Southeast

Family Golf Week, which includes the Father-Son Team Classic, will call Barefoot Resort & Golf home in 2020.

Home to courses designed Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Pete Dye, the resort will host Family Golf Week July 15-18. Barefoot is an ideal hub for an event that attracts golfers from across the nation and celebrates the familial bonds the game helps create.

Family Golf Week, a four-day event highlighted by the playing of the Father-Son and the Parent-Child team classics, will be held July 15-18, 2020 on seven of Myrtle Beach’s best courses. The 23rd annual event is again expected to attract 350 teams and 700 golfers from more than 40 states and three countries.

Moving the tournament’s base of operations to Barefoot, which was recently ranked among America’s Top 100 Golf Resorts by Golf Magazine and was named the International Association of Golf Tour Operators North American Golf Resort of the Year in 2017, will be a popular one with participants.

Barefoot, which has a pair of clubhouses featuring ample meeting and dining space, will host pre and post-event functions, including the tournament awards luncheon, one of the highlights of week.

“We are thrilled to have Barefoot Resort join the Family Golf Week team as our host property,” said Mike Buccerone, president of East Coast Golf Events. “Barefoot is one of America’s premier golf resorts and will be an ideal host venue, helping us deliver an unforgettable week of golf and good times to the families that participate in the tournament.”

“We have hosted tournament play during Family Golf Week for years and are excited to take our relationship to the next level,” said Dave Genevro, Barefoot Resort’s general manager. “We look forward to showcasing everything Barefoot has to offer and contributing to the success of an event that attracts golfers from across the nation.”

The benefits of Barefoot serving as Family Golf Week’s hub extend off the course, including an expanded two-day check-in window beginning on July 14. The Resort is part of a community that includes on-site accommodations, Barefoot Landing, a 2,300-acre shopping and dining complex, the ever-popular Putter’s Pub, and it provides easy access to host courses and North Myrtle Beach’s abundant attractions.

The Father-Son and the Parent-Child Team Classic, which has brought mothers, daughters and grandparents into the tournament fold, are both 54-hole events.

Entry fee is $995 per team and includes three rounds of golf, daily lunch, pre- and post-event functions, and a gift bag valued at $300. Included among the gift bag items are a $150 tournament gift card that can be used at host courses for food, merchandise and golf, a logo’d polo shirt, a dozen golf balls and more.
 
Both Family Golf Week tournaments require participants to have a USGA approved handicap and feature new formats of play in 2020, beginning with best ball followed by a Texas scramble and captain’s choice in the final round.

Following an 18-month total renovation, Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee has re-opened. The completely rebuilt, modernized, and reconditioned version of the 1992 original is a visually breathtaking 18 holes of championship golf along Georgia’s Lake Oconee shoreline that looks almost exactly the way Jack Nicklaus first designed it—but better. 

“’Spectacular’ is a pretty good word for the golf course,” said Nicklaus, the living legend who devoted considerable time and attention to taking Great Waters back to the future. “We created a little more of an exciting golf course with more variety, a golf course that is really strong again.” 

Working within the guidelines of the original routing and strategy, the Nicklaus Design team rebuilt Great Waters from beneath the ground up, including new drainage and irrigation systems, as well as updated bunker designs that are a major part of the modern infrastructure. 

“Every golf course has a life cycle, like a car,” said Chad Goetz, the Nicklaus Design associate who oversaw the Great Waters project. “Things wear out and things change a lot in 30 years. Technically, we rebuilt the golf course. It is the same golf course, but now it is really polished.” 

Extensive tree clearing took place to reduce shade and improve overall turf quality. This also allowed for wider fairways (Zeon zoysia) and rough (TifTuf Bermuda). Greens complexes are all new and have been converted to TifEagle Bermuda, a grass that should perform better in the shade and hold color in the fall. The grasses were selected for their ability to remain in top condition year-round. 

The “wow factor” is stronger than ever with the opening of lake views on the 9th, 11th, and 13th holes. For all that, the par-3 8th is the only completely remodeled hole: It now plays over or along bunkers to a more receptive green. 

