Course Owner Walt Lankau, The Golf Channel Recognized for Contributions to the Association and Game
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 16, 2006) – Golf courses that provide the best the game has to offer and make those experiences available to the golfing public top the 2006 list of award winners from the National Golf Course Owners Association. The three widely acclaimed courses at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore. – Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails – received the Jemsek Award for Golf Course Excellence, and the Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif., was named the Golf Course of the Year.
In addition to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and Poppy Hills, Walt Lankau, owner of Stow Acres Country Club in Stow, Mass., was named the winner of the Don Rossi Award for significant and long-lasting service to the NGCOA. The Golf Channel received the Award of Merit in recognition of more than a decade of contributions to golf.
For their contributions to golf course owners and operators, Champion Award winners included the South Carolina, Nevada, Indiana and New Jersey golf course owners associations. Celebration Golf Club (Celebration, Fla.), Project GAIN (Salt Lake City), TPC at River Highlands (Cromwell, Conn.), Button Hole Short Course (Providence, R.I.) and River Ridge (Oxnard, Calif.) received the association’s Player Development Award for programs aimed at bringing new golfers into the game.
The NGCOA board of directors, representing respected golf course owners and operators, nominates and selects the award winners.
Located in the small seaside town of Bandon, Ore., Bandon Dunes Golf Resort may be a little difficult to get to, but that hasn’t stopped golfers worldwide from making the pilgrimage to enjoy three distinct courses set amidst beautiful natural surroundings. All three courses at Bandon Dunes recently were named to Golf Magazine’s biennial "Top 100 in the World" and "Top 100 in the U.S." The resort also was named to Travel + Leisure Golf’s "Top 10 U.S. Golf Resorts" in 2005.
Course of the Year award winner Poppy Hills, which also benefits from spectacular scenery along the Pacific Ocean, has emerged in beautiful shape from a two-year program to dry out the course to make it play firmer and faster. Poppy Hills management runs an efficient and highly organized operation, balancing the priorities of tour pros participating in the AT&T National Pro-Am as well as the 180,000 members of the Northern California Golf Association and visitors to the area who play 55,000 to 60,000 rounds annually.
Lankau, 63, has been an advocate for golf course owners and operators for more than a decade and has served on the NGCOA board of directors for a number of years, including two years as president. "Walt is a passionate advocate for golf course owners and the association and an extremely effective leader," said NGCOA CEO Mike Hughes.
The Golf Channel changed the nation’s perspective on golf when it came on the air in 1995 and continues to innovate ways to inform and entertain golf fans. Today The Golf Channel reaches 90 percent of the world’s golfers in the U.S., Canada, Asia, the UK and Europe and broadcasts more live golf coverage than any other network.
"We’re honored, flattered and humbled by this recognition," said Golf Channel President Dave Manougian. "We have 360 employees who are so passionate about what they do and about the game of golf. this award is testament to their talents and hard work."
Contact:
Bill Bryant, Bryant Marketing Communications
678.366.3232
bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
Joe Rice, NGCOA
800.933.4262 Ext. 222
jrice@ngcoa.org
