Travel Destinations – Len Ziehm On Golf

Historic Homestead Resort offers a lot more than golf

The iconic 1766 topiary at the garden in front of Homestead’s main entrance reflects the resort’s durability over 250 years of quality service to its guests. (Photos by Joy Sarver)

HOT SPRINGS, Va. – Our return to the Omni Homestead Resort & Spa was long overdue. We first visited in 2014, and a lot has changed at America’s first resort since then.

Eleven years ago our report was all about golf, and that was appropriate. Homestead was where the legendary Sam Snead first started playing golf. He had worked at the resort’s Cascade course, one of the best layouts in the country, and its other 18-holer, dubbed The Old Course, offered an historic photo op. The No. 1 hole is the longest continuous first hole in American golf. That’s still the case.

Four years after our first visit Homestead began a massive restoration. That was understandable, as Homestead dates back to 1766. That’s 10 years before the birth of the United States.

Homestead’s shopping corridor offers a promenade of unique boutiques and a Virginia wine-tasting experience.

Twenty-four of the 47 sitting U.S. Presidents have visited Homestead, starting with the first one. George Washington passed through the area as early as 1755. Thomas Jefferson, the third president, loved the hot springs, which he felt alleviated his problems with “rheumatism.’’

The first president to play golf there was William McKinley in 1899. William Howard Taft, one of the most avid golfers among the early presidents, had a three-month stay in 1908. Another, Woodrow Wilson, played there with his second wife while they were there on their honeymoon. The last to visit was George W. Bush in 2015, a stay in which he played both the Cascades and Old Course. The Homestead has always been rich in history.

Homestead’s tower was added in 1929 and has become the trademark of the resort ever since.

In recent years, though, it has undergone a restoration that’s been priced at $170 million. Starting in 2018, the restoration touched most every phase of the resort from the Great Hall to the guest rooms to the bath houses, and the transformation has been impressive.

The 483-room resort has a two-acre water park, eight restaurants, skiing facilities for winter guests and equestrian activities. More unusual amenities include axe-throwing, falconry, shooting club, fly-fishing and Cascade Gorge hikes — which are particularly popular.

While it is old, historic and big (spanning over 2,000 acres), the Homestead is also beautiful throughout. A National Historic Landmark, the restoration meticulously revitalized the grandeur from its rich past.

The early presidents liked the beauty and climate of the Allegheny Mountains, and paintings of all 24 who visited adorn the walls of Homestead’s Presidential Lounge.

As for the golf, it was touched only minimally in the restoration. The pro shop at The Old Course was moved and down-sized a bit and the historic first tee area was expanded and the commemorative marker upgraded. It’s a favorite for golf history buffs.

The tee was part of an original six-hole course in 1892 and it wasn’t touched when the course was expanded to nine holes in 1896. Architect Donald Ross later redesigned the course in 1913 to create 18 holes and Rees Jones refined his work in 1994. The original No. 1, however, has always remained the starting hole.

Anthony Pusey (left) and Lee Peery have seen lots of changes at Homestead. Pusey is standing on the new million-dollar carpet in the Great Hall and Peery is in front of Rubino’s, now a restaurant at the Cascades pro shop. It originally was the home of Jacob Rubino, which was built in 1895.

Cascades, designed by William S. Flynn, has also had a centennial, having opened in 1924. It’s a championship course regularly ranked among the country’s top public courses. It will host the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Sept. 13-18 this year and the men’s U.S. Senior Amateur in 2029. After those events the course will have been the site of 10 U.S. Golf Association national championships. Only 11 courses have hosted more than that.

Snead was a fixture at Cascades when he was developing his extraordinary golf skills. He worked at the Old Course starting in 1929, then moved to Cascades as the head professional until becoming a touring pro in 1934.

The first hole of the Old Course has been spruced up to spotlight its historic significance.

His namesake restaurant, located near the resort but not part of Homestead, was closed several months ago. Snead also moved his base to the nearby Greenbrier Resort eventually, but Homestead’s resort address is still on Sam Snead Highway.

“Yes, he went to Greenbrier,’’ said Anthony Pusey, a fourth generation Homestead staffer who is now Maitre d’ of the Great Hall. “But we still say he’s ours.’’