New back tees were added to modernize the course without moving many fairway bunkers: As a result, Great Waters now plays to 7,400 yards, which should challenge the top college players in the annual Linger Longer Invitational. A new set of forward tees—at about 4,500 yards—will increase playability, improve pace of play, and encourage all players to move forward. 

“The nuts and bolts of the golf course were fantastic,” Goetz said. “We tried to distill the essence of the original golf course with a new one that accents the amazing land features that were already there.” 

Great Waters has been a favorite course of both members and visitors to Reynolds Lake Oconee since it opened in 1992. The course has been highly praised and is regularly rated as the #2 course in Georgia—second only to famed Augusta National. 

“The first time I went to Reynolds, I knew we had the potential to have a great golf course,” Nicklaus said. “I think we found it then, and now, more than a quarter of a century later, a wonderful golf experience remains but was in need of a little updating. It’s one of the really great pieces of property with which I have ever had the experience to work.” 

Located between Atlanta and Augusta, Reynolds Lake Oconee is considered one of the country’s most diverse golf experiences, with courses designed by legendary architects: the aforementioned Great Waters by Nicklaus, The National by Tom Fazio, The Oconee by Rees Jones, The Landing, and The Preserve by Bob Cupp, as well as the Members-only Creek Club by Jim Engh. 

Along with its highly-regarded golf courses, Reynolds Lake Oconee features a full range of sporting activities, with access to more than 350 miles of Lake Oconee shoreline and four marinas; shooting sports at the Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds; hiking trails; and an award-winning tennis center, together making it one of the most impressive community and golf destinations in the world.

For more information visit www.reynoldslakeoconee.com.  To book a reservation at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee visit www.ritzcarlton.com/reynolds. 

This year is the 50th anniversary of the world-famous Harbour Town Golf Links, and The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is giving out the gifts—its best values of the year. Golfers and their guests may choose from a wide selection of packages with special savings and accommodations at the luxurious Inn & Club at Harbour Town or in a Harbour Town one-bedroom, resort-view villa. 

Select from a variety of golf and dining options, play the resort’s three championship courses, enjoy dinner at a resort restaurant – the choices are nearly endless.

Starting as low as $400 per night for two guests at the Inn & Club at Harbour Town, the Golf Champions package includes lodging and a round for two at the Pete Dye-designed Harbour Town Golf Links, the No. 1 rated course on Hilton Head Island and annual home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. This package offers a food credit if only one guest is playing golf.

The Golf Players package, starting at $300, includes a round for two on either of The Sea Pines Resort’s other award-winning courses, the Davis Love III-designed Atlantic Dunes or Pete Dye-designed Heron Point, with a king or double-queen room at The Inn & Club. Packages offer a food credit if only one guest is playing golf.

The Inn is famous for its elegant décor, coupled with legendary service and a host of premium complimentary amenities. Guest rooms are fitted with modern furnishings and conveniences, accented by crisp Egyptian cotton linens and design elements inspired by the natural beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry. 

Multi-night golf and dining packages are also available with accommodations in Harbour Town one-bedroom, resort-view villas. 

Harbour Town Golf Links 50^th Anniversary packages are available Sunday through Wednesday,  through October 21, 2019, and Monday through Sunday from October 22 through February 29, 2020. 

Book the package here

Four decades ago, Davis Love, Jr., built a small shed with two hitting bays that became the first Golf Performance Center at Georgia’s Sea Island Golf Resort. Three years after Love’s death in a plane crash — under the supervision of his longtime friend Jack Lumpkin — a 4,000 square-foot Golf Performance Center made its debut overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

True to his Southern Gentleman personality, Lumpkin scoffs at the notion that he is a pioneer in the world of golf performance centers, but the truth is, the man known around Sea Island Golf Resort as “Mr. Jack,’’ is exactly that — a visionary who, like Love, Jr., was always looking for better ways to teach the game of golf.

