Travel Destinations – Len Ziehm On Golf

Home Town Takeover TV series will take Sebring in a new direction

This three-dimensional mural spotlights the Central Florida orange groves and is sure to catch the interest of visitors to Sebring’s City on the Circle. (Joy Sarver Photos)

SEBRING, Florida – This charming town of about 11,000 in Central Florida has long been known for its robust golf courses and a famous auto race. Legendary golf course architect Donald Ross started the golf scenario when he designed the Pinecrest course in 1923 and the Sebring International Raceway, which opened in 1950, is one of the oldest continuously-operated road tracks in the United States.

Now, while those attractions continue to flourish, Sebring is making big progress in another direction. Its downtown area is about to get major television exposure. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency spearheaded a campaign to get Sebring a place on “Home Town Takeover!,’’ a smash hit as a series on HGTV.

In early 2025 Sebring will be the focal point of the series in which Ben and Erin Napier headed a team of renovation experts that revitalized the area known as “City on the Circle.’’

“We applied for the first season,’’ said Kristie Vazquez, executive director of Sebring’s Community Development Agency. “Over 5,000 cities responded, and we were chosen for the third season.’’

Cities in Mississippi and Alabama were sites for the well-received series’ first two seasons.

Ben Napier announced Sebring’s selection in February and the downtown area has been buzzing with activity ever since. The goal has been to breath new life into the town with work projects on several homes, several local businesses and the historic aspect that is unique to Sebring.

Said Napier: “Renovating one house at a time is an awesome experience, but the chance to give support to an entire town, where we can help bring an entire community back to life – that’s something we wanted to try.’’

The Sebring CRA has the task of “carrying out economic revitalization, promoting renovation of buildings and assist in coordination and promotion of downtown events.’’

Circle Park will be in the center of the action in the Home Town Takeover television series.

With Home Town Takeover involved the renovation work will get widespread attention.

Vazquez said the show was looking for cities of about Sebring’s size, and its circular downtown was a big plus. There are few such cities left that have a downtown area situated around a circular park. Sebring’s has six avenues feeding into Circle Park.

Sebring’s entire downtown is a designated 1920s Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The positives of that will be enhanced when TV viewers see the renovation work unfold.

The Circle Theater, built in 1923, had been stagnant for almost a year before it was completely renovated. Sophie’s Café, Brew-Haha’s Burger Emporium and Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works area also among the businesses benefitting from the renovation projects and a stunning three-dimensional mural spotlighting the orange groves so prominent in the area will be a big eye-catcher for visitors. They’ll combine to make City on the Circle a busy place.

The 101-year old Circle Theater underwent a total renovation in Sebring’s new look.

While the pending TV exposure is exciting, it’s not the only attraction impacting Sebring. On the golf front Fore Indoor Golf Club is about to open. It has Uneekor Eye simulators and a pool table, creating what owner William Carroll calls a great entertainment atmosphere with climate control.

A five-year renovation at what had been the Spring Lake golf facility is also paying off. Spring Lake had an 800-yard par-6, which was the longest hole in Florida. Its gone now and what had been a 45-hole complex in the 1970s has been reorganized.

Now known as the Sebring International Golf Resort, it now has three nine-hole courses and a Steve Smyers-designed 12-hole par-3 course. Our touring group participated in the Citrus Golf Trail Open pro-am, preceding a Minor League Golf Tour event at Sun N ’Lake course, and Pinecrest, looking better than ever, was the site of our more traditional Durland Cup scramble.

And, only 22 miles from Sebring, work is beginning on a highly-upscale private facility in the little town of Venus. A little mystery is attached to this project, known as High Grove. It’ll definitely be high-end, as an initiation fee is $200,000 and membership will be capped at 250. Gil Hanse, one of of the hottest of today’s golf course designers, heads the architectural team.

The club plans to have more of a national membership with construction heating up on Jan. 1. Limited lodging and an active orange grove will be on the 1,200-acre property and the course will be walking -only.

Morgan Purvis, the director of membership, said the club is not planning to include residential property and High Grove will have “one single owner.’’ Purvis, who lives in Aiken, S.C., wouldn’t name him, but did describe the owner as “an incredibly passionate active golfer.’’

The target for High Grove being in full operation is Feb. 1, 2026.

Meanwhile, the Sebring International Raceway has been declared “the birthplace of American endurance racing.’’ Its premier event – 12 Hours of Sebring – will next be staged on March 15, 2025. The golf and auto racing enthusiasts all figure to benefit once the City on the Circle renovations are completed. auto racing fanatics all figure to benefi

Yunii del Cueto, has Sophie’s Cafe ready to provide delicious Cuban food to Circle visitors.

The 301 is an eatery, brewery and distillery that will appeal to a wide range of visitors.

HGTV worked with Sebring’s Community Redevelopment Agency on the Home Town Takeover series.

Korn Ferry Finals are next on French Lick’s tournament schedule

The pro shop at French Lick’s Pete Dye Course has devoted itself to the next big attraction. (Joy Sarver Photos)

FRENCH LICK, Indiana – Add the Korn Ferry Championship to the long resume of big golf tournaments played on the courses at French Lick Resort. Lots of new things have been going on at the southern Indiana destination, the latest being the staging of the season-ending event for the PGA Tour’s alternative circuit.