Lee Peery, who grew up in Hot Springs and has worked at the Cascades for 45 years, has written a book — “The Cascades…If Only The Greens Could Talk’’ – and it includes more than a few anecdotes from Snead’s years spent there. As soon as we left the resort we ordered the book. Can’t wait to read it.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: THE OMNIHOMESTEAD.COM

With a pleasant setting in the Allegheny Mountains, Homestead is located near the Virginia-West Virginia line.

There’s one course that stands out among others at Myrtle Beach

General manager Kurtis Kuhn shows off Pine Lakes’ original building from the Myrtle Beach Hall of Fame Garden.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This is a given. If you’re in search of a golf destination Myrtle Beach will never let you down. So many courses, an oceanfront location for beach goers, lots of other entertainment options, lodging and dining options. It’s all there.

I’ve made annual trips to MB for about 15 years and played multiple rounds each time. One question I’ve regular gotten is `What’s the best course there?’ and my answer is always the same — `Probably the last course I played there.’

We attacked that issue a little differently this year during a Golf Travel Writers of America stay that involved playing three of the best layouts in Founders Group International, Myrtle Beach’s largest golf course ownership group. Founders has 21 courses spread over 18 facilities and also owns MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com, the leading provider for stay-and-play golf packages and online tee times in the area.

This time we won’t be tricked into considering what course is “the best.’’ Instead we’ll focus on which is the “most important.’’

That’s easy. It’s Pine Lakes.

Without Pine Lakes there wouldn’t be a Myrtle Beach as we know it, and plans are underway to underscore that at the course’s centennial celebration in 2027.

No. 14, a par-4 with a backdrop of nearby buildings, may be Pine Lakes’ best known hole. (Joy Sarver Photos)

“We have a fun year coming up,’’ said Kurtis Kuhn, Pine Lakes general manager. “We’re still working on a lot of things, but we’ll try to market it more as Myrtle Beach turning 100. The celebration won’t just be about us but about Myrtle Beach golf.’’

Parts of Pine Lakes’ past have been reported, but more will be revealed in the next couple years. For now it’s a public course with 275 golfing members. There’s also some social members, but Pine Lakes has never had a famous player as its representative or hosted a particularly big tournament. And, the course has no real estate component.

“In the beginning it probably was private,’’ said Kuhn. “We may have a membership push, but Pine Lakes will never be fully private. Anybody can play here.’’

Pine Lakes is the oldest course among Myrtle Beach’s courses. It opened in 1927, and the second one, the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, didn’t open until 1948. The community once had over 100 courses, but now the number is back in double digits thanks to a changing economy.

In its early years Pine Lakes wasn’t Pine Lakes. It was called Ocean Forest and was connected to the Ocean Forest Hotel. The course’s name was changed after the hotel was demolished.

Originally designed by Robert White, a Scotsman who was also the first president of the PGA of America and co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He also built the first putting green on the White House lawn.

Pine Hills’ logo and the cover of Sports Illustrated’s first issue play a big part in the club’s history.

As the oldest course in Myrtle Beach Pine Lakes had its big moments, if not big tournaments. Sports Illustrated magazine was created in a meeting in the Pine Hills clubhouse in 1954. The club also won a well-publicized legal dispute over its logo with clothes designer Ralph Lauren. Now Pine Lakes doubles as the site of the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame.

And that’s all been done as a public course. Kuhn appreciates that fact, but isn’t awed by it.

“If you want a true private course the only one (in MB) is The Dunes Club,’’ he said, “but there are packages available where people can still play there. That’s just the nature of Myrtle Beach.’’

As for Pine Lakes, the old club was appropriately dubbed “the Granddaddy’’ long ago. It’s thrived through constantly changing times, and we found the course perhaps the best conditioned one we’ve played in Myrtle Beach – and that’s even after a trying year in which the area dealt with snow in late January and threatening forest fires.

“An interesting year weather-wise,’’ said Kuhn, “but Pines Lakes isn’t going anywhere. We’ve seen a lot of courses get sold for homes, but this place will be a golf course for a very long time.’’

He has his own opinion as to why the club has thrived.

“It’s the history,’’ he said. “It started what Myrtle Beach is today. There’s no place like it.’’