In that regard, the new Sea Island Golf Performance Center opened this past May as a fitting tribute to the two men who helped shape Sea Island as a world class golf destination.

 “I had a little input,’’ on the new 17,000 square-foot Golf Performance, said Lumpkin, a legendary teacher of such noted PGA Tour stars a Davis Love III and Loren Roberts who serves as Sea Island’s Senior Director of Instruction. “All of the instructors shared their ideas. Craig Allan (Golf Performance Center Manager) was the one who really sold it to the [Sea Island] Company. 

“I did have a lot to do with the original building because I built it. At the time there was nothing comparable. We needed to do something for our students during rainy days to help, entertain and educate them at the same time. We needed meeting rooms and ball-striking rooms, too, so it was all kind of put together out of need and necessity.’’

The new Golf Performance Center is part of Sea Island Company’s $30 million renovations and additions project, which include an 18-hole Driftwood putting course; six new cottages with 14 new sleeping rooms; a new oceanfront pool; pool house; and extended practice facility and short game area, each overlooking the Atlantic.

In addition, the Plantation Course, currently being renovated by Love III’s design group, will re-open later this fall as an outstanding complement to the fabled Seaside Course, built in 1929 by Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison.

The new Golf Performance Center, located behind and just a few yards away from the original center (that will be reshaped into another cottage complete with a hitting bay) is the centerpiece of the new amenities — and solidifies Sea Island Golf Resort’s reputation as one of the country’s great places to learn and play the game.

That reputation, of course, is thanks in large part to Lumpkin and other instructors, including putting guru Phil Kenyon and Director of Fitness Randy Myers. Each has his own space at the new Center. For example, two indoor putting studios for Kenyon and an extensive exercise room with outdoor patio for Myers.

The new Center also features six instruction and club fitting bays, a golf simulator, retail area, and indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces.

 “We think the new Center is going to be as good as anybody’s,’’ Lumpkin said. “Hopefully people will want to come.’’

No doubt they will come, but with all of the Center’s technologies and toys, begs the questions, when does a student (or teacher) reach techno overload?

There is no better person to answer than Lumpkin, an avowed “old school’’ instructor who has embraced 21st century teaching technology.

 “I use video and Trackman (launch monitor) but for specific purposes,’’ he said. “Some teachers won’t teach without a Trackman. They use it for everything from face angle to ball spin. 

 “A lot of times when I’m working with Tour players, we are working on distance control. We will work on Trackman simply for that alone. We might then work on trajectory or spin. But I don’t think I have to have it to deliver a good lesson.’’

Indeed. The mark of a good teacher — or in Lumpkin’s case, a great teacher — is figuring out how his or her student learns best.

 “Some (students) are very analytical and want all those numbers,’’ Lumpkin said. “Then there is the student who plays totally by feel. So as a teacher, you need to put the person in a place he or she can learn the most. After all, that’s what it’s all about.’’

And that’s what the Sea Island Golf Performance Center delivers.

North Carolina makes a good case for being the most golf-blessed state in the U.S.

Both the “Home of American Golf” (the famed Sandhills region) and the “Cradle of American Golf” (storied Pinehurst Resort) are located in the friendly confines of the Tar Heel State.

Technically, even the “North Strand” of the Myrtle Beach “Grand Strand” lies in bucolic Brunswick County.

Golfers here are so spoiled, they can play one day in the Blue Ridge Mountains around haute Cashiers, hipster Asheville or collegiate Boone, and another day along the sandy shores of the Outer Banks or around historic Wilmington.

In between, ultra-modern, midsize cities like Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem beckon with myriad daily fee options.

However, one of North Carolina’s most over-looked golf destinations is hidden in plain sight.

The reimagined Grandover Resort in revitalized Greensboro is situated so close to bustling I-85, it feels like there should be an exit ramp straight into the parking lot.

The hotel, golf courses, amenities and surrounding materplanned community are the vision of the late Greensboro businessman and developer Joseph Koury. Koury passed away in 1998, but his spirit lives on throughout the hallways and fairways of The Grandover.