The concluding event in the four-tournament Finals be played Sept. 24 through Oct. 6 and when the last putt drops about 30 hopefuls will, in addition to their tournament paychecks, be handed their PGA Tour cards for the 2025 season.

Victoria National, after hosting a regular Korn Ferry stop from 2012-18, was the site of the circuit’s Finals from 2019-23. An ownership change at Victoria National led to French Lick being named the site through 2028.

“It’s great for us,’’ said Dave Harner, long-time director of golf at French Lick. “From all indications this will be very successful. We have six pro-ams, and they’re practically all filled.’’

Those preliminaries will be split between the super-scenic Pete Dye Course, which will host all four tournament rounds starting Oct. 3, and the historic Donald Ross Course. which celebrated its centennial in 2017. It has had its share of big moments, beginning with the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen that started that legendary player on his way to five straight wins in the event.

Director of golf Dave Harner is no stranger to tournament play coming to French Lick’s courses.

The Ross also hosted the LPGA three straight years from 1958-60, and all were won by famous players. Louise Suggs won the first tournament and the other two went to Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright when the event was designed as the LPGA Championship.

There was a big lull in tournament play after that as the community was known mainly as the home of basketball great Larry Bird. The golf activity started kicking in again around 2010 with the renovation of the Ross course and Dye’s creation of a the dazzling course that bears his name.

French Lick gave the senior LPGA players a huge boost by creating the Legends Championship in 2013. It grew into the LPGA Senior Championship in 2017, which was also played at French Lick. French Lick also found a place for the Senior PGA Championship in 2015, when Colin Montgomerie won the title, and the women’s Symetra (now Epson) circuits.

Also mixed in with those big professional events were three Indiana Opens, seven Big Ten collegiate championships, a U.S. Golf Association Men’s Team Championship and a PGA Professionals National Championship.

Now the Korn Ferry begins its scheduled five-year run.

“It’s only the second of those tournaments that has a group that takes care of the detail work,’’ said Harner. “It’s nice to have the support and knowledge that these guys have.’’

French Lick’s Pete Dye Course is the road to the PGA Tour and the climax to the Korn Ferry season.

Unlike French Lick’s other big tournaments, the Korn Ferry has fall dates.

“That shows us in a different light, when we can all enjoy the fall colors,’’ said Harner. “The temperature should be cooler, we’ll have winds that we didn’t have in the summer and the course is in great shape.’’

A new charity, Golf Gives Back, is also in place. It focuses on early childhood education and funds gained from the tournament will be spread around all of southern Indiana, as was the practice when the tournament was played at Victoria National.

While the Korn Ferry’s arrival is the biggest deal, it’s not the only new thing at French Lick.

A fourth course is under construction that will eventually supplement the Pete Dye, Donald Ross and Valley Links, which is a nine-holer. The new course will have nine holes ranging from 47 to 97 yards, music will be a side attraction and lights will be available for night play. Russ Apple, the superintendent for the Dye course, has done the bulk of the architectural work. The course’s opening is uncertain.

“We want it to be a family experience,’’ said Harner, “but a lot of guys coming off the hills (at the Dye and Ross) will want to knock it around. It’s short but this course has some teeth, sort of a mini-Pete Dye.’’

French Lick has also added a PGA Tour player, Adam Schenk, to its staff.

“We took him on this year to sponsor him,’’ said Harner. “He’s a real nice young man who’s from Vincennes (just a few miles away), so he’s a natural fit for us.’’

Schenk is French Lick’s first major tour player since the days of Bob Rosburg and Marilyn Smith, both stars in the 1960s and 1970s.

Only three holes are completed now, as the French Lick Resort awaits the opening of its fourth course. The lights, though, are already up on this completed hole. Not date for the course opening has been set.

Ten-year plan pays off for all three Boyne resorts

This sign on the Donald Ross Memorial course sums up Boyne’s commitment to its guests. (Joy Sarver Photos)

BOYNE FALLS, Michigan – Having three top golf resorts is somewhat like having three children. How do you decide which one gets taken care of first?

That’s a potential dilemma at Boyne Mountain, The Highlands and Bay Harbor – the three resorts that have a combined 10 golf courses and plenty of other amenities and attractions. Just a few miles apart, they’re all special places with special needs.

So, how does the Boyne group management handle it? It’s all about planning. A 10-year plan was drawn up in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“We have a 10-year plan for every hole on every course at all the resorts,’’ said Ken Griffin, the director of sales and marketing for the resorts. “There are very specific plans for continual upgrades.’’

And it’s been working – though not without an occasional hiccup. The biggest was at The Highlands, where an exciting new par-3 course and putting course were to be installed.

They were almost finished last year, then a super storm hit.

“We only had two holes to go,’’ said Griffin. “Then we got 25 to 30 inches of rain. We had three-four feet of sand ripped out in the first week of November.’’

With a ski lift in the background Doon Brae will be the first golf course that will double as a ski slope in the winter.

Work resumed in the spring but neither the course, dubbed Doon Brae (Scottish for “short walk downhill’’), or the 27-hole putting course have opened to the public yet. The Grand Opening for both has been pushed back to 2025.

Michigan architect Ray Hearn did the design work as part of a series of projects he’s undertaken at the resorts. Each of the nine greens at Doon Brae has a different template, each reflecting a style of green — Ridan, Punch Bowl, Volcano, Postage — played in Scotland.