Kings North has 43 bunkers on just one hole, and they’ll have white sand when its renovation is completed.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT to Pine Lakes, it’s hard to leave Myrtle Beach without keeping up with some of its other significant courses.

Kings North, at Myrtle Beach National, was the most interesting on this trip. The three-course property was built by the Arnold Palmer Group in the 1970s and Palmer was on hand for the Kings North renovation in 1994. Now Founders wants to elevate the course’s profile.

Brandon Johnson, a designer with a most fertile imagination, is with the Palmer group. He finished a renovation of Kings North’s front nine that was stunning. Now the back side is getting his attention. Given the extent of his work on the front side, one wonders what surprises he’ll unveil on the back.

General manager Ryan Ruddy won’t give many details, but the white sand used on the front side will be used on the back and the 18^th hole will be toned down. It has a stunning 43 bunkers now. Ruddy says “they’ll be reduced…they’re a maintenance nightmare. But there’ll be a lot more of the waste area.’’

General manager Tom VanHoogen (left) and head professional Shane Peters guide a busy place at Grande Dunes.

GRANDE DUNES, the last course built in Myrtle Beach in 2000, has become one of Founders’ most popular courses. It underwent its own extensive renovation three years ago.

The original course was designed by Roger Rulewich and John Harvey, who worked with Rulewich on the original design and construction, renovated the greens – largest in the area – back to their original size and also worked on every bunker.

“We wanted to bring Grande Dunes back to its original roots,’’ said Tom VanHoogan, the general manager. “After 20 years we wanted to revitalize it. But the clubhouse may have been the biggest thing. Now it’s very inviting for golfers, and it’s been brightened up.’’

The pro shop grew by 400 feet, an indoor-outdoor bar was added and outdoor seating expanded.

A greatly enlarged pro shop was the highlight of the most recent renovation at Grande Dunes.

GOLF TRAVEL NOTES: PGA Tour returns to Myrtle Beach

The Dunes Club will welcome the PGA Tour for the second straight year. (Joy Sarver Photos)

Make no doubt about it. With its beaches, lodging options, golf courses and wide variety of other attractions Myrtle Beach, S.C., is – at least arguably – the top tourist destination in the Carolinas.

For a week in May, however, it’ll be a bit more than that. It’ll be the site of a PGA Tour event in one of that circuit’s most important months of the year. The PGA Championship, at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., comes up a week after the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, which is May 8-11.

The PGA Championship is the second of the four major golf championships of 2025. The ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic is in only its second staging, but the first was a success and the second has a new title sponsor. It’ll again be played at the Dunes Club, a layout that has thrived on Atlantic Beach since 1939.

Myrtle Beach’s tournament won’t have all the golf stars that will be at Quail Hollow a week later, but it’ll have a tournament well worth watching again. Chris Gotterup won the initial playing in 2024 with a 22-under-par performance.

The lead-in has been innovative. The Q at Myrtle Beach was introduced before the first staging and was honored as the PGA Tour’s Best In-Class Element award-winner for 2024. The Q features 16 players – eight aspiring pros and eight influential content creators in an 18-hole stroke play competition. It was held on March 3 at TPC Myrtle Beach but the winner will be revealed on YouTube on May 5.

That player’s identity has created pre-tourney interest, as he will get a spot in the Classic field. Last year’s winner – pro golfer Matt Atkins – made the cut in the tournament proper and finished tied for 46^th place.

KENTUCKY GOLF TRAIL – This new venture has a new logo and is also drawing interest with one of its courses, Woodford Club in Versailles, hosting a significant tournament. The Bluegrass Women’s Senior Amateur Championship will be played there May 5-8.

The Kentucky Golf Trail, organized by veteran professional Bob Baldassari, has six courses – Woodford, Bardstown Country Club, Gibson Bay, Cherry Blossom, Greenbrier and GlenOaks.

In addition to golf, the tour participants can visit Bourbon distillerys and get behind-the-scenes looks at Kentucky’s rich history of horse racing with tours of the state’s horse farms.

Shallow Creek, the new 18-holer in The Villages, has wide fairways and a wide variety of challenges.

A REAL GOLF MECCA: The numbers don’t lie. The Villages, in Florida, can make a case for being “the single largest golf community in the world.’’

