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Golf Toxaway
"Intoxicating" Lake Toxaway's Greystone Inn to offer world-class golf
The elegant Greystone Inn is only a two-minute walk from Lake Toxaway Country Club. It’s also the only way the golfing public can enjoy the club’s new Kris Spence-designed championship golf course.
Although private, Lake Toxaway Country Club extends full golf privileges to guests of Greystone Inn.
“Our portfolio of amenities will be greatly enhanced by the new course,” says Greystone General Manager Clark Lovelace. “The addition of a first-class $9 million course immediately transforms us into one of the premier golf resorts in the Southeast.”
With its excellent service, fine dining, spectacular scenery, and now a truly magnificent golf course, the Greystone Inn stands out as a destination of choice for the discerning traveler.
For further information, visit Greystone Inn or call 1-800-824-5766
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel offer year-round, championship golf in a tropical paradise
LEE COUNTY, FL—The area is known for its award-winning beaches, world famous shelling, spectacular sunsets and all the best that Mother Nature has to offer. The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel also provides a golf mecca known for its rich golf history, championship courses designed by legends and an endless selection of choices available year-round in this tropical paradise.
From golf resorts to public municipal courses to exclusive clubs that allow public play, area courses provide opportunities for golfers of all levels. Many have views of the Gulf of Mexico , have won awards for their commitment to the preservation of the environment and all have worked to protect the area’s wildlife.
According to the National Golf Foundation, the area is eighth in the nation for golf holes per capita, with an endless list of choices and quality layouts that make golf easily accessible to visitors.
In addition to resorts known for their championship courses, most accommodations in the area will recommend nearby courses for their guests. Visitors may also select from the extensive list of public courses.
Old Corkscrew Golf Club earns place on “best” list
Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero, which opened in 2007, is the area’s only stand-alone Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. It didn’t take long for the course to gain recognition as it was name to the list of America ’s Best New Courses by Golf Digest magazine in December 2007. Open to the public, the course provides an outstanding golf experience that challenges players of all levels and is set in a natural environment. In addition to great golf, players enjoy an up close and personal encounter with the area’s unique landscape and wildlife.
Certified with the Audubon seal of approval, Old Corkscrew Golf Club’s location still reflects its original natural setting, complete with stands of cypress, magnificently tall pines, mature oaks and nesting colonies of wood storks, egrets and herons, just to name a few. Valuing wildlife and natural habitats as much as they value the game of golf, Old Corkscrew is committed to enhancing the environment. Audubon International is an environmental educational organization that focuses on sustainable development. Fewer than two percent of courses around the world have been named a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
For information and tee times, call 239-949-4700 or visit Old Corkscrew.
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Golf Southeast Style
Travel “Fore!” great golf experiences in the Southeast
By Robert J. Nebel
The sound of the iron on the club as it approaches the vulnerable white dimpled ball on its tee produces an exhilarating effect all its own. Once it departs from its resting place, the ball ascends into the distance like a free bird. For myself and others it is an escape like no other. Welcome to the game of golf.
For some, golf is a hobby or an occasional treat. With my busy schedule, I include myself in this group. Whenever I get on the fairway, golf is a mystery and a challenge. After each outing, I’m left wondering, “What is it about this game?” When you break it all down, it’s just people hitting balls into holes.
For others, golf is religion. I have met many of these devotees on my travels who are equally fascinated with the game.
Whether you are an amateur or a pro, I have discovered that all types of golf courses are available throughout the Southeast.
Golfing among great scenery
Playable yet challenging is what describes the Maggie Valley Club’s golf courses.
This club, nestled away in Western North Carolina, offers fun, picturesque golfing opportunities. Its front “Valley Nine” allows you to warm up before hitting the challenging course, the “Mountain Nine.” When you work your way up to the “Mountain Nine,” you’re rewarded with endless views of the area’s vast mountains. Whether you have a good game or not, one thing is guaranteed: a game of golf at this club is a pleasure. Everyone who I encountered at Maggie Valley gave the experience positive reviews.
The Maggie Valley Club’s course was hand-sown in the 1960s with a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye which is the reason for its bright green hues. Their planting program makes it possible to add 60-70 trees.