Just as intriguing is the course’s location.

“It’ll be the only course that we know of where golf is played in the summer and skiing is done in the winter,’’ said Griffin.

Doon Brae will be a walking course, but the walks up the ski hill will be minimal. The longest hole is 136 yards and only two holes require uphill walks. Though pushcarts may be available and carry-bags available, Griffin expects many players will simply carry a few clubs in their rounds.

Despite the weather problems affecting Doon Brae the ongoing upgrades are going on full speed at all three resorts. They don’t just encompass golf course work projects, either. Boyne Mountain received an impressive (and expensive) Skybridge last year, and it’s become a major tourist attraction. Extensive work has begun on the lodge at The Highlands.

Though it can’t be called an upgrade, Boyne has also taken on a new project beginning next year. The Epson Tour, the developmental circuit for the Ladies PGA Tour, will conduct a tournament the next three years on The Heather course at The Highlands. The resorts’ courses haven’t been lacking for players, but pro tour events are another matter.

“We’ve never done a tournament like that,’’ said Griffin. “Pre-Covid we were close to getting the Champions Tour (the PGA’s 50-and-over circuit) but negotiations fell apart.’’

Rain problems and tournaments aside, the beat goes on with new projects at the resorts.

“We’re re-investing at a higher level than I’ve ever seen,’’ said Griffin, who has worked for the resorts for 16 years.

Not only is the lodge at The Highlands being renovated now, it will become the base for an Epson Tour tournament. The LPGA’s development circuit will play on the Heather course in 2025.

HERE’S WHAT’S been happening at each Boyne resort:

BOYNE MOUNTAIN, in Boyne Falls: The oldest of the trio, the Mountain celebrated its 75^th anniversary last year and the addition of the Skybridge was a huge project. Hearn also supervised major upgrades on the Alpine and Monument courses there.

The Mountain has only two courses, but that could change one of these days. Legendary architect Pete Dye designed a course for that resort prior to his death in 2020. Center lines were cut, then work ended abruptly because Boyne management preferred to build a water park. It opened in 2004 and is now the largest indoor water park in Michigan. Land for a future Dye course, however, is still available.

“There’s no further design plans for a course, but we know that we have the space for one,’’ said Griffin.

The village at Boyne Mountain is always busy place, day or night.

THE HIGHLANDS, Harbor Springs: The Donald Ross Memorial course here is one project that won’t be completed quickly. Every hole but one is a replica of holes that Ross designed around the world. Hearn has revised Nos. 1, 2, 13, 15 and 16. Work is being done one hole at a time to minimize a reduction in play and No. 9 is being tackled this year, meaning the Ross is temporarily a 17-hole course.

No. 9, a replica of the 14^th hole at Scotland’s Royal Dornoch, is the only one of the 18 holes that wasn’t designed by Ross himself.

“But it’s the course where he grew up, where he learned golf,’’ said Griffin. It’s also the course where Ross worked as a golf professional for the first time.

The Ross course is not a project to be taken lightly. The Boyne hierarchy wants each hole to be as accurate as possible. To show how serious the staff takes this project is reflected by the work undertaken on the 15^th hole – a replica of No. 11 at Aronimink in Pennysylvania. The original version at The Highlands had five bunkers. Now, after a renovation, it has 22.

“We thought what we had was the original, but it wasn’t,’’ said Griffin, “so we moved it up the line and redid it.’’

The tee shot on No. 18 offers one of several views of Lake Michigan when you play at Crooked Tree.

BAY HARBOR, Petoskey: This resort’s Links/Quarry Course, designed by the late Arthur Hills, is the best revenue producer of the 10 at the three resorts, but Crooked Tree may be a bigger success story there. Hills didn’t design Crooked Tree. Harry Bowers was the original architect, and Boyne purchased the course from the family that built it.

“It’s the only of one of our 10 courses that we didn’t build,’’ said Griffin. “The last three holes (16, 17 and 18) were not good holes, and about 10 years ago Arthur Hills Jr. redesigned them. Ten years ago the lowest number of rounds (on the Boyne courses) were at Crooked Tree. Now, with the Heather and the Hills (Arthur Hills-designed course at The Highlands), Crooked Tree is in our top three.’’

The Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection, is the youngest of Boyne’s three resorts.

Bridge walkers are flocking to Michigan’s Boyne Mountain

Skybridge Michigan, which opened in 2022, is already a popular tourist attration. (Joy Sarver Photos)

BOYNE FALLS, Michigan — We don’t just play golf on our travel writing trips. While visiting Boyne Mountain in Michigan this week we walked the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge — called Skybridge Michigan.

The bridge, which has become a popular tourist attraction at the Boyne Mountain Resort, stretches 1,200 feet in length above the Boyne Valley below. The bridge is 120 feet from the Valley floor. You get to and from it from an historic chairlift. The Hemlock Scenic Chairlift was the first in the United States, installed at Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1938, then transferred to Michigan and rebuilt at Boyne in 1948.

The bridge offers spectacular panoramic views and has glass flooring in the middle to enhance viewing of the Valley floor. Quite an adventure from the chairlift ride up to the walk across the bridge.

Fall is the best season to visit the Skybridge.

“It’s so much about how the valley looks then,’’ said Ken Griffin, director of sales and marketing at the Boyne resorts. He said the bridge could hold 5,000 people but never more than 500 have been on it at one time.

