Premier 18-Hole Golf Course, Located In Hutchinson, Kansas, Combines The Modern Features Of Today’s Contemporary Golf Designs With The Rugged Terrain Of Scottish-Style Links Courses
HUTCHINSON, KANSAS – June 21, 2007 â?¦ Marriott Golf (www.marriottgolf.com), one of the world’s premier golf operators and the world’s largest resort golf management company, in partnership with Cottonwood Hills, LLC, today unveiled the Nick Faldo-designed Championship Golf Course at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Faldo, a Six-Time Major Champion and highly acclaimed International Golf Course Architect, carved this masterpiece out of the natural sand dunes of Central Kansas to provide a unique golf experience that is unparalleled anywhere in the Midwest.
"As golf sites go, this is an incredible piece of land. When I first visited Cottonwood Hills, I was immediately struck by the rugged sandy terrain that reminded me of the classic links land of the British Isles. There are also similarities to Pine Valley and Royal Melbourne in Australia so this has been a very interesting canvas on which to work," said Faldo. "We were asked to create an exceptionally challenging but fair golf course that would offer a championship-standard test of golf. I think that our design perfectly responds to that brief and may have even exceeded it – in fact, I feel that we may have produced a golf course here at Cottonwood Hills that is truly worthy of hosting a Major championship."
An open-to-the-public daily-fee course, Cottonwood Hills is beautifully woven into 620-acres of gracefully rolling native sand dunes that are reminiscent of the great Scottish courses. Complementing the overwhelming natural beauty of the course are indigenous plants that frame each hole, while cedar, willow and cottonwood trees provide shade for the vast blue stem, yucca and plum thickets. The golf course, which features over 70 fairway and greenside bunkers, plays to a par 72 and offers five sets of tee boxes to allow golfers of all skill levels the opportunity to truly enjoy the golfing experience. The course measures 7,213 yards from the Tournament Tees, 6,778 yards from the Championship Tees, 6,386 yards from the Middle Tees, 5,858 yards from the Forward Tees and 5,372 from the Front Tees.
In addition to the 18-hole championship golf course, Marriott Golf will soon unveil one of the finest practice facilities in Kansas at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club, including an expansive practice tee area, a spacious putting green, a chipping green and a practice bunker with a target green.
Marriott Golf, which provided consultation services throughout the design and construction phases of the golf course, manages all aspects of the club operation, including golf course maintenance, instructional programs, food and beverage services and overall golf programming. The opening of the golf course is the first phase of the project that includes a clubhouse, golf shop and additional on-site golf amenities.
"We are very excited to unveil the final 9 holes at Cottonwood Hills Golf Club," said Claye Atcheson, Vice President, Operations, Marriott Golf. "This facility not only makes an excellent addition to our portfolio of prestigious golf properties, but it further enhances the reputation for fine golf in the Hutchinson area."
About Marriott Golf
Marriott Golf manages 60 golf courses at 45 facilities in 15 countries, offering more than 1,000 holes of championship golf. Marriott has been managing golf operations since 1970, is one of the world’s premier golf operators, and is the world’s largest resort golf management organization. Marriott provides golf management and consulting services to a variety of operational environments including resort, private club, daily fee, golf school and franchises. For more information, visit www.marriottgolf.com.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,900 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 151,000 employees at 2006 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2006, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $12.2 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.
Contact:
Ari Edelman (aedelman@mastrocomm.com)
Michele Kruchkowski (mkruchkowski@mastrocomm.com)
Mastro Communications @ 732-469-5700