Rising from the rolling Piedmont like a monolithic ode to the Triad Region, Grandover’s centerpiece is a 244-room hotel that recently underwent a stunning $10 million renovation. Ownership and management did an admirable job of not just upgrading the rooms, restaurants and meeting space, but pulling in the rich history and culture of the state’s “Triad” region.

The hotel’s five luxury suites are themed to pay homage to Triad’s “industries, arts and people,” and guests can enjoy original art by North Carolina-based artists throughout the property. The lobby currently houses a Draper X-3 Loom from the former Cone Mills White Oak Denim Plant, the world’s largest producer of denim throughout most the 20^th century.   

“The Koury Corporation continues to reinvest in our community,” says Grandover general manager Kelly Harrill. “This is truly the best Grandover has ever been and we hope all our friends and neighbors will come out and enjoy it with us.”

Have-clubs-will-travel types, however, will immediately notice the bright green stretches of fairways emanating from the hotel. These would be the resort’s aptly named East and West courses.

Gary Panks and David Graham designed both courses, with the Scottsdale-based Panks taking the lead on both layouts. The 7,100-yard East Course opened in 1996, and is chock-full of elevation changes, wetlands and thick strands of Carolina hardwoods. The West Course opened a year later; slightly hiller, somewhat tighter and features a tinge of links-style design.

The dynamic course duo has hosted four Division III Men’s Golf National Championships and a Division I Regional in 2012. The Grandover is also the staging site and preferred lodging partner of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship, held Aug. 1-4 at the neighboring Sedgefield Country Club, a private venue that opened in 1926.

The Grandover’s practice facility is so good (traveling golfers take note), the Wyndham Championship utilizes the Grandover practice range for the Wednesday Pro-Am participants to prepare for the day.

No doubt, practice time will be in high demand for this (80^th) iteration of the tournament. For the first time the $10 million Wyndham Rewards Top 10 bonus pool will be in effect. It offers bonus money — $2 million to the winner – to the top 10 players in the FedEx standings entering the playoffs

Out-of-town golfers and Tour players notwithstanding, The Grandover understands loyalty among local golfers pays the bills. Case in point: longtime director of golf Jonathan York recently introduced the wildly popular “Griffin Club.”

North Carolina residents are eligible to join (for $20) and receive exclusive golf rates, access to a premier tournament series, unique spa, dining and apparel promotions and special clinics, equipment testing and social events.

Grandover’s new 19 & Timber serves at the Griffin Club’s de facto 19^th hole, offering local craft beer and traditional pub fare. It is adorned with a mix of flat screen TVs and prints of Greensboro’s industrial and social past.

“In everything we do, we try to stay true to Mr. Koury’s vision of being both a world-class resort and a place for locals to call home,” says York, who was born and raised in Greensboro and has been with the golf operation since day one. “The hotel renovation and the Griffin Club are prime examples of how we are always striving to meet the needs of our guests and residents.”

Because it is such an accessible and convenient stopover, Grandover’s most popular golf package is a one-night stay-and-play starting at $349 for two players including golf, cart fees, bag storage, range balls and breakfast. For golfers headed south to the Sandhills region, it is the perfect arrival or getaway day round. Tobacco Road, Pinehurst Resort, Southern Pines, Mid Pines and other outstanding venues are just over an hour away.

For additional information on packages, amenities and area attractions, visit www.grandover.com.

When in Greensboro …

North Carolina’s Triad is one of the furniture capitals of the world, so why not a side trip to the largest furniture store in the world? With 1.3 million square feet, Furnitureland South is a behemoth. Located in Jamestown, it partners with over 1,000 of the world’s finest furniture and accessory manufacturers to offer the highest quality products with an exclusive low-price guarantee.

Founders Group International, one of the leading golf course owner-operators in the Southeast, has finalized plans to host special National Women’s Golf Day events at four of its Myrtle Beach area courses on June 4.