That claim was made after the area’s courses reported 3.4 million rounds were played in 2023. That number tailed off to 2.983 million in 2024, but that didn’t reflect a reduction in golf enthusiasm. Every course had to be closed for at least two weeks last year because of weather-related problems.

Villages courses reported 747 holes of golf were available in 2023. Now the number is 792. It doesn’t seem like the community needs more courses, but we heard of a new 18-hole opening and had to check it out.

Shallow Creek, the 14^th championship course in the area, was a lot of fun to play. Kenny Ezell, The Villages course architect with the Clifton, Ezell and Clifton Golf Design Group, created a par-70 layout with six par-3s and four par-5s. It has TifTuf fairways and TifEagle greens. The Villages High School borders the layout, which will be the home course for the school’s boys and girls teams. Shallow Creek also features the Boosters Bar & Grill. It has 50 TVs and a menu particularly notable for its extensive hot dog options.

So, now The Villages course count is 46 executive layouts and 14 championship 18-holers – and more are coming. The Woodlands, an 18-holer, and Meadow View, which will have 27 holes, are in various stages of development. And that doesn’t count practice facilities and putting courses. The Villages has those, too.

Ezell offered this explanation for the extraordinarily rapid growth of golf in The Villages Magazine: “We are going to try to introduce the game to any and everybody that wants to experience the game of a lifetime and what has made The Villages such a hub for golf.’’

Sand Creek, French Lick’s new short course, was in the final stages of construction in our most recent visit.

COMING SOON: The French Lick Resort, in Indiana, was among the first places in the U.S. to have a short course. There was one on the grounds in the early 1900s, and now there’ll be another one. Sand Creek, with nine holes measuring between 35 and 90 yards, is to open on May 1.

French Lick hosted major championships for both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour in its early years. It returned with the opening of the Pete Dye Course and renovation of the Donald Ross Course. Now the resort is the host for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Sand Creek, though, will be different than the big layouts and likely will stay open longer than those courses. It’ll have lights for night play and also included piped-in music. Sand Creek will include miniature versions of Dye’s famous “Volcanic’’ bunkers and challenging greens reminiscent of those on the Ross course.

HERE AND THERE: Barely a year after Pinehurst opened its No. 10 course the North Carolina resort is planning for a No. 11. Pinehurst Sandmines was the site for the Tom Doak-designed No. 10 and No. 11, being created by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, will be nearby. It’s scheduled to open in 2027.

Myrtle Beach’s World Amateur Handicap Championship has drawn over 3,000 players frequently. Now the field will be limited to that number when it’s played Aug. 25-29. Nearly 1,000 are already in the field through Past Participation Registration.

Dunedin Golf Course, in Florida, has completed a $6 million restoration of its Donald Ross-designed course. The project was directed by architect Chris Spencer.

The Heritage Golf Group has acquired The Club at Cheval in Tampa Bay, FL. It’s Heritage’s 42^nd course nationwide and ninth in Florida.

Florida’s Baseline course is different — and that’s a good thing

Baseline’s beautiful waterfall can be seen on both the seventh and 15th holes. (Joy Sarver Photos)

OCALA, FL. — Granted, Baseline Golf Course is popular in this town in which I now live, but there’s no question it’s a special place. An Ocala resident for 15 months, I only recently visited this very different layout, nestled among beautiful horse farms.

Its beauty is only part of what makes Baseline different from the other courses in the north side of Florida. Different, in this case, is synonymous with good. It’s what makes Baseline a place worth visiting for golfers coming to the Sunshine State from distant areas.

Baseline is a 19-hole executive course, with seven par-4s and 11 par-3s and a bonus hole. Designed by Arlie Parker and Stan Norton in 1988, it’s a privately-owned public facility with a notably spacious practice range. It was built on a one-time water melon farm that was liberally spruced up with the planting of ornamental trees and flower gardens.

Parker, a former professional hockey player, grew up in Canada and was a physical education teacher and then owned a painting company in New York before retiring to Florida.

`Then he realized he really loved plants and flowers,’’ said granddaughter Ashley Hodgson, who is Baseline’s general manager. “He planted every tree on the course and also built our waterfall.’’