The walk across Skybridge Michigan isn’t scary, and the views are captivating.

Michigan’s Saint John’s has been transformed into a `humanitarian’ resort

No. 18 is considered the signature hole at The Cardinal course at Saint John’s Resort. (Brian Walters Photography)

PLYMOUTH, Michigan – This transformation has been ongoing, and impressive.

Saint John’s started as a seminary in the 1940s. Seminarians designed the first nine holes of the 27-hole Mission Hills course in the early 1970s.

The seminary closed in 1988 and was dormant until 1994 when it re-opened as a retreat center for youth and families. Then, over time, it was converted into a conference center and hotel. With Jerry Matthews joining the design effort the course reached 27 holes in the late 1990s, with the nines given biblical names – Matthew, Mark and Luke.

And now it’s a resort, and a very nice one to boot, with a golf component that sets an impressive tone for the entire development.

The evolution of Saint John’s was a slow one until William Pulte Family Management purchased the facility from the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit in 2021. Then a $50 million transformation began, turning Saint John’s into what it is today – a “humanitarian’’ resort that features a 118-room hotel with three restaurants – all very good, but distinctly different. The Five Steakhouse, the Grotto Wine Bar and Doyle’s Irish Pub all fit perfectly into the resort’s composition.

So does the golf operation – the 18-hole Cardinal course, the seven-hole Little Cardinal short course, the 18-hole two-acre putting course, Carl’s Golfland retail store and a four-season heated Trackman driving range and short game practice area.

June 22 was opening day for The Cardinal, Little Cardinal, putting course and Doyle’s Pub. That underscores the freshness of this revitalized resort. While there’s still some signs of construction the place – barely two months past its latest re-opening — is in full operation now.

No. 14, a par-3 playing anywhere from 98 to 221 yards, is one of the best at The Cardinal. (Joy Sarver Photo)

The Cardinal is the first new public course to open in the Detroit area since Shepherd’s Hollow, in Clarkston, over 20 years ago and the Little Cardinal has become the area’s first short course.

All of it is based on an unusual and interesting humanitarian concept. All profits from the resort operation go to the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit that supports more than 200 humanitarian and educational initiatives both in the Detroit area and around the world.

Ray Hearn, the prolific Michigan-based architect, directed the rebuilding of the golf facilities over what had been the former 27 holes. It was a complete re-do, though some of the 100-year old trees remain.

Hearn’s overall design goal – as stated prominently in his company website — “is to revolutionize the golf industry’’ and he’s done that at Saint John’s.

Though less than a year old The Cardinal, built on 200 acres of undulating terrain, is in excellent condition and is very much a championship layout. It’s a 7,002-yard par-72 with a 73.3 course rating and 137 slope for men and a 79.7 rating and 145 slope for women from the back tees. The rough is thick and challenging, the greens big and tricky.

Saint John’s is a unique resort with a wood carving of its namesake cardinal on the golf course and local artwork throughout the halls of the hotel adding to its charm. (Joy Sarver Photos)

“The land was a perfect setting for me to draw inspiration from previous Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow and Willie Park projects,’’ said Hearn, a stickler for history in golf design. “Our goal was to create a fun golf experience. We’ve achieved that, and then some, with this project.’’

The Little Cardinal, built on seven acres in a parkland setting, has but seven holes and is a walking course. Holes range from 44 to 112 yards but the main feature is the greens. They’re replicas of green templates of the past – Punchbowl, Redan, Sahara, Volcano, Postage, Reverse Redan and Biarritz. An educational explanation of each is provided on plaques at the end of each hole.

Five tee placements are available on each hole of The Cardinal with No. 18 considered the signature hole with a valley cut through the fairway. An argument on that score could also be made for No. 9, with its church pew bunkers.

Church pew bunkers (bottom right) make No. 9 one of The Cardinal’s tougher holes. (Brian Walters Photography)

Though Hearn has developed courses from as far away as Vietnam, Egypt, South Korea, Panama and Croatia, he’s been most prominent in Michigan. His office is in Holland, MI., and he’s handled over 30 projects in his home state. That includes an ongoing renovation project at the three Boyne Resort courses.

That resume in his 28 years as an architect suggests the possibility of a Ray Hearns Golf Trail in Michigan and — if it materializes — Saint John’s will be a major part of it.

Inside the resort, in addition to the restaurants, Saint John’s has a beautiful Catholic Chapel that’s ideal for weddings, ballrooms, colorful local artwork on display in the hallways, 26 separate function rooms and a 24-hour fitness center with perpetual pool and Jacuzzi.

Saint John’s is located between Detroit and Ann Arbor and is a 24-minute ride to the Detroit Metro Airport. For more information check the website www.saintjohnsresort.com.

The Grotto Wine Bar, in the lower level of the hotel, is a most unique dining spot. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Wisconsin would benefit from creating a golf trail — with Dells as the hub

The Wisconsin Dells has two top-notch courses — plus a lot of other things to do. (Joy Sarver Photos)

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – I’m big on golf trails. Quite a few states have golf trails, and some have even more than one. They’re a good marketing tool for the areas involved and helpful for golfers looking for spots where our sport is a priority.

Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the most prominent, but about 20 states have at least a semblance of one. Wisconsin, though, isn’t among them.

