Banner Year Highlighted by National, Local Awards and Accolades
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) – SouthWood Golf Club, owned by the St. Joe Company (NSYSE: JOE), is celebrating its five-year anniversary, capping a banner year highlighted by numerous national and local awards and accolades including being named one of the "Top 50 Courses for Women" by Golf For Women, and Tallahassee’s "Best Golf Course" by Tallahassee Magazine.
SouthWood debuted on Golf For Women’s prestigious list at No. 45. Editors cited the course’s women-friendly layout and multiple tee ratings for women, as well as its progressive instructional, social and competitive programs. Additionally, SouthWood is one of the only facilities in the country with a female general manager, Beth Murphy, director of instruction, Becky Sauers, and membership director, Cara Lauwaert.
Being named the "Best Course" in Tallahassee for the third time in four years was especially meaningful for SouthWood: Golf courses were grouped in a single category, and SouthWood was the top vote-getter from among both public and private courses. And it’s not just the golf course that readers have recognized over the years; SouthWood’s Sauers is a three-time Tallahassee Magazine winner as the area’s top golf instructor.
"It has been a great run in 2007 and we greatly appreciate the recognition from esteemed publications that have bestowed these prestigious awards upon the course and staff," says Murphy. "Five-years is still ‘young’ for a golf course and we’re eager to build on this outstanding foundation."
That foundation also includes being listed among "America’s Top Golf Courses" for 2007/08 by the ZAGAT Survey, and being recognized by T+L Golf as one of Florida’s "Unsung" golf courses. In its November/December issue, editors and writers of this nationally-circulating golf, travel and lifestyle magazine cited SouthWood as "one of the finest [golf courses] in northwest Florida" and as "an aggressive driver’s dream,’ while lauding its live oak-laden layout as a "snapshot of the Deep South."
"These recent awards and accolades are an affirmation of what Mr. Bates and Mr. Couples sought to accomplish with this course," adds Murphy. "The challenge with any daily fee or semi-private layout is to make it both fun and challenging for novice and expert players. SouthWood is women, junior and beginner-friendly, yet it is also the home course of the Florida State University men’s and women’s golf teams and one of the host venues for the storied Tallahassee Amateur."
For more information about SouthWood Golf Club or to make tee times, visit www.stjoegolf.com or call 850.942.4653.
About SouthWood Golf Club
Designed by PGA Tour star Fred Couples and renowned architect Gene Bates, SouthWood Golf Club is among the region’s most-acclaimed courses. Highlighted by stands of stunning, Spanish moss-draped oak trees, the 7,172-yard layout meanders over rolling hills, through wooded areas and open land. A course that tests Tour-quality players and provides an enjoyable experience for golfers of all abilities, SouthWood features five sets of tees on every hole. The 2,986-yard "Wee Tees" provide the ideal course set-up for juniors, beginners or players seeking to improve their short game. SouthWood Golf Club has garnered numerous honors since opening in November 2002. Most recently, the course was named among the Top-10 layouts of the new millennium by Travel + Leisure Golf. SouthWood was also named to Golf Digest’s list of "America’s Best New Courses," selected by GOLF Magazine as one of the top 35 public courses – out of 325 nationwide – to open in 2002, and named Tallahassee’s best golf course by Tallahassee Magazine.
About the SouthWood Community
SouthWood is a mixed-use community in Tallahassee, Florida, where residents can live, learn, work and play. The community sits on 3,300 acres of graceful rolling hills lined with moss-draped oaks and over 1,000 acres of community-wide interconnected green space, including numerous lakes, parks and wetlands and a 123-acre Central Park and Lake. Residential opportunities include apartments, town homes, and single-family homes, including custom-built homes. Miles of walking and biking trails wind throughout the community. In addition to the Fred Couples/Gene Bates-designed semiprivate golf course, SouthWood features a Community Center with pools, an Education Village providing lifelong learning opportunities and a vibrantTown Center at the heart of the community. An abundance of wildlife creates an ever-changing landscape for birdwatchers and nature lovers.
For more information about residential opportunities, visit www.joe.com
About JOE
The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE), a publicly held company based in Jacksonville, is one of Florida’s largest real estate development companies. We are primarily engaged in real estate development and sales, with significant interests in timber. Our mission is to create places that inspire people and make JOE’s Florida an even better place to live, work and play. We’re no ordinary JOE.
More information about JOE can be found at our web site at www.joe.com.
© 2007 The St. Joe Company. "JOE," "St. Joe," "SouthWood," and the "Taking Flight" design are service marks of The St. Joe Company.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (c/o)
702.549.8381 (eFax)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
