CHARLESTON, S.C. (December 8, 2015) – The finalists for the NGCOA’s Course of the Year Award include four clubs from four very competitive regions: Forest Dunes Golf Club in the Midwest, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in the West, TPC Boston in the Northeast, and Heron Point at Sea Pines Resort in the South.
The award recognizes member-owned courses that excel in four categories: course quality, ownership and management, contributions to the community and contributions to the game. The Course of the Year winner, which will be announced on Feb. 10 at the Golf Business Conference, hosted by NGCOA, in San Diego, will come from a group of modern-era courses that are distinguished in each area.
Forest Dunes in Roscommon, Michigan, marries breathtaking natural beauty and great fun to create a rewarding experience that all the golfing public can enjoy. Forest Dunes Golf Course opened in 2002 and features a number of intriguing challenges including wide open meadows, hardwoods, century old red and jack pines, rugged native dunes, scruffy sand areas and water features.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, Maricopa, Arizona, is locally owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community in the city of Maricopa, Arizona. The Ak-Chin community purchased the club when they annexed property that was originally Ak-Chin land back into the Ak-Chin community fold. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club features 18 holes of stunning golf that was designed by Brian Curley, Lee Schmidt and Fred Couples. Troon Golf oversees club operations and maintains the golf course at tournament conditions year round.
TPC Boston, in Boston, Massachusetts, is situated on close to 400 acres in Norton, Massachusetts. Arnold Palmer Golf Design originally designed the course, with construction beginning in August of 2000 and initial completion in October of 2001. The course opened for play in June of 2002 and hosted its first PGA TOUR event in September of 2003. A redesign in 2006 by Hanse Golf Course Design was key in elevating the course’s competitive interests. As a testament to its excellence, TPC Boston has held a TOUR event each year since.
Heron Point at Sea Pines Resort, in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is a Pete Dye course that features a superb layout that showcases the prowess and unlimited imagination of Dye’s architectural genius. Heron Point is resplendent with knotted hardwoods, lagoons and salt marshes teeming with wildlife. At 7,000 yards from the back tees the course is a wonderful fusion of short and long holes.
The NGCOA will also recognize winners of the Award of Merit for long-term contributions to the game, the Jemsek Award for Golf Course Excellence, the Don Rossi Award for significant contributions to the NGCOA, the Paul Porter Award for leaving an enduring mark on a chapter, the Champion Award for service to course owners at the regional level, and the Player Development Award for success in attracting new players to the game.
The Golf Business Conference, hosted by the NGCOA, is the golf industry’s largest gathering of owners and operators of daily fee, private, resort and municipal courses. The conference, which will be held Feb. 8-11, offers educational and networking opportunities and guest speakers. NGCOA members and non-members can register for the conference at www.golfbusinessconference.com.
The conference occurs in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show, Feb. 10-11, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. The show, which is presented by the NGCOA and GCSAA, showcases the golf industry’s latest products and services throughout an expansive exhibit area and offers a wide range of educational opportunities.
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