No state has made as big a stride in growing golf in the last two decades as the Badger State. The creation of a golf trail – a listing of top courses within driving distance of each other that could work together for the common good – would spotlight just how attractive public golf in Wisconsin is.

Pat Stein, now the director of golf at Wild Rock, grew up in the Dells area and has worked there for 23 years. He supports the golf trail concept.

“The Dells is known for water parks, that sort of stuff,’’ said Stein, “but it could be used as the hub. The Dells is a convenient place to get out and do other things.’’

Golfers need options away from the courses, too. The Dells certainly has those.

Pat Stein, director of golf at Wild Rock, has been involved in the Dells golf scene for over two decades.

Two of the six courses in the Dells – Wild Rock and Trappers Turn – would fit into a trail of the state’s best courses but plenty of other good ones aren’t far away. Kohler, home of Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, and Erin Hills are about two hours from the Dells. Those sites have hosted major championships.

Also within two hours are Grand Geneva and Geneva National, in Lake Geneva. Lawsonia and Sentry World are about an hour from the Dells and Sand Valley is less than that. That’s a lot of great golf in a relatively small area. Those stops don’t have all the side attractions that the Dells has, though. The Dells has long been a destination for family vacations thanks to its array of lodging, tourist attractions and dining. Its boat tours started 150 years ago and are a trademark for the area.

As for the golf there, Trappers Turn – built in 1991 – was created by architects Roger Packard and Andy North and Wild Rock – which opened in 2008 – was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. They started work on Wild Rock as they were finishing up Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open.

Trappers Turn is not known just for its golf. Its floral displays, particularly this one, are memorable.

Both Trappers Turn and Wild Rock are championship layouts that also have short courses. Wild Rock is part of the Wilderness Resort and it has a popular dining location in Field’s Restaurant. Trapper’s Turn is part of the Kalahari Resort, and it has its own hot restaurant — named Double Cut.

These two are among the best golf resorts in at least the Midwest, and that makes them natural rivals. Which is better? Trapper’s has 27 holes, and the extra nine is a significant plus but Wild Rock gets a slight edge here as an 18-hole layout.

“I’d call it a friendly rivalry,’’ said Stein. “We both have to work together to make it a golf destination.’’

You’ve got to like the squared tee\boxes at Wild Rock and this bunker in the middle of a fairway is unusual.

The Dells has four other courses. The oldest is Coldwater Canyon, part of the Chula Vista Resort. Now an 18-holer, it’s front nine opened in 1923. Christmas Mountain has long been a skiing destination but its golf course has come along nicely in recent years.

Most unique is Fairfield, a 12-hole executive length course that owner Jim Tracy has expanded and upgraded in the last few years. Fairfield has a particularly nice simulator room and a 20-acre practice range that is 350 yards deep. Those things make this facility more than just golf holes and its prices are much more affordable than the resort offerings. Spring Brook, a challenging but playable nine-holer for all ages, is also available.

Neighboring communities – particularly Reedsburg and Baraboo — have their courses, too, and Sand Valley has come on like gangbusters with its steady stream of expansion projects.

“Sand Valley has been a big boon to (the Dells),’’ said Stein. “What Sand Valley is doing is bringing people to this area. From the resort side that helps.’’

The Dells has over 8,000 hotel rooms, and that’s added to the Dells attractiveness for golf-playing visitors. A clear sign of that are the striking tree-house cabins that have been added at Wild Rock to bring in more golf groups.

“Spas are big now, too,’’ said Stein. “Golf was just one more thing to do. Now people want things that involve more than just golf. The evolution in the area is pretty amazing. A lot of groups come here, though not as part of an official trail. From the Dells you can really spread out, and play a lot of golf. And, groups can come here and have a night life.’’

SCENES FROM THE DELLS: Here’s some of the current attractions in this long-time vacation hotspot.

Mountain golf makes for a two-sports story at Georgia’s Sky Valley

Golf and Golf Croquet thrive together at Sky Valley in Georgia. (Joy Sarver Photos)

SKY VALLEY, Georgia – This is not a report on your traditional golf travel destinations. Sky Valley Country Club is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At an elevation of 3,297 feet it’s the highest and northern- most course in Georgia.

The location is a plus for this Georgia Golf Trail layout, which justifiably bills itself as “Georgia’s Highest and Coolest City’’ and “Georgia’s Summer Retreat.’’

“We’re the only club in our range that’s open to the public and open year-around,’’ said Ryan DeBois, the club’s general manager. “All but two of the others are completely private and are closed between Nov. 1 and April 30. We’ve had people playing in January.’’

Though the temperatures were on the high side for this area during our visit, Sky Valley attracts plenty of visitors anxious to escape the heat of nearby states – particularly Florida. It’s also a 2 ½-hour drive from Atlanta, so that area provides large numbers of visitors as well.

One minor drawback, though. The location of Sky Valley – the name of the club as well as the city in which it resides – isn’t easy to pinpoint on maps.

“We’re different. We straddle the North Carolina and Georgia state lines,’’ said DeBois. “Our back nine is in Georgia but a couple of the holes on the front nine are in North Carolina.’’

Anyway, Sky Valley is located between the towns of Clayton, Ga., and Highlands, N.C. It’s in Rabun County, Ga., and is included in the Highlands Plateau area that includes Cashiers, N.C.

Sky Valley Country Club, with its historic chimney on the third hole (below), holds a special place on the state lines of both Georgia and North Carolina.