National Women’s Golf Day is a collaborative effort by golf management companies, retailers and organizations to engage, empower and support girls and women through golf. FGI will be hosting events at Aberdeen Country Club, Myrtlewood Golf Club, Tradition Club and Wild Wing Plantation.

“National Women’s Golf Day is a cause we are excited to support,” said Steve Mays, president of Founders Group International. “Women and girls are a vital part of the golf industry’s past, present and, just as importantly, future. In hosting events at Wild Wing, Myrtlewood, Aberdeen and Tradition, we hope to show our appreciation for the women who currently play and potentially bring new players into the game.”

Wild Wing Plantation will be hosting a 15-minute introduction to the game clinic at 10:00 a.m., followed by a nine-hole event on the Hummingbird Course. At the conclusion of play, golfers will enjoy a post-round meet and greet and the cost of participation is $15. Players can register for a spot in the event by calling 843-347-9464.

Aberdeen Country Club, a 27-hole facility, will be hosting a Nine & Wine event that includes a 45-minute clinic at 11 a.m., followed by golf and a wine, cheese and fruit social at the conclusion of play. The event is $40 and players need to register by Friday, May 31 by calling 843-399-2660.

Former touring pro Yoshio Yamamoto will host a 30-minute clinic at 11:30 a.m. at Myrtlewood, leading up to a nine-hole outing with tee times beginning at 12:20 p.m. At the conclusion of play, there will be a pro shop sale and hors d’oeuvre served. Cost of participation is $40 and players are encouraged to sign up by May 28 by calling 843-913-4516.

Tradition Club (shown above) will be home to a special 18-hole captain’s choice event for female members of FGI’s Honors Club, an enhanced membership package the company offers to deliver value on and off the course. The event at Tradition Club tees off at 9 a.m. and will include a welcome gift and post-round lunch.

For more information about Founders Group International, go to www.foundersgolf.com.

The 2019 Masters Tournament will draw golf fans from near and far for four days of competitive play April 11-14. Wild Dunes Resort, a Destination Hotel near Charleston, South Carolina, is offering families and friends looking to road trip to and from this celebrated event, the chance to experience relaxation, sunshine and award-winning golf with its new Road to the Masters Package.

Available for stays April 1-21, with rates starting at $404 per person, per night, this package includes:

• Accommodations in the resort’s AAA Four-Diamond Rated Boardwalk Inn, the Village at Wild Dunes or in the resort’s luxury condos
• One round of golf, with cart fees included, on the Links Course
• One round of golf, with cart fees included, on the Harbor Course
• Bucket of balls & full range access
• Daily breakfast at Huey’s Southern Eats

“We can’t wait to welcome players of all skill levels to experience our Tom Fazio-designed Links and Harbor Courses for the ultimate Masters golf vacation this year,” shares Wild Dunes Resort’s Golf Director Jeff Minton. “Whether coming from the north or south, our resort is an unbeatable pit-stop for families and friends headed to the most prestigious golf tournament of the year.”

Others wishing to enjoy Wild Dunes Resort’s premier courses year-round can take advantage of the resort’s Young Executive Membership and Harbor Friends Golf Program.

Young Executive Membership offers those 40 and under the opportunity to take advantage of the resort’s award-winning golf courses, pools, beach and more at an incredible value, with inclusions such as Links and Harbor Course greens fees, preferred golf member guest rates, preferred daily tee times, waived tennis court fees, discounted tennis lessons/clinics, access to all resort pools and the grand pavilion, 25 percent off best available rate room reservations and Destination Properties, 10-20 percent off rentals, retail purchases and food and beverage outlets, and more.

The resort’s new Harbor Friends Golf Program is the ultimate annual VIP pass to the Harbor Course, known for its challenging design and beautiful views. Local golfers (Dorchester, Charleston or Berkeley counties) can enroll for $49 to enjoy year-round perks including $44 rounds on the Harbor Course, exclusive monthly offers and tournament access, a Friends Reward punch card to earn free rounds and merchandise, 10 percent off restaurant and pro shop purchases, and a Harbor Friends tumbler after sign-up.

www.wilddunes.com

One word comes to mind when discussing Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. That word is “Copperhead.’’ Regarded as one of the top five courses in Florida—it’s been No. 1 on some lists —Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is architect Larry Packard’s masterpiece. 

