Anderson Creek, Bayonet at Puppy Creek and Keith Hills all selected as three of the finest in North Carolina
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (November 3, 2009) – Besides being a “populist” list, Golf World magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards are more than just another ranking of courses. They are an assessment of the overall golf experience. Its final considerations explore all the variables – from the quality and condition of the course, to the amenities being offered, to the overall value provided to the golfer – that make a golf facility an enjoyable place to play.
Which is why the owners, employees and regular patrons at three Fayetteville-area golf courses – Anderson Creek in Spring Lake, Bayonet at Puppy Creek in Raeford and Keith Hills in Buies Creek – were particularly pleased to have been selected, not by golf course raters, but by the readers of Golf World magazine as among the best golf courses in America for 2010.
With more than double the participation in the program’s second year, the Golf World Readers’ Choice Awards employed more than 46,000 individual facility ratings and 600,000 criteria evaluations, which led directly to its final selections. The three Fayetteville-area golf courses were chosen among the finest 41 from the state of North Carolina.
The Golf World Readers’ Choice Awards are based solely on reader input gathered by Golf Digest Publications’ Research Resource Center via an online poll conducted in 2008 and 2009. For a facility to be ranked, it had to receive a minimum number of reader evaluations.
“This recognition further affirms Fayetteville as a popular golf destination,” said John Meroski, CEO of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Even for people traveling to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, Fayetteville is a perfect stopping-off point. They can both stay in Fayetteville and save themselves a lot of gas money, or they can use it as a warm-up for their final destination.
“We’re a closer trip, and our courses probably aren’t as crowded – and they are a lot more affordable. If you want to break up that long trip there are great hotels and golf to do so, plus some history, heroes and a hometown feeling.”
Named North Carolina’s Best New Course in 2001, Anderson Creek is Davis Love III’s first signature course in his native North Carolina. This traditional layout reflects all that is great about golf in the renowned Sandhills – rolling emerald fairways lined with longleaf pines, natural areas highlighted with love grass and perfectly manicured course conditions. The greens feature large roll-off areas and significant undulations that offer a glimpse into the classic Donald Ross architecture seen throughout the region.
Bayonet Golf Club at Puppy Creek is a Willard Byrd design sculpted through the rolling hills surrounding Puppy Creek. With five sets of tees, this championship course has been created for golfers of all skill levels. Bayonet also offers the region’s largest and best conditioned practice area, including a 20-acre golf practice facility featuring 10 target greens and a short-game area.
Keith Hills Country Club has long been a hidden treasure in the Southeast and serves as the home venue for Campbell University and numerous amateur events. North Carolina Magazine has rated its Creek Course, designed by Ellis Maples, as high as the state’s seventh-best public golf course. The newer River Course, designed by Dan Maples, opened in Fall 2002. Keith Hills boasts large, bent grass greens and rolling, plush fairways as it winds through a golfing community set on the Cape Fear River.
For more information about golf and accommodations in the Fayetteville, N.C., area, visit GolfOnTheReady.com or call 800-577-3787.
Contact:
Martin Armes, 919-608-7260, martinarmes@nc.rr.com
Brad King, 336-306-9219, king@bradkingcommunications.com
