All five North Carolina-based McConnell Golf courses ranked among the state’s most recent Top 100
RALEIGH, NC (April 2011) – Throughout its eight-year existence, Raleigh-based McConnell Golf has operated with a mission of presenting its members the finest possible private club offerings, which is why the company has spent millions of dollars upgrading each of its seven clubs around the Carolinas.
McConnell Golf’s attention to quality is also a chief reason why all five of the McConnell Golf-owned courses in North Carolina were ranked among the state’s prestigious Top 100, released in the April 2011 issue of Business North Carolina magazine. For the fifth consecutive year, Business North Carolina has devoted a special supplement to all of the course rankings based on voting completed last winter by members of the North Carolina Golf Panel. The rankings are also available on its website (ncgolfpanel.com.)
Leading the way for McConnell Golf (www.McConnellGolf.com), as it typically does, was renowned Old North State club in New London, a Tom Fazio design and perennial mainstay among North Carolina’s finest few golf courses, this time coming in at No. 3 in the state behind only Pinehurst No. 2 and Grandfather Golf and Country Club.
Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, home of the PGA TOUR’S Wyndham Championship, is ranked No. 19 in the state followed closely by Raleigh Country Club, the final design in the storied career of golf course architect Donald Ross, which is ranked 21st in the state this year – up two spots from last – and Durham’s Treyburn Country Club, a Tom Fazio stunner that checks in at No. 31 in this year’s rankings. Last but certainly not least among the McConnell Golf offerings in North Carolina, The Cardinal Golf and Country Club in Greensboro, one of Pete Dye’s finest, ranked 64th in the state.
Also, in the panel’s regional rankings of the state’s best golf courses Old North State Club was ranked No. 1 in the Piedmont Triad followed directly by Sedgefield CC at No. 2, while The Cardinal G&CC was ranked 12th in the Piedmont Triad. Not to be outdone, Raleigh CC ranked No. 1 in the Triangle followed by Treyburn CC at No. 4.
“We take tremendous pride in our golf courses and our clubs,” said John McConnell, CEO and President of McConnell Golf. “Of course, we consider our golf courses to be among the finest in the state, but it is always fulfilling to hear that the experts agree.”
In addition to naming the Top 100 Courses in the state as well as top regional rankings, panelists also voted on several specialty categories including “Our Dream 18.” For the panel’s “Dream 18,” members were asked to pick their favorite holes in the state (a first hole, second hole, third hole, etc.) as if they were playing a round – and based on the tees they normally play. There were no voting restrictions, meaning that panelists weren’t required to finish with an 18-hole “course” of a specific par or yardage.
The McConnell Golf courses were well represented among the panel’s “Dream 18.” The No. 2 hole was Raleigh CC (Par 4, 411 yards) while No. 3 was also Raleigh CC (Par 3, 195 yards). No. 6 was Sedgefield CC (Par 4, 425 yards) and No. 7 was also Sedgefield CC (Par 3, 225 yards). No. 14 was Treyburn CC (Par 4, 427 yards), No. 15 was Sedgefield CC (Par 5, 522 yards) while the three finishing holes all belonged to Old North State Club: No. 16 (Par 4, 427 yards), No. 17 (Par 3, 197 yards) and No. 18 (Par 5, 568 yards).
Also in this year’s rankings, the famed Pinehurst No. 2 recently reopened to rave reviews following an extensive restoration by designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. No matter, as members of the North Carolina Golf Panel already again had deemed the Donald Ross masterpiece the state’s top course. The Farm course at Greensboro CC was named Best New Course in the state for 2010.
The panelists visit the golf courses around the state and rank them on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest, panelists assessed 10 elements of each course: routing, flow, design, strategy, fairness, memorability, condition, variety, aesthetics and the experience of the round. Founded in 1995 by Bill Hensley, the N.C. Golf Panel is in its 16th year of ranking the best courses in what is arguably the best state for golf.
Contact:
Martin Armes (919) 608-7260, martinarmes@nc.rr.com
Brad King (336) 306-9219, king@bradkingcommunications.com
Ray McDonald (919) 922-4171, rmcdonald@mcconnellgolf.com
