By David Droschak Spend more than five minutes with Dona Lerner and Kathy Bounds and its evident there is a true division of labor in the well-oiled machine that is the Dona Lerner Golf Academy. Lerner is the face of the business while Bounds is the worker bee. The common ground is a love for…
By David Droschak Hall of fame golf course architect Tom Fazio loves to rattle off his favorite features of mountain golf in North Carolina — hills, terrain, elevation, framing, definition, trees, natural streams, waterfalls. “All of these things come with the territory and then it’s just a matter of how you fit it in, how…
By David Droschak Jackson Van Paris has been one of the nation’s top junior golfers the last few years, accustomed to handling pressure situations. So, heading to the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, needing a par on one of the hardest holes on the course to secure the North Carolina 4-A high school men’s…
By David Droschak Reaching the top in golf often requires tremendous sacrifices, including long hours on the practice range, a never-ending focus on fundamentals, mental toughness and course management, just to name a few. Macy Pate added one more item to the mix this past year. The Reagan High School freshman and her family…
By David Droschak Considering his stellar work across North Carolina, it’s only fitting that favorite son Tom Fazio would be behind the design work of the first golf course to open in the state in five years. The “new” High Hampton was unveiled in late May to its members, and will start taking resort play…
By David Droschak So how has John McConnell systemically assembled a successful private golf course portfolio across four Southeastern states while many in the industry scoffed at his notion of a “regional golf network?” Already with more than a dozen top-notch layouts designed by the likes of Dye, Fazio, Palmer, Norman and Ross, McConnell has…
By Kurt Dusterberg Emilia Migliaccio can pinpoint exactly when she began second-guessing her dream. The Wake Forest senior, one of the top-ranked amateurs in the world, was on top of her game on the final holes of the North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst last summer. “I birdied the last three holes to finish…
By David Droschak Richard Lawson has led a life that is beyond interesting and intriguing. He spent the “working portion” of his career as a government contractor designing and executing United States missile defense systems. The last two decades, Lawson has been the “behind the scenes” engine to help fuel Pinehurst-area volunteers for such high-profile…
The Fitness and Wellness Center at Champion Hills — one of Western North Carolina’s premier golf communities — has been ranked among the Top 50 in the United State by Club+Resort Business, coming in at No. 44 on the inaugural list. A leading trade publication based in Cleveland, C+RB covers the operations and management…
Primland, a boutique resort nestled amid 12,000 Blue Ridge Mountain acres in southwesternVirginia, has unveiled its latest amenity – a stunning wine cellar. The newest dining venue at the resort is the Schlumberger Wine Cellar, located in The Lodge. An intimate space, the cellar was designed by Parisian architect Didier Benderli of Kerylos Interiors, featuring walls paneled with wormy…