Can you believe this flower bed and ornamental trees are located on land that once was part of a watermelon farm, and now they’re part of one of the most beautiful golf courses in Florida?

Now 86, Parker and a partner created a nine-hole course. Parker, the sole owner since the 1990s, added the second nine plus the bonus hole (more on that later). He still puts in working hours at the course.

Doug Johnson, a former touring pro, has been giving lessons at Baseline for about 30 years and the range has lights to allow for evening activity there. The rest of the staff numbers 8-10 for inside projects and 10 for the outside work. There’s also a mechanic who works full time.

One very important thing for golfers to know before making their first visit to Baseline. There are no tee times. There may be a wait before you can tee off, but you can kill time browsing through a well-stocked pro shop that has tons of good deals or using the driving range or putting green beside the first tee.

It’s also noteworthy that, while Baseline is amply supplied with carts, walking is also possible at any time. Rates range from $22, for nine holes walking, to $52, for 18 holes with a cart.

Oh, yes. Baseline doesn’t just have 18 holes; it has 19 – and the rotation is unusual. So is the course’s scoring system. No. 13 – the one designated as “Lucky 13’’ and the signature hole – follows No. 4 and precedes No. 5. It has an island green and scoring is optional. Course rules say a score on “Lucky 13’’ can be used to replace a higher score on one of the other par-3s. In effect, it’s a bonus hole – whether you need it or not.

I’ll take issue with the “Lucky 13’’ designation as the signature hole. There’s a stunning floral display and waterfall located between Nos. 7 and 15. Hence it can be seen on both nines. It makes for a great photo op.

There are many more floral gardens on the course, which assures a pleasant tour of the property no matter how your score adds up. There’s also a fox den on the front nine, and one of the fox cubs strolled near a tee box when we were playing.

Because of its length – 3,604 yards, and a par of 64 — it’s a fun course for players of all ages and skill levels. The longest hole is 320 yards (the back tee yardage at both Nos. 9 and 10), and the shortest 80 yards (from the front tee at No. 8).

“Lucky 13” has an island green and is Baseline’s “bonus hole.” Using it for scoring purposes is optional.

Kentucky becomes the latest state to a offer a golf trail

Add Kentucky to the states that now have a golf trail.

Bob Baldassari ended a long run in Florida golf to join The Woodford Club, which is near Lexington, Ky. That led to his joining forces with Randy Clay, a co-owner of the Woodford Club, in establishing the Kentucky Golf Trail. Baldassari’s wife Pam is also part of the trail’s ownership team.

“We moved (to Kentucky) and saw an opportunity,’’ said Baldassari. “We came to re-imagine golf there.’’

The Trail is up and running with six courses in the Lexington-Lousville area. The Woodford Club, in Versailles, will celebrate its 60^th anniversary in April and will host a Legends Tour June 7-8.

Other courses on the trail website are Greenbrier, in Lexington; Bardstown, in Bardstrown; Gibson Bay, in Richmond; Cherry Blossom, in Georgetown; and GlenOaks, in Prospect. Clay expects the number of courses to grow to 10-12 before this golf season is in full swing.

“We want to showcase the best in Kentucky golf,’’ said Clay.

The Kentucky Golf Tour will be unique, in that the packages offered include bourbon tastings; distillery, winery, brewery and horse farm tours; and stops at Churchill Downs and Keeneland race tracks.

To learn more check out info@kygolftrail.com or call Pam Baldassari at 859-682-6001.

Reports of the Kentucky Golf Trail’s creation surfaced at January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. As massive as the PGA Merchandise Show is, the annual extravaganza hasn’t always been a bevy of information when it comes to travel destinations. That changed at this year’s 72^nd annual staging.

Here’s a smattering of the news coming out of other American destinations:

FOREST DUNES, Roscommon, MI. – Long one of Michigan’s best destinations, Forest Dunes already has three layouts open to the public – the initial namesake layout designed by Tom Weiskopf in 2002 and the cutting-edge Loop, a Tom Doak creation that is a reversible course. In other words, The Loop functions as two distinct courses.

The northern Michigan facility then underwent an ownership change. Now Rich Mack, who owns the resort with business partner Tom Sunnarborg, has announced that Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will creating SkyFall – a new private club that will also allow limited resort guest play.

