By Kurt Dusterberg When Brandi Jackson began pursuing a college golf career, the recruiting landscape looked nothing like it does today. “I think every bit of our recruiting was handwritten, putting letters in the mail,” says Jackson, who enjoyed a successful career at Furman University. “After your (high school) junior year, college coaches would make…
Former Payne Stewart caddie Mike Hicks is six months into his new venture for Cary-based Caddies on Course – and loving every second. Hosted by top Tour caddies such as Hicks and providing a unique peek into the world of professional golf, Caddies on Course offers a variety of programs to help plan a perfect…
By Kurt Dusterberg If you’ve played a round of golf over Labor Day weekend in recent years you’ve probably come across a charitable cause that is close to the heart of the Carolinas PGA. With more than 175 clubs and courses participating, the Carolinas’ section led the United States in fundraising for the Folds of…
By DAVID DROSCHAK All of John McConnell’s previous private club purchases across the Carolinas came as “financial saves,” but Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville added a different twist to that equation. The late Carlton Taylor was an original Brook Valley investor who McConnell knew from working together at Burroughs Corp. Taylor (who died in 2010) bought the club…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Harold Varner III tends to see white on the golf course – as in the ball heading into the hole. And while he includes Tiger Woods in his dream foursome with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, that selection is based on talent, not race. The former East Carolina star acknowledges he can’t…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Golf course architect David Johnson weaved his way around briar patches and battled through thick woods and wetlands, suddenly emerging into an open field on a tract of land in Rocky Mount the Ford family had asked him to check out for a possible golf course layout. On first impression —…
By DAVID DROSCHAK In baseball vernacular John McConnell would be a combination of star relievers Mariano Rivera, Goose Gossage and Dennis Eckersley. The Raleigh golf executive has been fast and aggressive — seemingly coming out of the left field bullpen at times – to compile an impressive portfolio of private golf course “saves” across North…
Few, if any, golf clubs across North Carolina can boast of a 500 percent increase in membership over the last 18 months. But that’s exactly what Belmont Lake Golf Club in Rocky Mount has accomplished since being purchased by the Halle Building Group in April 2013. While 158 may not seem like a large number,…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Tom Pashley has seemingly done it all at Pinehurst, from cooking omelets to raking bunkers to working the overnight shift as part of the audit team during his stint in the mid 1990s as part of the resort’s first-ever Manager in Development Program. So, even though some of the names have changed…
By Stuart Hall Danny Stewart first met William McGirt in 2003 following a round at the Azalea Invitational at Country Club of Charleston (S.C), where Stewart is director of instruction. McGirt asked if Stewart could watch him hit a few shots on the practice range. Stewart recalls McGirt hitting balls until dark took over. The…