAAAAE4/R5GVqjilSQk/s320/dsg+tee.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
DSG</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-3897616119057180152014-04-29T21:01:00.003-07:002014-04-29T21:01:57.329-07:00Day One of DSG's 2014 North Carolina golf vacation: Mid Pines Golf Club<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Once upon a time, my main job at the paper
was to write about television as a columnist and critic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While I've not done
that for going on 10 years, I still catch myself using TV references in
everyday situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thus I'm tempted to
write that the renovation of Mid Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., begun
in November 2012 and finished last summer, was an "extreme makeover.''<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But having just played
this classic Donald Ross track after being away for several years, I'm going to
dial back on the "extreme.''<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The makeover of
Mid-Pines, supervised by architect Kyle Franz from the design firm owned by
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, was not extreme. It was masterful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Franz and his crews
de-modernized Mid Pines and restored the natural blend of playing elements that
were there when the course opened in 1921.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gone are
standard-sized fairways, thick rough and conventional bunkers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In their place are
wide, tightly cut Bermuda fairways bordered by sandy waste areas dotted with
native grasses and rough-hewn bunkers similar to those installed by Ross during
the original build of Mid Pines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With the sand framing,
every hole on the course looks different and far more interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is no rough
because there doesn't need to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Miss the fairway, and you're hitting off of hardpan sand or sand covered
with pine needles. You may well find your ball stymied by a patch of wire
grass, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is golf as Ross
envisioned it in the Sandhills area of Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Aberdeen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The greens were part
of the renovation, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While he didn't alter
the essential contours of the putting surfaces, Franz covered them with a new
Bermuda hybrid that better tolerates the heat and humidity of a North Carolina
summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Franz also restored the perimeters of the
putting surfaces, enhancing the "push-up'' rises that are a trademark of
Ross' design for greens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We played Mid-Pines
from the white tees at par-72 and 6.171 yards. There isn't a bad hole in the
bunch. This was a great course before the renovation. Now, it's a gem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You can directly book
lodging and golf at Mid Pines and its equally distinguished sister course, Pine
Needles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I'd recommend using
www.legacygolfpackage.com, which has a Spring Premiere II package (three
rounds/two nights) that includes rounds at Mid Pines, Southern Pines Country
Club and Legacy Golf Links in nearby Aberdeen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cost is $479 per
person in a two-bedroom condo near the Pinehurst Resort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Legacy Golf Package<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.legacygolfpackage.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>12515 U.S. Highway
15-501 South, Aberdeen, N.C. 28315<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(910) 944-8838; toll
free, (888) 287-2199<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mid Pines Golf Club<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.pineneedles-midpines.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1010 Midland Road<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Southern Pines, NC
28387<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(910) 692-2114 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RudheOcfunk/U2B1VNmsRmI/AAAAAAAAAEI/kNOdj-Hz3n8/s1600/Mid+Pines+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RudheOcfunk/U2B1VNmsRmI/AAAAAAAAAEI/kNOdj-Hz3n8/s320/Mid+Pines+flag.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuMisk0jVW8/U2B1gFjnusI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4nskcna6bkw/s1600/Mid+Pines+No.+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuMisk0jVW8/U2B1gFjnusI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/4nskcna6bkw/s320/Mid+Pines+No.+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0biAzBdypWI/U2B1mEjdorI/AAAAAAAAAEY/C96FQbtJD5o/s1600/Mid+Pines+No.+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0biAzBdypWI/U2B1mEjdorI/AAAAAAAAAEY/C96FQbtJD5o/s320/Mid+Pines+No.+18.jpg" /></a></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-89904818602023133182014-04-09T18:47:00.000-07:002014-04-09T19:07:05.479-07:00Muddy start of a new golf season in NE Ohio, planning trip to North Carolina Let the record show that for this intrepid Northeast Ohio golfer, the golf season finally is underway after one of the longest, nastiest winters in recent memory.<br />
This week, I've gotten out twice, each time playing six holes, at Lost Nation Golf Club in Willoughby and Airport Greens in Willoughby Hills.<br />
The six-hole configurations were dictated by time constraints and the fact both courses still are quite rough around the edges after the aforementioned winter. Both times I walked and was glad I did. I got some good exercise and didn't leave much of a mark.<br />
By this time next week, I'll be just a couple of days away from joining friend and Hall of Fame golf writer George Sweda on a trip to North Carolina.<br />
We'll start by spending five days in the Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen area. At the top of our to-do list is a visit to Legacy Golf Links in Aberdeen, where former Willoughby resident Brad Poplyk is beginning his 11th season as head golf professional at the top-notch course designed by Jack Nicklaus Jr.<br />
I ran into Brad (pictured below) in February at the Cleveland Golf Show, where he drumming up business for Legacy Golf Links and Legacy Golf Packages (<a href="http://www.legacygolfpackage.com/">www.legacygolfpackage.com</a>) , the stay-and-play enterprise headed by director of sales Steve Replogle.<br />
Steve wants us to check out some of the courses that are most popular with his stay-and-play regulars, including Dormie Club.<br />
While in the Sandhills area, George and I will participate in media day at the famed Pinehurst No.2 course, home this June in successive weeks to the U.S. Opens for men and women. It's the first time these major tournaments ever have been staged on the same course in the same year.<br />
On the way home from Pinehurst, we'll spend two days in Asheboro, N.C., a highly underrated destination that's home to some great golf courses and the world-class North Carolina Zoo. Been there before and am anxious to get back.<br />
We'll wrap the trip with two days in the Yadkin Valley area in the northern part of North Carolina near the Virginia border. I've passed through the area many times but have never stayed to sample the golf and wineries.<br />
Once back in Ohio, I'm looking forward to a busy season on the "Affordabili-TEES'' front.<br />
It's my firm intent to do a better job showcasing local courses as well as stay-and-play golf destinations within easy driving distance.<br />
At the Golf Show, I identified the following destinations as must-do stories for this season.<br />
- Mercer County and Butler County, both in western Pennsylvania. There are dozens of courses in these locales that are reasonably priced and come highly recommended on websites where traveling golfers offer reviews of the courses they've played and the places they've stayed.<br />
- Pine Lakes Penn-Ohio Golf Trail. There are 30 courses in this umbrella service in Ohio (Trumbull and Mahoning counties) and Mercer County, Pa.<br />
- Tuscarawas County, OH. There are 11 courses in the stay-and-play package presented at the Golf Show, none of which I've ever played. It takes a little more than two hours to get there, which makes me wonder why I've never played any of them. That will be remedied this season.<br />
- Great Indiana Golf Packages. Made my first visit to this destination in Northeast Indiana last summer and was blown away by the quality of the courses and the value. Played three of the eight courses in the stay-and-play package. Would love to play the other five this summer. Doubled up with a trip to Fort Wayne to watch the Lake County Captains play the TinCaps in one of the best ballparks in all of minor-league baseball.<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-77462739213503655392013-08-09T11:38:00.000-07:002013-08-09T11:43:07.732-07:00"DSG's Affordabili-TEES'' in Northeast Indiana G<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">reat Indiana Golf
Packages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Best Western
Kendallville Inn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">621 Professional Way,
Kendallville, Ind. 46755</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Stay-and-play-rates:
$75 to $219, double occupancy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Website: <a href="http://www.greatindianagolf.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.greatindianagolf.com</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> P</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">hone: (260) 347-5263; (866) 719-4608</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Glendarin Hills Golf
Club</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">3333 Glendarin Way,
Angola, Ind., 46703</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par/yardages: 72/
5,186 (red); 5,878 (green); 6,283 (blue); 7,055 (gold)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: $40 to
$55, or Great Indiana Golf stay-and-play package.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Website:
<a href="http://www.glendarinhills.com/">www.glendarinhills.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (260) 624-3550</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> N</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">oble Hawk Golf Links</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">3005 Noble Hawk Dr.,
Kendallville, Ind. 46755</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par/yardages: 71/