With elevation changes of up to 70 feet, SkyFall will weave through 300 acres of forest land adjacent to the current Forest Dunes public play courses.

Hanse says SkyFall will have some connection to Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia and Castle Stuart in Scotland and Les Bordes in France – two of the noted designer’s latest creations.

SkyFall is in the early construction phases and could open in late 2025 or early 2026.

A golf course on a ski hill? Michigan’s Boyne Golf will unveil one, called Doon Brae at The Highlands resort.

THE HIGHLANDS, Boyne, MI. – The opening of a new par-3 short course, Doon Brae, has been long awaited. Finally its opening is planned for this summer along with the Back Yaird, a Himalayan-style putting course. Both are to open this summer.

Bernie Friedrich, director of golf course renovations and development at Boyne Resorts, says Doon Brae will be unique – though it was built on the site of the former Cuff Links nine-holer.

“As far as I know, this is the first modern golf course ever built on a ski hill,’’ said Friedrich. “The combination of small greens inspired by some of the great green templates from overseas with sod-faced bunkers and tight mowing patterns will be a fun perfect add-on to the daily golf itinerary.’’

Ray Hearn, the veteran Michigan-based architect, did the design work. He’s minimized the uphill walking needed on the new course. It’ll measure between 678 and 993 yards with holes ranging from 57 to 134 yards.

STREAMSONG, Florida – David McLay Kidd will create a fifth course at the unique Florida destination. He’s already designed courses at Bandon Dunes, in Oregon, and Sand Valley, in Wisconsin. The new course, which will go under construction in early 2025, will be set between the Streamsong Red and Streamsong Black courses.

Hanse and Wagner designed the Black course and Bill Coore and Ben Crensshaw did the Red. Chicago-based KemperSports has ushered in a new era at Streamsong with the addition of The Chain, a 19-hole short course that features a six-hole, 13-hole or 19-hole routing as well as The Bucket, a 2.5-acre putting course designed by Coore and Crenshaw that opened last year.

PEBBLE BEACH, California – It won’t open in 2025, but a timeline has been set for the renovation of The Links at Spanish Bay. Hanse is doing this one, too.

Spanish Bay will close on March 18, 2026 and reopen in the spring of 2027, a few months before the U.S. Open is contested at Pebble Beach.

HARBOR SHORES, Benton Harbor, MI. – This facility has a Jack Nicklaus design that has hosted several Senior PGA Championships in recent years. Now it is unveiling its Wee Course. It’s a layout where kids will play for free. All the holes will be 60 yards or less.

Colin Montgomerie will design the five-acre pitch and put course adjacent to the cottages along the first hole.

Golf Travel Writers group is looking for new adventures

Broader travel might be possible thanks to new GWTA members Stephan Guertler (left, from Austria) and Grant Fraser, from Canada.

My biggest focus at this 72^nd PGA Merchandise Show was getting the word out on my latest project. I’d been coaxed into being the new president (or, I think the title should be executive director) of the Golf Travel Writers of America. It’s a 20-year old organization that has been led by Bruce Vittner, a very nice guy from Rhode Island who befriended Joy and I in our early years attending the show and got us involved in the GTWA.

Bruce didn’t want to keep up the grind of leading the group and wanted me to do it. I was reluctant at first, but decided that reorganizing the group would be a worthwhile project as well as potentially being fun. That led to me being in charge of the annual meeting, held at the PGA Merchandise Show, and I was delighted by the turnout.

Joy is now the GWTA treasurer and two other friends, Tom Gorman and Dan Vukelich, had joined me in getting the reorganization going. We had 22 enthusiastic travelers attend the annual meeting, some returning members and some new ones. When it was over we had an international membership, with Stephan Guertler (Austria) and Grant Fraser (Canada) on the greatly revised roster.

We hope to revive a past GTWA feature, a golf outing held around the show dates. We have one scheduled on Friday at Heathrow Legacy, the first course in the Concert Golf Partners string of 36 private clubs. Weather might hamper this one, since it’s been cold and raining most of our time here in Orlando but Concert’s Michael Abramovitz – a long-time GTWA member – is optimistic we can get the event in before everyone leaves town.

The search for new golf destinations brought this group together at the PGA Merchandise Show.

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.

Category: Travel Destinations