Their clubhouse, which is part of an ambitious renovation project, offers a spacious workout room, luxurious locker rooms, restaurants and a state-of-the-art detached golf shop. To top it off, vast balconies and decks let visitors enjoy views of the golf courses set against the majestic scenery.
The Maggie Valley Club is a three-plus hour drive from the metropolitan Atlanta area. It is set over 3,000 feet above sea level between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountain ranges.
Tee time in Tennessee
If golfing in the North Carolina mountains is too far for you, check out the Eagle Bluff Golf Club in Chattanooga. Golf-lovers say that Eagle Bluff demands concentration and patience. It is a 6,700-yard course that features elevation changes, contoured fairways and lush scenery. Eagle Bluff’s course overlooks Chickamauga Lake and Harrison Bay.
Eagle Bluff is located about 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga. If you plan to stay the night, check into the beautifully renovated Chattanoogan Hotel. After a day of golfing at Eagle Bluff, nothing will soothe sore shoulders than a massage in the Chattanoogan’s Spa. Top the spa session off with a visit to the hotel’s Broad Street Grille which features delectable dishes including New York Strip steaks and Grilled Organic Salmon Roulade. Retire to your spacious room that provides all of today’s comforts which include fluffy beds and updated bathrooms.
Lanier is affordable, playable
Are you looking to save money on your next golf adventure? Look no further than the Lanier Club. The classic 18-hole, par 72 Joe Lee-designed club allows limited public play that features low daily, weekend and twilight rates. This course provides players with challenges that can be reached on any level of golfing experience. Set under the quiet pine trees and pristine slices of water, each of its holes are unique.
The Lanier Golf Club is home to a separate practice and driving range as well as a clubhouse, pool and tennis courts. Hungry patrons can check into the Club Grill after a day on the fairway.
The best part about this club is that it’s close to home. The Lanier Club is located off of Highway 20 on Buford Dam Road in Cumming.
Serious golfing
The Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina is a “Golf Mecca.” Its courses are some of the most impressive that I have visited thus far in my travels. Each of Pinehurst’s courses tell have their own history and individual design. Course No. 7 is the legendary one I visited. It’s a Rees-Jones designed course that takes advantage of its natural habitat to help and provide a challenge to golfers.
The course that is getting all the attention this year is Course No. 2, which is celebrating its 100th birthday. More than 6,000 people who have played the course this year, signed the registry. Golf legend Tiger Woods has raved about this course when he once said, “I play golf courses on tour and we all see it, miss the green, automatic lob wedge, hack it out of the rough. That to me in not fun golf. Fun golf is Pinehurst.”
Pinehurst is always improving. Room renovations in its Carolina Hotel are being upgrading through a multi-million dollar initiative. Flats screen televisions, ultra-soft bedding and marble bathrooms are just a few of the amenities being installed in the rooms.
An improvement that is in its design stages is Pinehurst’s Members Clubhouse, which is set to be completed next year. It will be similar to the existing 40,000 square-foot structure that was built in 1970.
“Pinehurst has always prided itself on innovation. It’s what’s kept us at the top of the list in the golf and resort industry, in realizing we can’t rest on your laurels to serve our guests in a competitive market,” said Janeen Driscoll, Communications Manager for the Village of Pinehurst. “Pinehurst has made a deliberate effort to bring the best to this historic venue, and our ownership has committed to those same ideals.”
Many courses to choose from
Whether you are in Georgia, Tennessee or the Carolinas, there is a course for you. Thankfully novice and the faithful players can find a diverse number of courses throughout the Southeast.
Web sites:
Maggie Valley Club
http://www.maggievalleyclub.com
Eagle Bluff Golf Club
http://www.eaglebluffgolf.com
Lanier Golf Club
http://www.laniergolfclub.com
Did you know?
Sources: Golflink.com, The Lanier Golf Club, Pinehurst Club
*The Maggie Valley Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation-length course. It features 6,505 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72.
*Legendary designer William Prevost, Sr. designed the Maggie Valley course which opened in 1962.
*Maggie Valley has a course rating of 70.8 and a slope rating of 125 on Blue grass.
*The Lanier Golf Club has been operating as a family-friendly golf institution since 1970.
*North Carolina’s Pinehurst will be the site of the 2015 U.S. Open for an unprecedented three times in 15 years.
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