4,941 (red); 5,313 (gold); 6,007 (white); 6,411 (green); 6,817 (black)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: $28 to
$45, or Great Indiana Golf stay-and-play package.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Website:
<a href="http://www.noblehawk.com/">www.noblehawk.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (260) 349-0900;
(888) 465-3321</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Cobblestone Golf
Course</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">2702 Cobblestone Lane,
Kendallville, Ind., 46755</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par/yardages: 72/
4,734 (green); 5,812 (silver); 6,447 (gold); 6,976 (black)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: $29 to
$46, or Great Indiana Golf stay-and-play package.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> W</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ebsite:
<a href="http://www.cobblestonegc.com/">www.cobblestonegc.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (260) 349-1560;
(877) 867-4654</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As surprising golf
travel experiences go, they don't get much better than the one I just had in
Northeast Indiana.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">In two action-packed
days, accompanied by Cleveland-area businessman Ray Murphy, I played three of
the seven courses included in the Great Indiana Golf Packages stay-and-play
portfolio.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We played Glendarin
Hills Golf Club in Angola on Day One.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">On Day Two, we played
an early-morning round at Noble Hawk Golf Links and a late-morning round at
Cobblestone Golf Course, both in Kendallville.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">From relative
proximity to Northeast Ohio to outstanding playing conditions, comfortable
lodging, golfer-friendly pricing and Hoosier State hospitality, the trip was a
rousing success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The trek had its roots
at the Cleveland Golf Show in January. While working my way across the exhibit
floor at the I-X Center, I met Rick Hullett, representing Great Indiana Golf
Packages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Hullett told me about
the seven courses in the stay-and-play packages based at the Best Western hotel
in Kendallville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave me some
brochures and business card and asked me to stay in touch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">A few months later, I
revisited the brochure and did web research on the seven courses, the hotel and
the price points of the stay-and-play packages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The courses were
intriguing, the hotel appeared to be nice and the prices were eye-openers in
the affordable sense.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That the courses were
in the same neck of the woods as Parkview Field, home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps
of the Midwest League, was icing on the cake.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Weather permitting,
Ray and I would augment golf at Glendarin on Day One with an evening excursion
to Fort Wayne to watch the Lake County Captains play the TinCaps.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray is minority owner
of the Captains, a team I'd been covering since they arrived in Eastlake in
2003. We'd both heard Parkview Field was one of the best venues in minor-league
baseball.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The trip to Northeast
Indiana went off without a hitch. We departed from the parking lot at Classic
Park at 7:10 a.m., worked our way west to Cleveland and got on the Ohio
Turnpike in Lorain County.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Continuing on the
Indiana Toll Road, we got off at the first exit and took Route 69 south to
Angola. At 10:30 a.m., we were in parking lot at Glendarin Hills well in
advance of our 11 a.m. tee time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Glendarin Hills set
the bar high for the quality of golf we'd experience during our stay in
Northeast Indiana. Living up to its name, Glendarin Hills offered rolling
terrain and plenty of elevation change, none of it severe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We played the blue
tees at 6,300 yards and found the course to be eminently fair. The front nine
is bookended by par-4s, the 370-yard 1st and 362-yard 9th holes, the back nine
by par-5s, the 520-yard 10th and 475-yard 18TH holes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The best of the
par-3s, with the green guarded by water, is the 164-yard 13th.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although the greens
had recently been top-dressed, putts ran quick and smooth.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Noble Hawk offers two
golf experiences for the price of one. The front nine is Midwest links. The
back nine is tree-lined parkland until you return to links for the final three
holes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We thought about
playing the white tees (6,007 yards) but opted for green (6,411 yards).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You need to think your
way around Noble Hawk, starting with the par-4, 391-yard 1st hole. Doglegging
hard to the right, the hole requires a tee shot over grassy waste area to a
slightly elevated fairway. Distance control and accuracy are at a premium.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the par-5, 519-yard
4th hole, quickly survey the forward areas of the hole before hitting your
second shot. With water on the left and nasty rough on the right, blasting away
without a plan makes no sense.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A similar approach
would serve you well on the par-5, 542-yard 13th hole.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The par-4, 411-yard
9th and par-549-yard 18th wrap around the same lake and are first-rate finishing
holes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At Cobblestone, we
played from the gold tees (6,447) and found it to be a stern but fair test.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Particular favorites
for me are the par-5 498-yard 3rd, par-4, 278-yard 4th, par-3, 169-yard 12th
and par-4, 391-yard 15th holes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Given the experiences
we had playing these three courses, I wish there'd have been time enough on
this to visit the other four included in Great Indiana Golf Packages -
Bridgewater Golf Links in Auburn, Autumn Ridge Golf Club and Cherry Hill Golf
Club in Fort Wayne and Indian Hills in Centreville, Mich., about 45 minutes
north of Angola.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As close as these
courses are to Northeast Ohio, every effort will be made to do just that in the
near future.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Accommodations at the
Best Western in Kendallville were clean, comfortable, friendly and centrally located. It
takes less than 15 minutes to travel from the hotel to Noble Hawk and
Cobblestone.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Travel times to the
other courses vary from 30 to 45 minutes.</span><br />
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News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-64927837859297774292013-07-24T16:49:00.000-07:002013-07-24T17:10:43.638-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'': Great morning at Sugarbush Golf Club <br />
Sugar Bush Golf Club<br />
11186 State Rt. 88<br />
Garrettsville, OH 44231<br />
Par/yardages: 72; 4,627 to 6,571 yards<br />
Greens fees: $21 to $38, 18 holes and cart<br />
Website: www,sugarbushgolf.com<br />
Phone: 330-527-4202<br />
<br />
Every once in a while, a plan works exactly as envisioned.<br />
That happened when assistant sports editor Guy Cipriano and yours truly made plans for a day trip that combined a round at Sugar Bush Golf Club with a visit to Eastwood Field in Niles to watch the Mahoning Valley Scrappers play the State College (Pa.) Spikes.<br />
The golf was my idea.<br />
Sugar Bush, in Portage County about eight miles south of Rt. 422 of State Route 88, is one of my favorite courses in Northeast Ohio. Tough and scenic, there isn't a hole I don't like on the Harold Paddock Sr. design that opened in 1965.<br />
Guy joined The News-Herald in February after spending a number of years at the Centre Daily Times in State College. While there, his beats included the Spikes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. An enthusiastic golfer with a solid game, he was intrigued by my description of Sugar Bush and some of the holes that have made it a favorite of area golfers.<br />
I made it a point not to over-sell the par-72 layout owned from the Kovac family. However, I did advise Guy to bring his "A'' game and prepare to make a return visit to Sugar Bush in short order.<br />
Allowing for a 50-minute drive from our meeting point at Classic Park in Eastlake, a 7:30 a.m. tee time to give us plenty of room for a leisurely round. We needed to be finished in time for me to be at Eastwood Field by noon or so to begin an interview with Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak.<br />
It took us 45 minutes to get there, going I-271 south to Rt. 422 East to Mumford Rd. to S.R. 88. We got to the pro shop at 7:20 a.m. and were on the first tee by 7:25. Turned out we would be the "dew-busters,'' or the first players on the course that day.<br />
Guy and I both prefer to walk. He carried. I used a pull cart. At my request, we played the white tees. From there, the course measures just under 6,200 yards at a par of 72..<br />
As indicated earlier, I think every hole at Sugar Bush has its merits.<br />
The par-5, 476-yard first hole offers opportunities for scoring but demands a drive that is accurate and long enough to give you a bona fide shot of clearing the water hazard that comes into play on the second shot.<br />
Length and accuracy are required, too, on the par-4, 416-yard third and par-4, 430-yard seventh holes. The latter hole is particularly demanding with a creek guarding a narrow opening to the green.<br />
Walk away with pars on the par-5, 503 -yard eighth and par-4, 428-yard ninth holes, and you should be pleased.<br />
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The back nine is 450 yards shorter than the front but, for my money, is just as if not more demanding than the front.<br />
As short par-4s go, they don't come much more challenging than the par-4, 324-yard 13th at Sugar Bush. From the white tees, you need to place a 170-yard tee shot in the center or center-left of a fairway that doglegs sharply left and up a steep hill to a green with a back-to-front slope.<br />
