By David Droschak Mystical Golf president and CEO Claude Pardue insists there was no magical formula, no inside trade secrets, that allowed him to survive, heck, even prosper, during the recent golf course contraction in Myrtle Beach. As some noted courses disappeared into economic despair, Pardue’s three layouts, with their catchy names, memorable logos, unique…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Timing is often crucial in business. Cam McRae is living proof. McRae had just turned 30 when he bought the Eastern North Carolina rights for a little-known chicken-and-biscuit franchise. He took a calculated risk, packed up his wife and two young children and left his hometown of Charlotte to open his…
By DAVID DROSCHAK If you’ve flipped a club or two in disgust at Lonnie Poole Golf Course you’re not alone. In just a few short years since opening, North Carolina State’s layout has earned a reputation as one of the most difficult tests of golf in the state. At 7,358 yards from the “Competition” tees,…
By David Droschak To use baseball vernacular, Pinehurst Resort “hit one out of the park” with its restoration of the famed No. 2 course. Play on the world-renowned Donald Ross design increased by 10 percent last year after it re-opened in March as the architectural team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore created a reverse…
By Kurt Dusterberg When Fran Wilkerson says Wil-Mar Golf Club is a family business, it’s a bit of an understatement. Most of her family tree has played a role in operating one of the oldest-run golf courses in Raleigh. Wilkerson is the woman who runs the golf operation and gives the lessons, but she…
By David Droschak Staying on top of the competitive golf business in the North Carolina Sandhills takes time, commitment and money. Fall behind ever so slightly and another golf course – figuratively a driver and chip shot away – is ready to steal your golfers. With that in mind, the closing of Legacy Golf…
By David Droschak After spending the better part of its existence in flux after a failed land development project didn’t produce any dirt movement, Falls Village Golf Club is about to come to life in a big way. The public layout located off Highway 98 in Durham was purchased by Virginia-based Traditional Golf Properties in…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Spend a few minutes on the grounds of Prestonwood Country Club and its grand scale, its attention to detail, its positive vibe, are palpable – offering up a leisure lifestyle that’s ultra appealing. Read More
By DAVID DROSCHAK Lonnie Poole Golf Course opened to great fanfare in late 2009. The North Carolina State University community, which had waited so long for a golf course to call its own, flocked to the Arnold Palmer Design Co. layout. And Lonnie Poole was voted the Best New Public Course in North Carolina. All…
By David Droschak As we inch further away from the summer solstice, kids have returned to school and beach vacations are in the rear-view mirror, our attention turns to weekend golf getaways. Packing a lot into a little box is often difficult; or just finding a unique place to relax, somewhere distinct yet with variety,…