Sky Valley is no mystery to people in the know. Two former Georgia governors and a president of Florida State University have had homes in the mountains overlooking the course, and football coaching legend Nick Saban has been a frequent player there.

There’s been a golf course at Sky Valley since the 1980s. A resort course was built on a cattle farm there, and a chimney from those days still adorns the No. 3 fairway.. The facility had an array of problems surviving until a founders group of neighbors banded together to pull it out of bankruptcy in 2010 and took ownership in 2013.

One member of that group was Milt Gillespie, whose family has had roots in the area since 1821. Gillespie and wife Anne have lived in a beautiful – and one of the very highest – homes on the mountain for 17 years but were also residents of the area when a ski area was operated in Sky Valley from 1964 to 2004.

The Chapel of Sky Valley stands out with its mountain setting.

Bill Watts is the designer on record for the original course, but the present one is a creation of Atlanta architect Bill Bergin in 2007. It has challenging elevation and No. 15 was selected as the best par-3 on the Georgia Golf Trail in 2023. Veteran superintendent Steve Mason has the 6,961, par 72 facility in fine shape, and the course hosted last year’s Georgia Senior Amateur.

Last year the course had 18,000 rounds, which is well above the array of private courses in the area, and 57 percent of Sky Valley’s rounds came from public play.

Traditional golf isn’t the only “golf’’ played seriously at Sky Valley. Golf Croquet also has its very serious devotees. The club has two full-length croquet courts, its participants don the sport’s traditional white attire and competition is readily available with 11 of the area’s private clubs also having croquet facilities. They don’t play the casual backyard version of the sport.

Dale Fenwick, who directs the Sky Valley croquet program, called Golf Croquet “a modification of Association Croquet….Association Croquet is a very long , very complicated, strategic game. Association Croquet is to chess what Golf Croquet is to checkers.’’

Fenwick did some further research, using the sport’s historical publications, and learned from a British leaflet from 1896 that Golf Croquet was mentioned as “a game for garden parties.”

The golf connection apparently “was designed to utilize the favorite strokes of drives in golf, but on a moderate size lawn.”

You can find waterfalls whenever you venture around the Sky Valley area. This is one of the best. It’s called Mud Creek Falls and it has a 100-foot vertical drop.

Anyway, Sky Valley has a very friendly membership consisting of about 300. One-third are full-time local residents but the majority are four- to six-month season residents of Sky Valley. They enjoy a nice, modern 13,000 square foot clubhouse that has two dining rooms. Other facilities include a golf simulator.

The Chapel of Sky Valley’s bell tower plays music at regular intervals every day. There are plenty of trails for hiking and other outdoor recreational pursuits include fly-fishing, tennis, pickleball and swimming.

Lodging for 100 people is available in private homes, condos and timeshares within Sky Valley and VRBO contributes another 60 rooms to the Sky Valley inventory. Fine dining and shopping is available in Highlands, 12 miles away, and other nearby communities. It’s also worthwhile to check out the abundance of waterfalls and wineries throughout the area.

For further information contact www.skyvalleycountryclub.com.

Sky Valley’s clubhouse is a comfortable place for both the club members and visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Will a PGA Tour visit bolster Myrtle Beach tourism? We’ll see

It was long overdue, but the PGA Tour now has a tournament in Myrtle Beach. (Joy Sarver Photos)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Having about 100 courses, an oceanside setting and tons of lodging and dining options made Myrtle Beach a popular place for golfers to visit. It wasn’t good enough for the PGA Tour, however – at least not until this year.

Golf’s premier circuit brought its first-ever tournament to the stunning Dunes Golf & Beach Club in May. Even without a great field the Myrtle Beach Classic received a warm welcome that encouraged city leaders.

“This high-profile sporting event not only enhances our area’s reputation as The Golf Capital of the World, but also reinforces the strong community spirit that defines the Grand Strand,’’ said Karen Riordan, president and chief executive officer of Visit Myrtle Beach. She called the inaugural playing of the event “a standout success.’’

Tournament director Darren Nelson reported that over 1,300 volunteers turned out to get the Classic off to a good start.

“With the continued dedication and support from the Myrtle Beach community the event is poised to continue to grow and evolve, further spotlighting the Grand Strand as a premier destination for golf and recreation,’’ said Nelson.

The tourney reported over 40,000 spectators attended the pro-am and four tournament rounds and claimed that the 15,281 ticketholders for Saturday’s third round was 5,000 more than expected. TV coverage on The Golf Channel was also helpful.

Chris Gotterup earned the champion’s blue jacket as the first winner of the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Oh, yes. The golf was good, too. Chris Gotterup, an up-and-coming 24-year old, was 22-under-par en route to winning by six strokes on a course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1948. Another young hotshot, Thorbjern Oleson, set a course record with a 10-under 61.

Vanna White, a mainstay on TV’s Wheel of Fortune and a North Myrtle Beach resident, played in the pro-am and said what many were thinking about the only new tournament on the PGA Tour in 2024.

“We relate Myrtle Beach to golf, and it’s been that way for a long time,’’ she said. “It’s time the PGA Tour came here.’’

No argument there, and the area’s biggest tournament – the 41^st annual World Amateur Handicap Championship – is still to come, along with a myriad of other events that have been annual attractions in Myrtle Beach. The World Amateur will bring bring over 3,000 players to Myrtle Beach from Aug. 26-30. It’s the world’s biggest golf tournament and this two-time participant has fond memories of the experience.