The par-4, 290-yard 16th is one of the best driving holes in the area. You can bust one, but the margins for error left and right are small. On the day we played, Guy smacked a bullet up the gut and left himself just a flip wedge that gave him a good birdie chance.<br />
Although the par-5, 486-yard 17th hole is neither tricky nor difficult, be advised a too robust approach shot may well disappear into a row of 7-foot-high hedges framing the back of the green.<br />
The finishing hole is a par-4, 347-yard beauty with an elevated tee, hourglass fairway and devilish bunker in the landing area for tee shots.<br />
If you haven't ever played Sugar Bush or haven't been there recently, you need to do so ASAP. <br />
<br />
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News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-51983036196925065752013-05-28T19:28:00.001-07:002013-05-28T19:28:31.475-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'' in West Virginia: Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lakeview Course</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1 Lakeview Dr., Morgantown, WV 26508</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardages: 72; 5,426 to 6,760</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stay-and-play: Per-person golf packages range from $130 (Spring/Fall, one night) to $450 (Three Night/Four Day).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: <a href="http://www.lakeviewresort.com/">www.lakeviewresort.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: (304) 594-1111; (800) 624-8300</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Our tour of West Virginia golf venues ended on a decidedly upbeat note with a round on the Lakeview Course at this popular resort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I'd never before visited Lakeview, but the place felt familiar and friendly as the bus carrying yours truly and eight other golf-travel writers pulled up to the entrance of the main lodge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As near as I can reckon, this resort opened in the early 1970s and has remained a popular destination for golf travelers from Ohio, Pennsylvania and other neighboring states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The user-friendly price structure of the resort's stay-and-play packages has much to do with the enduring popularity of this golf destination. So does geography and accessibility from Interstate 79.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In addition to the main lodge, Lakeview Resort and Spa has cottages and manor houses available at reasonable rates. The resort offers a nice array of amenities, from a restaurant and bar to first-rate fitness center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The resort has two courses - Lakeview and Mountainview. We played the Lakeview Course, which fully opened in 1954 and is the older of the two.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From the par-4, 317-yard first hole to the par-5, 620 yard 18th hole, the Lakeview Course serves up an enticing blend of challenge and scenic beauty. The putting surfaces were first-rate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Especially on the front nine, there are outstanding vistas of nearby Cheat Lake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This overview is being written about 10 days after my stay at Lakeview. The resort gets mixed reviews from guests who've chosen to submit comments on travel websites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most of the complaints center on the condition of rooms in the main lodge. In the opinions of those former guests, the rooms are in need of updating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was there for only one night, but I would say the place has held up well. My room wasn't posh, but it was clean and comfortable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A fellow guest with whom I spoke at some length said he and his family were spending six nights in one of the manor houses while in Morgantown for a wedding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He wasn't a golfer, but said he and the others staying in the manor house were having a fine time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxsLCakk9y4MYSqY9X8rmMOR4Th9i9qDplfqRsEDug2zghHRUwo24FSpvLLOgA3mCZSKlrxn6kwon8u8teOveACxL2x6z9v19lUXAO36sNInsyuGuy5efAfr44kRDNVCftfDwW3gQtfUz/s1600/dandave+(trimmed)+0+00+12-26.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxsLCakk9y4MYSqY9X8rmMOR4Th9i9qDplfqRsEDug2zghHRUwo24FSpvLLOgA3mCZSKlrxn6kwon8u8teOveACxL2x6z9v19lUXAO36sNInsyuGuy5efAfr44kRDNVCftfDwW3gQtfUz/s320/dandave+(trimmed)+0+00+12-26.jpg" /></a>News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-16002379740501918542013-05-25T20:08:00.000-07:002013-05-25T20:11:04.334-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'' in West Virginia: Stonehaven Course, The Resort at Glade Springs<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Resort at Glade Springs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Stonehaven Course</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">255 Resort Dr., Daniels, WV 25832</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par, yardages: 72; 5,114 to 7,203</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: $55 (off season) to $99</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stay-and-play: Basic golf packages at $118, $161 and $209 (double occupancy). Many other packages offered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: <a href="http://www.gladesprings.com/">www.gladesprings.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: (304) 763-2000); (855) 802-3080</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You don't want to go crazy with superlatives in this business. Use them too often, and they lose their impact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That being established let me heap a superlative or two on the Stonehaven Course at Glade Springs Resort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stonehaven is a great track. There wasn't a hole on it I didn't at least like. Many of the holes I really liked. Some of them I loved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then there's the par-5, 515-yard 16th hole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This hole took my breath away, and that's not easily done after a 50 years of playing the game on many hundreds of courses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of my playing partners at Stonehaven was Mike James, director of golf and recreation for the Resort at Glade Springs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Early in the round, I'd asked Mike to set aside a couple of minutes for a video interview. I remember him saying something about waiting until 16 because the hole would offer a "nice backdrop.''</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Every hole had its virtues. The layout is challenging but not soul-crushing. The greens are well-tended and rolled true. As for the scenic backdrops, they are distracting in a wonderful way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We played from the white tees at 6,215 yards. It was plenty of golf course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Putting out on the 15th hole, a short-ish par 4, I notice the climb in the cart path leading to 16. Piques my interest, definitely, as I remind Mike we'll shoot the video before we tee off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He just smiles and says, "Sure.''</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A few second later, I'm at the top of the path as it makes a sharp bend to the left and I'm standing there, transfixed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With five sets of tees and measuring 601 yards from the tips, this is as visually arresting a golf hole as I've seen in a long time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From the black, green and white tees, you must carry the tee shot over a waste area to a landing area framed by bunkers at either end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another bunker, on the left side of the fairway, is in play on the second shot. Bunkers in front of and to the right of the green lend an element of risk to the approach shot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There's work to do on the green, too, as subtle breaks must be allowed for in all putts beyond tap-in range.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I hate to throw around the "p'' work, but if the 16th at Stonehaven isn't a perfect hole, it's darn close to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Throughout the round, Mike talked about the other two courses at Glade Springs, Cobb and Woodhaven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We didn't play either, so I'll pass on his assessments of the Cobb as challenging but player-friendly and Woodhaven as extraordinarily challenging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The accommodations at Glade Spring include a main lodge and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>manor houses. There is a recreation center with an indoor pool, bowling lanes and spa. The resort's restaurants are first-rate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prices for stay-and-play packages are reasonable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I'd love to go back to the Resort at Glade Springs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"> The photo below is of the 16th hole. In no way, shape or form does the picture do justice to the in-person view. </span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="330" scrolling="no" src="http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/embed/iframe?aspect_ratio=16x9&auto_next=1&auto_start=0&page_count=12&pf_id=9608&pl_id=21438&rel=3&show_title=0&va_id=4072497&volume=8&windows=1" width="425"></iframe><br />News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-74579693019201633692013-05-20T18:01:00.000-07:002013-05-29T17:06:13.890-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'' in West Virginia: The Greenbrier's Old White TPC<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">300 West Main St., White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par/Yardages: 70; 5,019 to 7,287</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Stay-and-play: Packages start at $240 per player, per night (weekdays) and rise to $290 (weekends).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> W</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ebsite: <a href="http://www.greenbrier.com/">www.greenbrier.