(DELAND, Fla.) – Victoria Hills Golf Club – an award-winning, Ron Garl designed course owned by The St. Joe Company and managed by Billy Casper Golf – announces Golf World readers have voted it as one of the Top 50 public-access courses in the country in the 2010 edition of the weekly magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
An assessment of the overall golf experience, this ranking explores all variables that make a golf facility enjoyable including the quality and condition of the course, the amenities offered and the overall value provided to the golfer.
“Receiving this praise from the readers of Golf World is very rewarding, and goes to show the tremendous work that the staff at Victoria Hills are putting in on a daily basis,” says Stephen Hilliard, Vice President of Resort and Club Operations for The St. Joe Company. “This golf course is a special place and it is great to see it recognized by those who have enjoyed it throughout the year.”
The Golf World Readers’ Choice Awards are based solely on reader input gathered via an online poll conducted in 2008 and 2009. For a facility to be ranked, it must have received a minimum number of reader evaluations. Readers graded facilities based on various criteria using a 10-point scale and Golf World plugged those numbers into a formula.
While scoring high in all categories is necessary for inclusion on this prestigious list, Victoria Hills excelled in categories such as Quality of Course, Reputation/Prestige and Food/Dinning. One of only four facilities in Florida on the list, Victoria Hills appeared alongside such well known courses as Orange County National and TPC Tampa Bay.
Tucked away in the historic college town of DeLand, Victoria Hills is conveniently located off Interstate 4, less than a 30 minute drive for both Orlando-area and Daytona Beach golfers. The stunning layout boasts more than 50 feet of elevation change, taking advantage of the area’s natural rolling hills, foliage and wetlands. Tall pines and majestic oaks frame the course while sandy natural areas and pristine lakes make for inspiring sight lines.
Game improvement and player retention are at Victoria Hills’ core mission: the Garl-designed practice facility features 90 hitting stations, a large putting green and chipping area and practice bunkers that emulate true course conditions. The Victoria Hills Golf Academy opened in January, offering programs targeted to juniors, beginners, intermediate players and lower handicappers who can enroll in courses designed to match their experience and skills.
After the round, golfers can relax at Mulligan’s Tavern & Grille with a variety of options for all diners — an elegant dining room, tavern style bar and an outside dining facility with stunning views of the course. The highly-rated restaurant features former celebrity Chef Scot Choquette.
More information and additional rates can be found at www.victoriahillsgolf.com.
About Victoria Hills Golf Club
Victoria Hills, since opening in 2001, is one of Florida’s most decorated courses. It was named one of Florida’s “Hidden Gems” by Travel + Leisure Golf Magazine, and a “Top 10 You Can Play” by GOLF Magazine. Other accolades include:
“4-1/2 Stars” – Golf Digest
“Best You Can Play State-by-State” – Golfweek
“America’s Top 40 Best New Courses” – Golfweek
“No. 2 Florida Public Course of the New Millennium” – Travel + Leisure Golf
“Florida’s Best New Golf Course” – Florida Golf News
“One of the region’s Top 10 courses” – Orlando Sentinel
About Billy Casper Golf
Billy Casper Golf, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, was co-founded in 1989 by professional golf legend Billy Casper, the Masters and two-time U.S. Open winner who ranks seventh all-time with 51 PGA Tour wins. BCG serves its clients through three divisions: Billy Casper Golf, the full-service manager to golf-property developers, owners and public agencies; Buffalo Communications, the publicity, media-relations and marketing-communications agency representing many of the top brands in golf; and Buffalo Golf Trail, the customer-reward program providing consistent, high-quality experiences at BCG-managed properties nationwide.
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.
More information about JOE can be found at our website at www.joe.com.
© 2009 The St. Joe Company. “JOE,” and “St. Joe” are service marks of The St. Joe Company.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Bill Feidler
Buffalo Communications
703.615.4034
bfeidler@billycasperogolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
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