It’s a sweeping, larger-than-life centerpiece of this 900-acre resort about 20 miles north of Tampa International Airport and host to the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, which returns this week. Jordan Spieth began his rise to superstardom with his playoff victory at the 2015 Valspar.

Originally designed by Packard in 1972, Copperhead underwent a total renovation in 2015 that included a new irrigation system, raising the fairways on the second and third holes to improve drainage; re-shaping bunkers; and adding of a set of staircase traps on the 18th hole. The renovation essentially brought the course from the 1970s look and put the fangs back into the Copperhead.

“A tough golf course,’’ Tiger Woods has said of the Copperhead. 

How tough? Copperhead’s famed “Snake Pit’’ finishing holes – a 460-yard, par-four, 215-yard, par-three and 455-yard, par-four – are as a good as any finishing holes as on the PGA Tour. 

But Innisbrook, owned by Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hotels & Resorts, is more than just the Copperhead. The resort’s Island, North and South courses each are formidable. As with Copperhead, each course was designed by Packard, who lived at Innisbrook until his death age 101 in 2014.

The Island Course, with its tight fairways (particularly on the first six holes) and water hazards, is a favorite of Innisbrook members. The South Course strays a bit from the standard Florida tree-lined fairways in offering more a links-style feel and look.     

The completion of the South Course renovation on 2018 gave each of the greens on the four courses at Innisbrook TifEagle Bermudagrass, which generally stands up well against drought conditions as well as disease.

Approximately 300 of Innisbrook’s 450 member-owned suites (one-  two- and three-bedrooms) have been completely remodeled with new furnishings and brighter colors. Even the full kitchens in each guest suite have been remodeled.

Remodeling  the guest accommodations at Innisbrook Resort is the latest example of Johnson putting her stamp on Innisbrook. Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and the first African-American women to achieve a net worth of at least $1 billion, acquired Innisbrook in 2007 for a reported $35 million. It’s now part of a Salamander portfolio that includes Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia; The Henderson in Destin, Florida; Hotel Bennett in Charleston, South Carolina; and Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Florida.

“Innisbrook is a just a great example of a golf resort that we strive to position among the best in class,’’ said Prem Devadas, president of Salamander Hotels & Resorts. “Thanks to renovations that have taken place over the years, the great service that our employees  provide, and the growing stature of the Valspar Championship, Innisbrook has really risen to be among the best golf resorts in the country.’’

Despite its size, Innisbrook is easy to navigate, either by car or via the shuttles that transport guests to and from the clubhouses, Salamander Spa, 11 tennis courts and convention center. Each of the chalet-style lodge buildings at Innisbrook is named after a famous course such as Merion, Augusta and Carnoustie. 

The Copperhead clubhouse is home to Packard’s Steakhouse, the resort’s signature dining experience that comes complete with tuxedoed servers (many of whom have been there to 20 years) and a deep menu selection of steak and seafood. Packard’s is one of five dining outlets at the resort. Among the others, The Grill at the Loch Ness pool is a popular summer dining destination for families and kids.

Innisbrook for the past four decades has been one of the Southeast’s more popular convention and business meeting destinations, featuring more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space. 

Salamander Spa, meanwhile, features 12 treatment rooms, including a couples room with private fireplace and shower. Innisbrook Director of Instruction Dawn Mercer is one of the country’s top golf teachers.

Located just off bustling Highway 19, Innisbrook is central to many of the Tampa-St. Petersburg area attractions, including Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays) and beaches, including Treasure Island and St. Petersburg Beach. 

Palm Harbor has a small restaurant district just a few miles south of Innisbrook (go for the fried oysters at Molly Goodhead’s Raw Bar) and a few miles to the north is the city Tarpon Springs, with its Greek restaurants and sponge docks.

www.innisbrookgolfresort.com