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (800) 453-4858; golf packages, (877) 398-2871<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> F</span></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">requent traveling companion and Hall of Fame golf writer George Sweda had given me a tantalizing preview of The Greenbrier, both as a resort and as a golf venue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The place lived up to George's advance billing and then some.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">With its rich history dating to the mid-19th century, the resort is a throwback in the best sense of the term. It's an ornate place that wears its luxury on its sleeve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Forewarned is forearmed about the price niche of The Greenbrier. It's a five-star resort that prices itself accordingly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Affordabili-TEES'' will make an allowance for the Greenbrier as a "splurge'' destination. While always keeping an eye on the bottom line, it doesn't hurt to treat yourself to a taste of the good life every now and then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">In the resort and on its two championship courses, you will get your money's worth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Our group of golf-travel writers played the Old White TPC, home of the PGA Tour's Greenbrier Classic. The white tees came in at just under 6,000 yards, so we moved to the blue tees at 6,443 yards and had a satisfying experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Old White is named after the resort's original hotel and opened in 1914. The architect was Charles Blair Macdonald, an esteemed designer who used some British holes he admied as inspiration for at least three holes on Old White.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">You climb stairs near the clubhouse to the elevated tee for the par-4, 437-yard first hole. It's a neat<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>setting and a preview of what's to come as the course unfolds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Old White is demanding, fair, and oh so easy on the eyes. I'd love to get back to this resort soon, re-visit Old White TPC and play its sister course, the Greenbrier.</span><br />
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</span>News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-21141822849153744132013-05-16T03:16:00.002-07:002013-05-21T08:01:30.998-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'' in West Virginia, Oglebay and Stonewall resorts <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Oglebay Resort and Conference Center<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Palmer Golf Course<o:p></o:p></span><br />
R<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">oute 88 North, Wheeling WV 26003</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"> P</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ar, yardages: 72; 4,569 to 6,725</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Resort offers many stay-and-play packages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Website: <a href="http://www.oglebay-resort.com/">www.oglebay-resort.com</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (304) 243-4000; (800)624-6988</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Stonewall Resort</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Palmer Course</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">940 Resort Drive, Roanoke, WV 26434</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Par, yardages: 72; 5,038 to 7,149</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Greens fees: $55 (off season) to $99; Resort </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">offers many stay-and-play packages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Website: <a href="http://www.stonewallresort.com/">www.stonewallresort.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Phone: (304) 269-7400 (Resort direct); (304) 269-8885 (tee times).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Eye-opening would be the apt description of my first golf trip to West Virginia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">For years, I've passed through the Mountain State on my way to golf destinations in North Carolina, South Carolina and other points south.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Now, I'm getting the chance to play some of West Virginia's better courses and kicking myself in the behind for taking so long to set down the clubs in a place so close to home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">This journey began in Wheeling at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Located in the state's northwestern panhandle hard by the Ohio-West Virginia state line, Oglebay is easily reachable from all points in the Cleveland area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mapquest puts it at 160 miles and three hours driving time from my front door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Oglebay is owned by the city of Wheeling and operated by the Wheeling Park Commission. Between the golf (five courses, 72 holes), main lodge, cottages, restaurants, zoo, museum, specialty shops and other amenities, the place teems with activity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Our group of golf-travel writers was placed on the championship-caliber course designed by legendary golfer and golf course architect Arnold Palmer.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">There wasn't time enough in the schedule to check out the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course at Oglebay. After having such a positive experience on the Palmer course, I'm eager to return and play the Jones course.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Playing from the white tees (par 71, 6,065 yards), the Palmer Course is challenging, pleasing to the eye and user-friendly.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
T<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">he toughest hole is the first, a 444-yard par-4 that rightfully is accorded the No. 1 handicap.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Every hole offers sweeping vistas of the state's hill country. You need to pay attention to hitting shots and managing your game, of course, but it would be foolish not to drink in the natural beauty of the surroundings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Palmer also designed the course at the second stop on our tour, Stonewall Resort in Roanoke.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Palmer Course at Stonewall offers all the natural beauty of the one at Oglebay and a higher degree of difficulty. Our foursome played from the white tees (par-72, 5,821 yards). It felt more like 6,200 yards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">From first tee shot to final putt, there is no let-up on this superior track.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Stonewall Resort is owned by the state and offers an impressive array of options for lodging, dining and indoor-outdoor activities beyond the golf course. Stonewall Jackson Lake is a gem, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> T</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his traveler especially liked the outdoor/indoor pool and fitness area that featured a steam bath.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Affordability is a major selling point at the Oglebay and Stonewall, which is about 140 miles due south of Oglebay via I-79. Check out the stay-and-play packages at both venues.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
G<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">iven their proximity and favorable price points, it's not surprising that many Northeast Ohioans are patrons at the Oglebay and Stonewall resorts.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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He also knows that every day, on golf courses around the world, everyday players choose either to ignore the rules or observe them only in the loosest of ways.<br />
In this series of videos, shot a StoneWater Golf Club in Highland Heights, Huff offers a general overview of the rules, common applications of the rules and how best to follow the rules while maintaining pace of play.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Tens of thousands of winter-weary folks will descend on the I-X Center this weekend to attend the Cleveland Golf Show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Yours truly will be one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I don't usually buy much at the show...maybe some gloves or a pair of golf shoes if I can spot real bargains. I'm happy with all of my clubs at the moment, so I'm not in the market for "sticks.''</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">What I love to do most at the golf show is meet the representatives of dozens of golf courses and golf destinations. During those conversations I hope to plant the seeds for some "Affordabili-TEES'' trips during the upcoming spring, summer and fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I'm also an avid people watcher, and there will be plenty of that to do during the show on Friday (noon to 7 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ou may run into StoneWater Golf Club head professional Bryan Huff this weekend at the I-X Center. Bryan is thje "Affordabili-TEES'' pro and one of the best golf teachers in the area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here, he offers some tips on putting, putters and putter grips.</span></div>
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Lake Marion Golf Course<br />
9069 Highway 6, Santee, S.C., 29142<br />
Par 72: 5,109 to 6,474 yards<br />
Greens fees: Variable, according to packages<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.santeecoopergolf.com/">www.santeecoopergolf.com</a><br />
Phone: 803-854-2554<br />
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Santee Cooper Country Club<br />
630 Santee Dr., Santee, S.C., 29142<br />
Par 72; 5,045 to 6,589 yards<br />
Greens fees: Variable, according to packages<br />
Website: www.santeecoopergolf.com<br />
Phone: 803-854-2467<br />
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Santee Cooper Golf and Travel<br />
9069 Highway 6<br />
P.O. Box 160<br />
Santee, S.C., 29142<br />
www,santeecoopergolf.com<br />
800-344-6534</span><br />
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<span lang="EN"> Santee travel info: <a href="http://www.santeetourism.com/" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank">www.SanteeTourism.com</a></span><br />
