By David Droschak It’s fitting golf course architect Dan Maples spent some quality time with his legendary father Ellis Maples during the designing of Apple Valley at Rumbling Bald Resort, considering generations of families have for decades enjoyed special moments at the mountain retreat along with its splendid scenery and countless recreational offerings. The elder…
By Keith Jarrett For a half-century, Etowah Valley Golf & Resort has provided quality play for more than a million rounds and lodging for tens of thousands for visitors. And as the 27-hole layout in Henderson County celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, there are current and future plans to ensure those numbers of golfers…
By Keith Jarrett When the devastating effects of the Party Rock Fire hit Lake Lure and surrounding areas last fall, homeowners at Rumbling Bald Resort were among those forced to evacuate. Golf was the last item on anyone’s mind as the wildfire eventually spread through thousands of acres of this picturesque community, set in the…
By David Droschak Much like the late Arnold Palmer did for so many years, Scotch Hall Preserve is extending a handshake to all golfers. Known as much for its bite as its beauty on bluffs overlooking the expansive Albemarle Sound, the management and ownership team at the Palmer signature design have undertaken a softening of…
Southwestern Pennsylvania resort perfect fall getaway By David Droschak Joe Hardy turns 94 years old in January, and God willing, the founder and CEO of 84 Lumber will get to witness another remarkable accomplishment at his 2,000-acre resort in the scenic mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. What’s the ageless Hardy have up his sleeve this time…
By DAVID DROSCHAK As Primland Resort executives and golf architect Donald Steel settled on a piece of land for a new golf course on top of the mountain of the 12,000-acre property, there was what now seems like a silly concern. Especially since most golfers who have logged a round at the award-winning Highland Course…
A tiny mountain hamlet in an Allegheny County gap packs plenty of punch with a trio of world-class golf courses By Brad King The hamlet of Roaring Gap in Allegheny County consists of a gas station, a post office … and a trio of heralded golf developments with unique, centerpiece mountain layouts all within a…
By David Droschak Few places change on a daily basis like the Outer Banks. Guarded to the east by the mighty Atlantic and to the west by a series of picturesque sounds, hurricanes, winter storms, sand dunes and wind have combined to form a magical landscape. The golf at Nags Head Golf Links and sister…
By STUART HALL On a winter night in December 2008, Tim Kreger was conducting a fundraiser to benefit the golf team at his alma mater, Clemson University. At night’s end there was a tee time to play Prestwick Country Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., still available. Kreger did not want to see a free round…
Facing greens that were last redone in the 1960s and some brutal North Carolina summers, Pine Needles and Mid Pines Resort president Kelly Miller knew he had to pull the trigger sooner than later on his struggling putting surfaces at Mid Pines. Miller met young architect Kyle Franz a few years ago while he was…