The PGA Tour certainly needed to put one of its tournaments in this golfing hotbed. Now we’ll find out if Myrtle Beach really needed the PGA Tour. Chances are both parties will benefit from the relationship that will continue for at least a few more years.

Grande Dunes will host the final round of Myrtle Beach’s World Amateur Handicap Championship.

In the meantime the Myrtle Beach golf community has continued to upgrade its courses. Our stop took us to Grande Dunes first. It has re-opened after a lengthy renovation and will return as the site of the Flight Winner’s Playoff, the climax to the World Amateur.

Next stop was Myrtlewood, a 36-hole facility that offers the Pinehills and Palmetto courses. We played Pinehills, a layout in the final stages of a bunker renovation. We got rained out after 10 holes. Still, a fun day with our return likely as soon as we get back to the area.

Finally, we hit the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – arguably Myrtle Beach’s most popular course. (At least it is our favorite). Caledonia and neighbor True Blue make for a nifty double-round day if you choose to accept the challenge.

Because we’ve been to Myrtle Beach many times over the past 20 years we can attest to the quality of lots of other courses – Pine Lakes, River Club, Pawleys Plantation, TPC Myrtle Beach, Founders Club, Barefoot Resort’s Fazio, Dye and Love courses, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Oyster Bay, Thistle. The beat goes on.

The key to Myrtle Beach’s success isn’t because the PGA Tour has finally arrived there. It’s because course leaders haven’t been reluctant to re-invest in their properties. For the vast majority of visitors over the years that’s been the most important thing. That’s why Myrtle Beach has maintained its prominent position as a golf destination.

Myrtlewood (above) has two 18-holers, both fun layouts, while Caledonia (below) has a most memorable finishing hole with the clubhouse as a backdrop. There’s frequently an audience on the veranda cheering on the players as they finish their rounds.

One tournament begins, another ends on PGA Tour this week

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club may be the most history-rich course in Myrtle Beach.

OCALA, FL. – Even without a ball being hit yet, the week ahead looms as an interesting one on the PGA Tour.

Holding two concurrent events in the same week isn’t unusual on the PGA Tour, but this is a little different. The Wells Fargo Championship, in Charlotte, N.C., and the Myrtle Beach Classic are similar in that both are 72-hole events that begin their four-day runs on Thursday.

The Carolina events aren’t that far apart either – only 172 miles, less than four-hour drive. Otherwise there are some stark differences.

The Wells Fargo is a tournament with some rich history, while Myrtle Beach – which bills itself “the Golf Capital of the World ‘’ with some justification — has never hosted a PGA Tour stop. The Wells Fargo is a Signature Event with a $20 million purse and many of the game’s top stars. The Myrtle Beach Classic has a $4 million purse and its field is dominated by the young up-and-coming stars.

While the Myrtle Beach Classic is a new event, the Wells Fargo is being held for the last time. Its inaugural playing was in 2003, and its list of champions include Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fower, Brian Harman and Max Homa. Its defending champion is Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open titlist. Wells Fargo, though, has announced that it won’t renew its sponsorship after this year’s playing.

Charlotte has been a PGA Tour site long before the Wells Fargo teed off for the first time at Quail Hollow Club, and that venue won’t be disappearing from big-time golf. It’ll host the PGA Championship in 2025. That won’t be anything new for the club, either. It was the site of Justin Thomas’ PGA victory in 2017 and the President’s Cup was also played there in 2022.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. created The Dunes course in 1948. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Switching the focus to Myrtle Beach, it’s shocking that this community hasn’t attracted corporate sponsorship for a PGA Tour event until this year. For over 40 years MB’s nearly 100 courses have been used for the World Amateur Handicap Tournament. With entries topping 3,000 annually, it’s believed to be the biggest golf event in the world.

This is a really avid golf town, and there have been professional tournaments held there in the past. The U.S. Women’s Open was played in MB in 1962 and the women’s circuit held four tournaments there in the 1990s, with Australian star Karrie Webb winning two of them. Seven Senior PGA Tour Championships were also held there, the last in 2000.

Myrtle Beach even has a TPC course, and many of Dustin Johnson’s trophies are on display there. The Myrtle Beach Classic, however, will be played at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, a par-71 layout measuring 7,347 yards. It’s the second-oldest course in Myrtle Beach.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. was the designer in 1948, and insiders believe it can be stretched a little longer to better suit PGA Tour players. Those who were early entrants included Brandt Snedeker, Jonattan Vegan, Daniel Berger, Joel Dahmer, Cameron Champ and Charley Hoffman.

Organizers of the MB event held a unique qualifying event, called The Q, as part of its pre-tournament promotional festivities. They also had no trouble finding volunteers. The number needed filled up quickly, — faster, they believe, than any event with the exception of a Ryder Cup. Clearly the enthusiasm for golf on its biggest stage is bubbling over in Myrtle Beach.

The new event has one – at least minor – concern. Sunday’s final round will be played on Mother’s Day, and that might cut into attendance. Of course, that could minimally impact the Wells Fargo, too.