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<span lang="EN"> <tt style="font-size: 9pt;"> </tt>Of all the great out-of-state destinations we've visited since launching this blog two years ago, none better embodies the core principles of "Affordabili-TEES'' than the South Carolina crossroads town of Santee.</span><br />
<span lang="EN"> Santee</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">.</span> is all about quality golf and lodging at hard-to-beat prices in a friendly, down-home community. Throw in great location on the busy I-95 corridor and it's no wonder an estimated 150,000 golf travelers make their way to Santee every year.<br />
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Tens of thousands of those travelers pull into town in vehicles with Ohio license plates, many of them issued in the Northeast Ohio counties of Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga.<br />
From where traveling partner George Sweda and I started our trip, it's about 700 miles to Santee. That's do-able in a day, but if your schedule permits, I'd recommend making this trip in two legs.<br />
Here's the plan I'd suggest.<br />
On Day 1, go to Wytheville, Va. From anywhere in Lake County, it's about 360 miles straight down I-77. Leave early in the morning, and you could even get in 18 holes at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Bastian or Draper Valley Golf in Draper before checking into one of the many affordable motels at the two Wytheville exits.<br />
Check out previous installments of "Affordabili-TEES,'' including the first entry from this trip, for more details about golf and lodging in Wytheville.<br />
On Day 2, make your way down I-77 south to I-26 south (toward Charleston) to I-95 north. Santee (Exit 98) is just a short jaunt up I-95.<br />
Our hosts for a three-day stay in Santee were the husband-wife team of Todd and Penny Miller.<br />
Todd is the general manager of Santee Cooper Resort, the owner and operator of Lake Marion Golf Course, Santee Cooper Country Club and the nifty golf villas at Lake Marion.<br />
We stayed in one of the villas. It featured two spacious bedrooms, two bathrooms, large living room and full kitchen. The villas, less than five years old, were quite busy when we were there in mid-October.<br />
Penny manages the pro shop at Lake Marion. It's a first-rate shop with tons of stuff to buy at reasonable prices, a snack bar and a club repair shop operated by Jack Slater.<br />
If you are planning a trip to Santee, Todd and Penny recommend that you check out the many stay-and-play packages offered on their website, www.santeecoopergolf.com.<br />
From now until Nov. 13, the villa packages set up for quad occupancy are $268 per person for three nights and four rounds, two each at Lake Marion and Santee Cooper.<br />
From Nov. 14 to Feb. 5, that price goes down to $180. The rates will go up to $300 or slightly more in March 2013 and April 2013, the peak "golf snowbird'' months, but those numbers are still solid values given the quality of lodging and golf.<br />
Unless I'm misreading their flyer, the Millers and their staff can work with you to pull together stay-and-play packages using various hotels and motels as well as 17 golf courses in the Santee area.<br />
We played Lake Marion, Santee Cooper and Wyboo Golf Club.<br />
Lake Marion was my personal favorite, followed closely by Santee Cooper and Wyboo.<br />
Located just minutes from the I-95 exit and essentially next door to each other, Lake Marion and Santee Cooper are solid tests of golf. From tee to green, playing conditions at both courses are top-notch.<br />
Especially for first-time visitors, the golf experiences at Lake Marion and Santee Cooper are made easier by on-cart GPS systems that are the best I've ever seen. They provide accurate yardages not just from the cart to the pin, but from the cart to hazards and to the front and back of greens.<br />
Our playing partners at Lake Marion and Santee Cooper were Ed Halcomb and the aforementioned Jack Slater.<br />
Demonstrating that it is, indeed, a small world, we learned moments after meeting these fine gentleman that Ed was a longtime resident of Northeast Ohio - living in Geneva and working in Mentor and Painesville - before retiring at 55 and making the move to Santee.<br />
"Do-it-all-Ed'' works behind the counter in the Lake Marion pro shop when he isn't out on the course cranking out long drives and accurate iron shots.<br />
Jack came to Santee from New Jersey and is a master of many trades. In addition to his work in the club repair shop, he's an expert stone mason and carpenter whose handiwork is everywhere to be seen at Lake Marion and Santee Cooper.<br />
The same as Ed, Jack also is a fine player. That's Ed on the left and Jack on the right.<br />
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At Wyboo, about a 25-minute drive from our villa at Lake Marion, our playing partners were Dana Perry, the head professional at Lake Marion and Santee Cooper, and noted local amateur Charles Persinger.<br />
George and I could not have fared better than we did in having Ed, Jack, Dana and Charles as playing partners. They showed us Southern hospitality at its finest.<br />
There was an added bonus to playing with Dana and Charles at Wyboo.<br />
During our round, I tapped into their expertise while shooting a video lesson on how to effectively, consistently move the ball out of the Bermuda rough that lines the fairways of most of the courses in the Santee area.<br />
I'll be the first to admit I struggled mightily with the stuff.<br />
That momentary frustration notwithstanding, I tell you without hesitation that Santee honestly comes by its billing as "America's Value Golf Destination.'' <br />
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<br />News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-54184093202691959212012-10-21T16:00:00.001-07:002012-10-28T09:42:59.078-07:00Fall golf trip 2012, Days 2, 3: Pinehurst, N.C.<span lang="EN"><br />
For weeks, I'd been looking forward to the four-day leg of this trip to the Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen area in south-central North Carolina.<br />
On the "Affordabili-TEES'' beat, I was set for rounds at the Mid South Club and Talamore Golf Club, both in Southern Pines.<br />
I'd played the Rees Jones-designed Talamore on the March 2011 "Affordabili-TEES'' trip, but this would be my first visit to Mid South, an Arnold Palmer design across the street from Talamore.<br />
Talamore and Mid-South are sister courses owned by the same company. Booking for both courses is handled by the Talamore Golf Resort company.<br />
Let me recommend the stay-and-play packages offered by Talamore Golf Resort while also advising you that prices for those packages are higher than many of those we've reviewed here in the past.<br />
But in golf vacations as in life, you get what you pay for.<br />
With multi-day packages at the Talamore villas currently averaging $289 per night (golf and lodging), I'd definitely classify these as "splurge'' packages.<br />
I also know that Talamore resort manager Derek S. Noll is a resourceful guy who will move heaven and earth to pull together a package for you.<br />
The icing on the cake is that those packages can include rounds at 21 other Pinehurst-area courses.<br />
Trust me on this...if you can somehow get these numbers inside your budget, you won't regret it.<br />
Mid-South came highly recommended to me by people who've played many or most of the Pinehurst-area courses. It more than lived up to the hype, both with its beauty and top-notch playing conditions.<br />
Talamore was just as I remembered it from the previous visit, scenic and tough as nails.<br />
The putting surfaces at both courses were darn-near perfect and on the fast side.<br />
During this visit to Pinehurst, I stayed at Homewood Suites by Hilton Olmsted Village. The per-night room rate was $109. It was a solid value considering the quality of the multi-room suite.<br />
Pictured below are Mid-South and Talamore.<br />
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Talamore Golf Club, Resort Course<br />
Where: Southern Pines, N.C.<br />
Par, yardages: 71, 4,977 (red tees); 5,470 (green); 6,025 (white); 6,534 (blue); 6,840 (gold)<br />
Website: </span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.talamoregolfresort.com/golfpackages.html" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank">www.talamoregolfresort.com/golfpackages.html</a><br />
<span lang="EN"> Phone: 1-800-352-6292; 910-692-5884<br />
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Mid South Club<br />
Where: Southern Pines, N.C.<br />
Par, yardages: 71, 4,773 (red tees); 5,655 (green); 6,200 (white); 6,607 (blue); 7,003 (gold)<br />
Websites: <span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.talamoregolfresort.com/golfpackages.html" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank">www.talamoregolfresort.com/golfpackages.html</a> Phone: 910-695-3193<br />
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Homewood Suites by Hilton Olmsted Village<br />
250 Central Park Avenue<br />
Pinehurst, North Carolina 28374<br />
Phone: 910-255-0300<br />
<a href="http://www.olmstedvillage.homewoodsuites.com/">www.olmstedvillage.homewoodsuites.com</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: small;"> </span></span>News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-39731122745807380962012-10-20T17:22:00.001-07:002012-10-20T18:53:03.716-07:00Fall golf trip, Day 1: Back to NW Virginia<span lang="EN"> <span lang="EN"></span><br />
Back in March, I paid a visit to Draper Valley Golf Club in Virginia while on my way to Fayetteville, N.C.<br />
Although there wasn't room enough in my schedule that day to get in a round there, I made a mental note to do so on the next "Affordabili-TEES'' trip in that general direction.<br />
The "next trip'' is underway, and it got off to a nice start at the scenic layout astride Interstate 81 about 10 miles south of the busy Wytheville exits off I-77.<br />
Draper Valley is a public course with a walk-in greens fee of $37. The price point, scenic views and above-average playing conditions makes the course a favorite stop for road-tripping golfers from Northeast Ohio on their way to North Carolina and South Carolina.<br />
Joined by fellow traveler and retired Hall of Fame golf writer George Sweda, we worked our way around the par-72, 6,412-yard layout on a sunny but decidedly cool Saturday morning.<br />
Quick aside......as a faithful adherent to the principles of "Tee it Forward,'' I always choose the tee boxes playing from 6,100 to 6.400 yards.<br />
For those of you who are bigger hitters, Draper Valley stretches out to 7,070 yards.<br />
Draper Valley begins with a straightforward, 491-yard par-and ends with a sharp dogleg-right, 312-yard par-4 that requires distance control both on the tee shot and approach shot over water<br />
In between, there is a satisfying variety of holes. Personal favorites were the par-3, 163-yard seventh and par-5, 511-yard 13th (see photos below).<br />
