(THE COLONY, Tex.) – The Old American Golf Club – a GOLF Magazine and Golfweek “Best New” selection in 2010 – today announces Ronnie O’Brien, a former Major League Soccer All-Star, has been named assistant golf professional.
O’Brien, a native of Ireland, transitioned to a career in golf after 12 years of professional soccer in Europe and the U.S. He spent five seasons with FC Dallas where he was selected to multiple All-Star teams. O’Brien also played for Toronto FC and the San Jose Earthquakes before retiring in 2008.
“When I was playing soccer, I spent a lot of my downtime on the golf course with teammates,” says O’Brien. “I fell in love with the game and making it a career felt like a natural progression once my soccer days were over.”
As assistant golf professional, O’Brien will help with instructional programs and day-to-day course operations.
“To be able to play soccer professionally and then switch to golf so seamlessly is truly remarkable,” says Jeff Kindred, PGA General Manager. “His experience as a world-class athlete and golf acumen will further our goal of establishing The Old American as the best place to play in Texas.”
Since opening in September, The Old American has garnered an impressive list of accolades, including being the only Metroplex course in Golfweek’s top 10 “Best Courses You Can Play” in Texas and “Best New” from GOLF Magazine, LINKS Magazine, Golfweek and AVID Golfer.
For more information: (972) 370-4653, www.theoldamericangolfclub.com.
About The Old American Golf Club
Inspired by the ‘Golden Age’ of golf course architecture between 1911 and 1937, The Old American’s natural contours, hazard styles, native grasses and green shapes were influenced by such masterpieces as Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links, Prairie Dunes and Crystal Downs.
Davis, an accomplished amateur player and former All-American at the University of Oklahoma and Leonard, who played his college golf at the University of Texas, toured and played a handful of America’s classic Golden Age golf courses prior to starting the design process for The Old American.
The result is a golf course that emphasizes strategy and shot-making and flows with a natural rhythm from first tee to 18th green. The Old American features six sets of tees, ranging from the 5215-yard forward markers to the 7174-yard “Leonard” tournament tees. Davis and Leonard conceived the routing and layout with both medal and match play in mind, as golfers are required to hold “steady to par” through a number of holes, but enticed to gamble on birdie or better during select stretches of the course.
About The Tribute
The Tribute is an unmatched lakefront, golf resort community on 23,200-acre Lewisville Lake. Nestled between two world-class golf courses, the community offers first-class luxury amenities anchored by a spectacular clubhouse with restaurants and meeting facilities. This 1,500-acre master-planned development boasts a resort-style pool, gardens, parks and playgrounds, a future on-site school, more than six miles of hike-and-bike trails, beautifully landscaped canals, and hundreds of acres of accessible open space – perfect for the Old World architecture that is the signature look of The Tribute.
Matthews Southwest maintains relationships with Texas’ premier builders to offer myriad best-in-class residential products at The Tribute ranging from $200,000 to $1 million. As members of The Tribute’s Green Homebuilders Alliance, builders are required to maintain the highest standards of energy and water efficiency, recycling and indoor air quality.
For more information visit www.thetribute.com.
Contact:
Jonathan Williamson
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3346
jwilliamson@buffalocommunications.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
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