What the future holds for both events is uncertain. It’s unlikely Quail Hollow will be without a big event after the PGA Championship next year. It’s been just too good of a tournament site and new sponsorship should be forthcoming eventually. The Myrtle Beach Classic has a contract for two more years and would likely continue long beyond that, assuming the sponsoring and crowd support are up to expectations at the inaugural event.

The ocean views at The Dunes create a stunning backdrop for golfers.

Arthur Hills influence perks up golf options in Daytona

The par-3 16th hole at Florida’s Cypress Head course doesn’t look like much — but sometimes looks can be deceiving. That’s the case with this one. (Joy Sarver Photos)

DAYTONA BEACH, FL. – Because we do what we do, it’s golf that is our first target when we make our visits to the Daytona Beach area, and that’s a shame. Daytona offers so much more than golf.

There’s the beach, of course – 11 miles of oceanfront famous for its wide, firm sands that allow for vehicle usage. There’s even been automobile speed trials and stock car races there.

Then there’s the Daytona International Speedway, of course. It houses the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America but the stagings of the Daytona 500 since 1959 are the primary reason the facility has been dubbed the “World Center of Racing’’ and the “Birthplace of Speed.’’

Significant signage highlights some of the Daytona area’s must-see spots — Millie’s Restaurant (upper left) and Buc-ee’s (upper right) and Tiano’s Restaurant at New Smyrna Beach.

Those attractions are tough to beat, but golf can’t be ignored – especially when LPGA Boulevard is one of the main drags as you exit I-95. The Ladies Professional Golf Assn. has called Daytona home since 1996 and that’s somewhat where our golf journey begins this time. The late Arthur Hills is one of the most popular course architects of this generation, and he designed one of the two 18-holers at LPGA International.

The LPGA’s Hills Course had been closed for five months, primarily for a comprehensive greens renovation project that restored the putting surfaces to their original size and U.S. Golf Association specifications. The result was that the greens netted an additional 26,600 square feet. Prior to the installation of the new TifEagle bermudagrass the Hills Course had 65,340 square feet of putting surface. Now it has 92,000 square feet.

TifEagle had previously been installed at the LPGA’s Jones Course and was found to be ideally suited to Daytona Beach’s climate. The Hills project, though, was more extensive. The bunker complexes were also restored with the addition of 300 tons of sand and the cart paths were resurfaced.

We’re also happy to report that we uncovered another Hills design that we weren’t aware was in the area on our previous trips. This one is at the Cypress Head course in Port Orange. Hills, who died in 2021, designed it in 1992 with assistance from Mike Dasher.

Hills’ courses are always fun, but are also known for the architect’s quirks. His designs usually have one hole that might be called goofy. Hills outdid himself at Cypress Head, widely acclaimed to be one of the best municipal courses in the South.

This one has back-to-back par-3s at Nos. 6 and 7 and back-to-back par-5s on the finishing holes, Nos. 17 and 18. Any back-to-back holes with the same par are unusual, and two such pairs is extremely rare.

But there’s more to the Hills’ touch than that at Cypress Head. The No. 16 hole is a par-3 that measures 178 yards from the back tees but only between 55 and 103 yards from the other markers. In other words, it seems like a nothing hole – too short to be much of a challenge for most players. The only thing is, it’s not!

Assistant professional Dylan Quintrell is filled with stories about how that hole confounds all types of players – from beginners all the way up to pros like himself.

The Cypress Head staff added to the unique nature of the course by conducting a survey of patrons last year to give names to each hole. The short 16^th is “NightnDay.’’ Some of the others are “Double Trouble,’’ “Bigfoot’’ and “Alley Oops.’’

Chicago-based KemperSports has managed the city-owned facility for 22 years. Oregon’s Bandon Dunes and former U.S. Open site Chambers Bay, in Washington, are among the 140 courses managed by Kemper nation-wide.

The other course on this year’s Daytona schedule was an old favorite, New Smyrna. It’s a player-friendly layout featuring Donald Ross’ trademark turtle-back greens. This is one of Ross’ last creations. He died in 1948, but New Smyrna didn’t open until 1953. The facility also has had a well-regarded Tiano’s Restaurant for the past 16 years. Another Tiano’s location is included in the new OneDaytona complex.

For lodging there’s no shortage in Daytona. We tried an oceanfront facility for the first time, the Bahama House. It was great for ocean viewing and would work well for golf groups.

This family of red-headed cranes had no fear of the golfers playing at Cypress Head.

Dining is in abundance, too. Our biggest dinner was at Millie’s, a restaurant recently-featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives’’ TV show on the Food Network. We also hit Crabby’s Oceanside for a post-round meal, and it was a hopping place. Four Rivers Smokehouse is another hotspot, especially for barbecue buffs. And, if you haven’t already experienced one of those Buc-ee’s massive gas station-convenience stores, Daytona has one of those, too.

For those looking for more than golf courses and good restaurants Daytona has the Museum of Arts & Services, which tells you all you all want to know about Central Florida’s art, science and history.

The Jackie Robinson Ballpark is an historic treasure. Now the home of the minor league Daytona Tortugas, the park was where Robinson played his first spring training game in 1946. The park opened in 1914. It’s part of Daytona’s rich cultural heritage that also includes the African American Museum of the Arts.

Newest attraction is the Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure, located down the street from the Daytona International Speedway. The 55,000 square foot facility has 40 exhibits. They include a 100,000-gallon shark tank and a 12,000-gallon stingray touch pool.

Category: Travel Destinations