Our base of operations was the Super 8 hotel in Wytheville. It's a clean, friendly place with a right-in-the-wheelhouse nightly rate of $58. It took about 20 minutes to get from the hotel to the golf course.<br />
Here's a suggestion for budget-conscious golfers from Northeast Ohio who want to take a fall golf vacation but only have time for a quick trip.<br />
Pair up Draper Valley with Wolf Creek Golf and Country Club in Bastian, about 20 miles north of the Wytheville interchanges.<br />
You can leave Friday after work and easily make the 6-hour ride to Wytheville. Play one of the two courses anytime on Saturday, the other on Sunday morning and be back at home Sunday night.<br />
As for the meals, affordability is the key, too. Start with the free continental breakfast at the Super 8, have lunch at the courses and dinner at the Sagebrush, a really good restaurant immediately adjacent to the hotel.<br />
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Draper Valley Golf Club<br />
Where: 2800 Big Valley Rd., Draper, Va. 24324<br />
Par, yardages: 71, 4,683 (red); 5,467 (gold); 6,412 (white); 7,070 (blue).<br />
Greens fees: $37, 18 holes with cart; $35 seniors.<br />
Phone: 540-980-4653<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.drapervalleygolf.com/">www.drapervalleygolf.com</a><br />
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Wolf Creek Golf and Country Club<br />
Where: Bastian, Va.<br />
Par, yardage: 71, 6,020 (white tees); 6,360 (blue tees)<br />
Greens fees, with riding cart: $35 weekdays, $40 weekends; $30 weekdays, $35 weekends (seniors, 60 and older)<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.wolfcreekgolfcourse.com/">www.wolfcreekgolfcourse.com</a><br />
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Super 8 Wytheville<br />
130 Nye Circle, Wythevile, Va., 24382<br />
276-228-6628<br />
<a href="http://www.super8.com/">www.super8.com</a></span><br />
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</span><br />News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-56015652819630203552012-09-20T18:35:00.000-07:002012-09-20T18:35:04.215-07:00DSG's summer golf journal <br />
The other morning, I was at the Discount Drug Mart in Eastlake, waiting for the place to open at 8 in the morning, when I overheard a conversation between two older gentlemen standing nearby.<br />
"It's been a beautiful summer, hasn't it,'' one of the men said.<br />
"Sure has been,'' the other replied. "Can you believe it ends Saturday?''<br />
That exchange stopped me dead in my tracks. Until that moment, I hadn't given a second's thought to the looming end of what for golfers in these parts has been one of the best summers weather-wise in many a year.<br />
Yes, I haven't forgotten about the long stretch of unusually warm weather that we had in parts of June, all of July and parts of August. I like it hot, so strings of 90-degree days were no problem for me.<br />
I made good on a resolution to play more rounds of golf this summer than I had in recent years. It was a pleasant task made all the more pleasant by having two regularly scheduled golf dates most weeks with new friend Mike Mohner and old friends Joe Cocozzo, Steve Roszczyk and Rick Stenger.<br />
Mike, now retired, is the longtime teacher and coach who worked in the Fairport and Painesville school systems. We got to know each other in the Lake County Captains press box, where I take care of business as Captains beat writer for The News-Herald and Mike splits official scorer duties with Glen Blabolil.<br />
Early in the season, Mike invited me to join him and his regular playing partners on their Monday morning golf outings. They go to a different course every week and start early, usually between 8 and 8:30 a.m.<br />
The company and variety of courses are great. The starting times fit my work schedule. Last but not least, these guys share my preference for affordable greens fees. That we're all old enough to qualify for senior rates is another big plus.<br />
(Note: I turned 60 in June, officially qualifying for senior rates at the vast majority of area courses.)<br />
Joe, Steve and Rick are all former publishers of The News-Herald. Joe and I have been playing together for many years. Steve and Rick have joined in the last couple of years. Affordability is a big consideration for this group of guys, too. Yes, we all take advantage of senior rates.<br />
In alphabetical order, here are the courses we've visited this summer that fit the "Affordabili-TEES'' niche.<br />
- Airport Greens<br />
28980 White Rd., Wickliffe<br />
440-944-6164<br />
<a href="http://www.airportgreens.com/">www.airportgreens.com</a><br />
Comment: Great walking course with some tough, underrated holes.<br />
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- Berkshire Hills Country Club<br />
9760 Mayfield Rd., Chester Twp.<br />
440-729-9516<br />
<a href="http://www.berkshirehills.net/">www.berkshirehills.net</a><br />
Comment: Does any public course in NE Ohio have tougher par-4s? Photo below.<br />
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- Black Brook Golf Course<br />
8900 Lake Shore Blvd., Mentor<br />
440-951-0010<br />
<a href="http://www.blackbrookgolf.com/">www.blackbrookgolf.com</a><br />
Comment: Soft spot in my heart because I've probably played more rounds here than anywhere else in 50 years.<br />
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- Briardale Greens Golf Course<br />
24131 Briardale Ave., Euclid<br />
216-289-8574<br />
<a href="http://www.briardalegreens.com/">www.briardalegreens.com</a><br />
Comment: Cool place to play with some interesting holes. Really good food at the snack bar.<br />
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- Bronzwood Golf Club<br />
Rt. 7, Kinsman, OH<br />
330-876-5300<br />
<a href="http://www.bronzwoodgolfclub.com/">www.bronzwoodgolfclub.com</a><br />
Comment: Took a "road trip'' here at the behest of Mike Mohner,. who fondly remembers coming to this NE Trumbull County course every summer on family vacations with his parents and siblings. I loved the place and can't wait to go back this fall when the leaves are changing. Photo below.<br />
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- Erie Shores Golf Course<br />
7298 Lake Rd. East, Madison Twp.<br />
440-428-3164, 800-225-3742<br />
<a href="http://www.lakemetroparks.com/">www.lakemetroparks.com</a><br />
Comment: Over the last 10 years, the most improved public course in Lake County.<br />
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- Grandview Golf Club<br />
13404 Old State Rd., Middlefield<br />
440-834-1824<br />
<a href="http://www.grandviewgolfohio.com/">www.grandviewgolfohio.com</a><br />
Comment: Some of these greens are downright scary, a la a pool table tilted 20 degrees..<br />
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- Harbor Golf Club<br />
4338 Lake Rd. West, Ashtabula<br />
440-964-5824<br />
<a href="http://www.harborgolfclubashtabula.com/">www.harborgolfclubashtabula.com</a><br />
Comment: People either love or hate this quirky layout. I like quirky. Photo below.<br />
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- Hemlock Springs Golf Club<br />
4654 Cold Springs Rd., Harpersfield Twp.<br />
800-436-5625<br />
<a href="http://www.hemlocksprings.com/">www.hemlocksprings.com</a><br />
Comment: Better bring your "A'' game to the back nine. <br />
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- Little Mountain Country Club<br />
7667 Hermitage Rd., Concord Twp.<br />
440-358-7888<br />
<a href="http://www.littlemountaincc.com/">www.littlemountaincc.com</a><br />
Comment: Superior track gets in with $29 weekday senior greens fee.<br />
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- Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course<br />
38890 Hodgson Rd., Willoughby<br />
440-953-4280<br />
<a href="http://www.lostnationgolfcourse.com/">www.lostnationgolfcourse.com</a><br />
Comment: Vastly improved conditions at the course where I played my first round of golf 50 years ago.<br />
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- Madison Country Club<br />
6131 Chapel Rd., Madison Twp.<br />
440-428-2888<br />
<a href="http://www.madisoncountryclub.com/">www.madisoncountryclub.com</a><br />
Comment: Bad news - still in receivership. Good news - still open as public course. Better news - greens finally rounding into good shape.<br />
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- Manakiki Golf Course<br />
35501 Eddy Rd., Willoughby, OH<br />
440-942-2500<br />
<a href="http://www.clemetparks.com/">www.clemetparks.com</a><br />
Comment: One of these days/decades/centuries, I'm going to hit the fairway on No. 8.<br />
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- Painesville Country Club<br />
84 Golf Drive, Painesville Twp., OH<br />
440-354-3469<br />
<a href="http://www.painesvillecountryclub.com/">www.painesvillecountryclub.com</a><br />
Comment: Always a stiff test. Love the look of the re-build around No. 6 green. Photo below.<br />
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- Pine Ridge Country Club<br />
30601 Ridge Rd., Wickliffe<br />
440-943-0293, 800-254-7275<br />
<a href="http://www.lakemetroparks.com/">www.lakemetroparks.com</a><br />
Comment: Have always enjoyed the golf course. Love the PBJ sandwich at the snack bar!<br />
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- Pleasant Hill Golf Course<br />
13461 Aquila Rd., Chardon<br />
440-285-2428<br />
<a href="http://www.pleasanthillgolfchardon.com/">www.pleasanthillgolfchardon.com</a><br />
Comment: Friendly if a little rough around the edges.<br />
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- Powderhorn Country Club<br />
3991 Bates Rd., Madison Twp.<br />
440-428-5951<br />
<a href="http://www.powderhorngolf.com/">www.powderhorngolf.com</a><br />
Comment: Like a lot of holes here, even if they don't always like me back!!!! <br />
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News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-58926437913629553132012-07-16T18:13:00.000-07:002012-07-16T18:15:40.894-07:00"Affordabili-TEES'' pro Bryan Huff: Mastering par-3s You're playing well when you step into the tee box on the par-3 11th hole.<br />
At 158 yards, the shot is demanding rather than intimidating. You don't want to miss right because of sand traps and fall-off to a waste area. There is some room to miss left, but not much.<br />
Take care of business on the tee shot, and you're on to the next hole with a 3 or 4 on the scorecard and your hopes for a respectable round intact. Make a critical mistake on this hole, and you walk away with a double-bogey or worse and your mindset jumbled.<br />
Par-3s are, "Affordabili-TEES'' pro Bryan Huff tells us, "round-makers or round-breakers.''<br />
Huff is one of the area's best golf instructors and the head professional at StoneWater Golf Club in Highland Heights.<br />
Book a lesson with him by calling the pro shop at 440-461-4653<br />
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<br />News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-61094960560518079932012-06-26T19:05:00.001-07:002012-06-26T19:05:14.578-07:00Nice courses, values: Erie Shores, Pine Ridge<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">Erie</span></placename><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"> <placetype w:st="on">Shores</placetype></span></place><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"> Golf Course</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><street w:st="on"><address w:st="on">
7298 Lake Road East</address>
</street>. <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Madison</placename> <placename w:st="on">Township</placename></place>, OH 44057</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardages: 70; 4,716 (red); 4,984 (gold); 5,768 (white); 5,980 (blue)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees, 18 holes with riding cart: $19.99 (weekdays, various specials, <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype> <placetype w:st="on">County</placetype></place> residents) to $32.50 (weekends, before 2 p.m.) and $25 (weekends, after 2 p.m.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.lakemetroparks.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 440-428-3164; 800-225-3742</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pine Ridge Country Club</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><address w:st="on">
<street w:st="on">30601 Ridge Rd.</street>, <city w:st="on">Wickliffe</city>, <state w:st="on">OH</state> <postalcode w:st="on">44092</postalcode></address>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardages: 71 (64, women); 5,328 (red); 5,914 (white)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees: 18 holes with riding cart: Variable, $22 to $38.75 (weekends).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.lakemetroparks.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 440-943-0293; 800-254-7275<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every once in a while, works gets in the way of golf and other life endeavors that really matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For the better part of the last two months, I was immersed in research for and the writing of a series of stories about <city w:st="on">Eastlake</city>, <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Classic</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Park</placetype></place> and the impact of the ballpark midway through its 10th season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I did sneak in some golf during that time, but it was usually a quick nine holes at twilight. Certainly, there wasn't time to hunker down and bang out a new installment of this blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now that I've got the Eastlake series in the rear-view mirror, let's get back into the "Affordabili-TEES'' groove with raves for Erie Shores Golf Course in Madison Township and Pine Ridge Country Club in Wickliffe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I've always been immensely fond of the two tracks, both owned and operated by <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype> <placename w:st="on">Metroparks</placename></place>. They're good golf courses that offer fair tests at extremely reasonable prices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let me qualify that. In recent years, I thought <placename w:st="on">Erie</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Shores</placetype> was a bargain with a walk-in greens fee of $19.99 for <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype> <placetype w:st="on">County</placetype></place> residents and Pine Ridge was slightly overpriced at $35.50, also for county residents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tom Weiss, chief of golf services for <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Lake</placetype> <placename w:st="on">Metroparks</placename></place>, is a smart operator. This season, he's come up with some enticing specials for Pine Ridge that have given this golfer reason to play there more than he has in recent memory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having just turned 60 earlier this month, I especially like the $22 weekday greens fee for seniors, students and active-duty military. If you're not yet a senior, the $29.99 greens fee for county residents (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday) and $24.99 super special on Thursday are easier to digest than $35.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That both courses are in top-notch condition from tee to green adds to the value.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I didn't realize it until I pulled the scorecard to write this blog, but neither course quite measures 6,000 yards from the men's tees. Pine Ridge is at 5,914 yards from its back tees, <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Erie</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Shores</placetype></place> is at 5,980 yards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Erie Shores took a quantum leap forward three years ago when the old first hole, a funky dogleg that bent around the back of the practice range, was replaced by the far superior, 322-yard first hole. I like everything about the hole, from the tee shot over water to the large, push-up green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The par-4, 361-yard fourth and par-3, 182-yard fifth holes are first-rate tests. So is the par-4, 435-yard sixth hole. There is very reason to go bombs away on the picturesque par-4, 310-yard ninth hole. However, miss to the left and you're wet or miss to the right and you're hacking it out of the trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I've got a love-hate thing going with the dogleg-right, par-4, 311-yard 11th hole. I love the challenge of carving out a tee shot around the corner, but I hate the way I often veer from the plan and find myself scrambling to get back in the hole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the par-4, 267-yard 17th hole, I always try to drive the green or knock it as close as possible. It's such a cool hole because the pin can get tucked in some tough places and turn short approach shots into real tests of touch and nerve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The wind is almost always a factor par-4, 383-yard 18th hole because of its due-north routing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Golfers who've never played Pine Ridge could look at the scorecard and think they'll have a fairly easy go of it on the front nine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most of them are disabused of that notion beginning at the par-4 first hole. Playing at 254 yards from the forward white tees and 292 yards from the back tees near the putting green, this hole requires an accurate tee shot into a tree-lined landing area. The short approach shot is one of the most challenging on the course thanks to a foot-high ridge that spans the width of the green near its front.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When the pin is cut in front of that ridge, the margin for error is small. Finish above the hole with your approach, and good luck with trying to get down in two putts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The par-4, 358-yard second hole requires length and pinpoint accuracy with the tee shot. Miss to the left, and you roll over the cart path and into the rough with trees in your line of sight to the green. Miss to the right, and you roll down the hill into trees with virtually no shot at the green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At distances ranging from 75 to 95 yards, depending on tee and pin placements, the par-3 4th hole is one of the best little holes in the area. Hit a good tee ball, maybe you make a 2. Miss long, short or left, and maybe you make 4, 5, 6 or worse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The 435-yard sixth hole is one of the better par-4s in <place w:st="on">Northeast Ohio</place>. You must go down the left side with the tee shot to have any shot into the well-guarded green. This is the No. 1-handicap hole for good reason.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Accuracy and distance control off the tee are the keys to surviving the dogleg-left, par-4, 310-yard ninth hole. Local knowledge is a real plus on the approach shot to a green with a pronounced right-left bias.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The best holes on the back nine are the par-4, 412-yard 13th, par-3, 212 yard 17th and par-4, 316-yard 18th. The tee shots on the 17th and 18th are robust challenges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For the money, it's tough to beat <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Erie</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Shores</placetype></place> and Pine Ridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"> Photos, top to bottom: Pine Ridge, 18th green; Erie Shores, 9th hole tee marker and lake.</span></div>
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<br /></div>News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-86464091188229220292012-05-23T20:08:00.001-07:002012-05-23T20:08:17.710-07:00Brunswick Islands, N.C. trip, Days 3 & 4<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">Farmstead Golf Links</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><address w:st="on">
<street w:st="on">541 McLamb Rd., NW</street>, <city w:st="on">Calabash</city>, <state w:st="on">NC</state> <postalcode w:st="on">28467</postalcode></address>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardage: 72; 4,998 (red); 5,638 (gold), 6.097 (white); 6,566 (blue); 7,242 (black)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees: with riding cart, variable, $49 to 89</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.farmsteadgolflinks.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 910-575-7999; 866-749-7277</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tiger's Eye at Ocean Ridge <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Plantation</place></city></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><address w:st="on">
<street w:st="on">360 POcean Ridge Parkway</street>, <city w:st="on">Sunset Beach</city>, <state w:st="on">NC</state> <postalcode w:st="on">28469</postalcode></address>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardage: 72; 4,502 (red); 5,136 (gold); 6,120 (white); 6,628 (blue); 7,014 (black)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees: with riding cart, variable, $80</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.tigerseye.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 910-287-7227; 800-233-1801 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hurricane Fleet <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Marina</place></city></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Calabash, N.C.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.hurricanefleet.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 910-579-3660; 800-373-2004</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stay-and-play info</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Brunswick</placename> <placetype w:st="on">County</placetype></place> Tourism Development Authority</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>910-755-5517</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.ncbrunswickgolf.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In golf as in life, it's always best when a balance is struck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So it was on Days 3 and 4 of the four-day golf media trip to the <placename w:st="on">Brunswick</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Islands</placetype> area of <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">North Carolina</place></state>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After playing 18 holes on Day 1 and 36 holes on Day 2, the schedule on Day 3 called for a deep-sea fishing excursion in the morning on the Hurricane 2, followed by 18 holes at Farmstead Golf Links. The dock for Hurricane 2 and Farmstead both are in Calabash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although I've spent a fair amount of time boating and fishing on <place w:st="on">Lake Erie</place>, I'd never been fishing in any ocean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">Thanks to the 4-hour jaunt aboard Hurricane 2, now I can say I've wet a line in the <place w:st="on">Atlantic Ocean</place>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">On a spectacularly nice morning, we made out way from the dock down the inland waterway and out about 20 miles away from shore. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of "Captain Sharkie'' and his crew, we caught a lot of fish and had a heckuva good time doing it. The main catch was sea bass, a good eating fish that currently is out of season and must be released when caught.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We got Farmstead at 1 p.m., had lunch and got back to golfing on a fine, links-style layout designed by William Byrd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">The feature hole at Farmstead is the par-6 18th. It plays anywhere from 635 yards to 767 yards. With a nudge from director of golf and playing partner Jason Monahan, we played from the tips. It's a great hole, not gimmicky in any way. There is water along most of the left side of the hole, which doglegs left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As Monahan is fond of telling first-time visitors, the 18th is so long it takes two states to hold it. Farmstead straddles the state lines of <state w:st="on">North Carolina</state> and <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">South Carolina</place></state>. The 18th hole does, indeed, roll through both states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is more to Farmstead than the 18th, much more. There are plenty of top-notch holes, great greens and a design that is pleasing to the eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The trip ended on a decidedly upbeat note at Tiger's Eye, one of four courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation. As a group, the courses are called "The Big Cats.'' The others are Leopard's Chase, Lion's Paw and Panther's Run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ocean Ridge's director of marketing, Bill Long, said that Tiger's Eye is the easiest of the four courses. I'll take his word for that, but I thought Tiger's Eye was a superb test in every way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As fond as I am of golf in North Carolina, I've made a promise to myself to return to Ocean Ridge soon to play the rest of "The Big Cats.''</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For that matter, I'd love to return to the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Brunswick</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Islands</placetype></place> area for second<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>visits to all of the courses we sampled on this trip and as many of the area's other 30 or so courses as humanly possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As for the aforementioned balance, I'll also carve out time to stroll on the ocean shore, visit some of the restaurants and shops and chill out in this laid-back neck of the woods.</span></div>
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<br /></div>News-Herald Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10992850793901999785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134998396202126840.post-89314980308218069442012-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:002012-05-14T20:14:46.489-07:00Brunswick Islands, N.C. trip, Day 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">Sandpiper</span></placename><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype></span></place><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"> Golf and Country Club, Sand and Bay nines</span></div>
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<street w:st="on">800 North Sandpiper Club Drive</street>, <city w:st="on">Sunset Beach</city>, <state w:st="on">NC</state> <postalcode w:st="on">28468</postalcode></address>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardages: 71; 4,755 (red); 5,547 (gold); 5,428 (gold), 6,242 (white); 6.195 (white); 6,641 (black)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees, with riding cart: Variable, $66 to $90</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.sandpiperbaygolf.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 910-579-1920</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brunswick Plantation and Golf Resort, Magnolia and Azalea nines</span></div>
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<street w:st="on">380 Brunswick Drive</street>, <city w:st="on">Calabash</city>, <state w:st="on">NC</state> <postalcode w:st="on">28467</postalcode></address>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Par, yardage: 72; 5,654 (gold); 6,076 (white); 6,397 (blue); 6,868 (black)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Greens fees, with riding cart: Variable, $40 to 80</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Website: www.brunswickplantation.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Phone: 910-845-6935 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stay-and-play info</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Brunswick</placename> <placetype w:st="on">County</placetype></place> Tourism Development Authority</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>910-755-5517</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>www.ncbrunswickgolf.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Opportunities to play 36 holes in one day are few and far between. When such an opportunity presents itself, however, I am all in. That's especially true when you hear as many good things as I did about <placename w:st="on">Sandpiper</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype> and Brunswick Plantation, two of the five courses I visited on a media trip to the <placename w:st="on">Brunswick</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Islands</placetype> area of <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">North Carolina</place></state>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both courses lived up their advance billing, and then some.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are three 9s at <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Sandpiper</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype></place> - Sand, Piper and Bay. We played Sand and Bay, and I really enjoyed both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">I'm wracking my brain, and I can't remember a hole I didn't like. On the Sand, the par-4, 393-yard 4th holes and par-4, 412-yard 9th holes were highlights. On the Bay, the par-3, 193-yard 3rd and par-4, 397-yard 8th holes were impressive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My playing partner at <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Sandpiper</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype></place> was general manager and professional Tim Tilma. He shared plenty of local knowledge from tee to green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The same as <placename w:st="on">Sandpiper</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype>, <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Brunswick</place></city> has three 9s. We played the Magnolia and Azalea, bypassing the Dogwood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;">The playing experience at <city w:st="on">Brunswick</city> was every bit as enjoyable as <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Sandpiper</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Bay</placetype></place>. All of the holes were straightforward and challenging, starting with the par-4, 370-yard 1st hole on Magnolia and finishing with the par-5, 460-yard 9th hole on Azalea. As for the greens, the putting surfaces were nothing short of spectacular.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dennis Radke, the condo manager at <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Brunswick</place></city>, was in our foursome. Our media group stayed in some of the 30 condos on the grounds set aside for visiting golfers. They are one of the prime selling points for the resort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Go to the website to check out the prices for <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Brunswick</place></city>’s stay-and-play packages and what's included in the packages. It isn't cheap, but it is affordable given the quality of the golf and the available amenities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Golfers who choose to stay at <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Brunswick</place></city> also are in close proximity to other top-notch courses in the area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At the end of the second round, I was tired but wishing there'd been enough daylight to have played the third 9 at both of these first-rate layouts.</span></div>
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