The Ocean Course Golf Course

The Ocean Course just ranked 25th in Golf Digest's 100 Greatest U.S. Golf Courses List and 4th on Best Public Course List

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is to have hosted the 2007 Senior PGA and will host the 2012 PGA Championships.  The Ocean Course will become only the fourth course to host each of the PGA of America's major championships.

Probably no other golf course in the world outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland is affected as much by the wind. From one round to the next, a player can experience up to an 8-club difference on holes depending upon the direction and strength of the wind. Built in 1991 by Pete Dye, there are no prevailing winds on the course. Dye took this into account when designing the course. In fact, he designed two courses into one – one for an easterly wind and one for a westerly wind.

Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere – 10 right along the Atlantic with the other 8 running parallel to those. Although it was originally designed to sit behind the dunes, Dye's wife, Alice, suggested raising the entire course to allow players unobstructed views of Kiawah’s beautiful Atlantic coastline from every hole. This improved view, however, made the course substantially more demanding as it also exposed it to the area’s brisk and unpredictable sea breezes. 

The Ocean Course gained instant notoriety as the host of the most dramatic "War by the Shore," abattle decided literally by the final putt of Sunday’s final match in 1991’s Ryder Cup Matches. In 1997, The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf, with the world’s finest golfers from 32 countries competing in the stroke play tournament. The inaugural UBS Cup took place on the course in 2001, and in 2003 the course hosted the World Cup Championships World Cup. The PGA Professional National Championship was played in June 2005.

The Ocean Course made its big screen debut in November 2000 when the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance" opened at theaters nation-wide.

Golf Digest named The Ocean Course "#4 Public Golf Course in U.S." and "America's Toughest Resort Course." It is one of only 17 "5-star" courses in North America in Golf Digest's "Best Places to Play" reader's poll. GOLF Magazine has rated it #4 in its "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list. The Ocean Course has achieved the designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by the Audubon Sanctuary System, and has recently been named "Golf Course of the Year" by the National Golf Course Owners Association.

With 18 holes offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, it is likely The Ocean Course would have earned widespread acclaim had no tournament ever been played there. In May 2007, The Ocean Course hosted the Senior PGA Championship, and in 2012 will host the PGA Championship – the first of golf's four majors to be played in South Carolina.

About the Resort

Kiawah Island is… Ten miles of wide, immaculate, ocean beach on which one - or two - might walk or cycle for hours and hours without interruption. Soothing by day, utterly romantic by night, the beach is complemented by the island’s river, meandering lagoons, and pristine marshlands, and closes each sun washed day safe beneath its own star studded southern sky.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort is… a resort unlike any other. Our guests enjoy world-class recreational facilities and choose from the widest selection of sizes and locations of rental villas and private homeson the island, all of which are held to the highest standards. If you are not renting directly through Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the official owner and operator of all Resort amenities on the island, you are not getting the best vacation experience at Kiawah, or the best value. Only guests of our Resort can enjoy the following benefits:

• Exclusive use of resort pools
• Preferred golf and tee times
• Preferred tennis and court times
• Preferred nature programs and Kids Kamp
• Complimentary door-to-door resort transportation
• Advance dining reservations and preferred availability
• Advance Spa reservations and preferred availability
• Resort charging privileges provide 'cashless' experience
• Personal service from over 1,000 employees

The only way to ensure the best Kiawah vacation experience at the best value is by staying as a guest of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the official owner and operator of resort amenities on Kiawah. Beachwalker, Resort Quest Vacations and Pam Harrington Exclusives rental companies are not affiliated with Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Johns Island Weather Forecast, SC

Off Island Transportation

We are pleased to offer transportation assistance.
For guests staying in the Villa's and Private Home, please contact the Villa and Private Homes Concierge at  (843) 768-2790.

For guests staying in The Sanctuary, please contact The Sanctuary Concierge at  (843) 768-6251.

For all group transportation, please contact Todd Began, our Group Transportation Specialist at  (843) 768-6039. 

Mission Hill, course review

 
As you know if you follow us each week. We try and send you interesting information about
golf courses around the world. We can't think of anything to say about Mission Hills and its 10 courses, other than just use the links below.


Mission Hills China, owner and operator of Mission Hills Shenzhen and Mission Hills Resort Hainan, is a key player in the country's fledgling sports and leisure industry. The Mission Hills brand encompasses several sub-brands, including Mission Hills Golf Clubs, Mission Hills Residences, as well as Mission Hills Hotels & Resorts. It is also the host, promoter and underwriter of several major golf tournaments, including the Omega Mission Hills World Cup and the Mission Hills Star Trophy. The company employs approximately 11,000 people across its two operations.


Golf Courses


Club Houses


Academy


Hotel


The Mission Hills Hotel is China’s only five-star resort integrated into a golf complex, and offers an alluring combination of deluxe accommodation plus some of Asia’s finest sporting, spa and leisure facilities. The hotel features over 500 guest rooms and suites spread across Shenzhen and Dongguan, each offering its own interpretation of a tropical golf and leisure paradise. In addition, the resort offers twelve 18-hole world-class golf courses, four clubhouses, Asia's largest spa destination and one of Asia’s largest collections of golf and sports equipment, apparel and accessories, 51 tennis courts with a professional academy, an exhibition center, and several fine dining restaurants.


Mission Hills

Medinah Country Club - Ryder cup 2012

Medinah has, since 1924 enjoyed a vast and rich history. The club has seen many faces throughout its 87 years. From the members and guests who have frequented the club throughout the years to the many celebrities who have graced us with their presence. Medinah is truly a special place.

Medinah Country Club, having hosted 13 Professional Golf Tournaments, including five majors, is a significant and important club in the world of golf. The club has crowned golf champions from Byron Nelson to Tiger Woods and Lou Graham to Hale Irwin. Medinah Country Club will also be the site of the 39th Ryder Cup in September of 2012.

History

In the early 1920’s a group of Shriners from Chicago’s Medinah Temple had a dream to create a country retreat. Their goal was to build the best country club in North America with a 54-hole golf complex and a variety of other recreational activities. They selected several parcels of land in an area then known as Meacham, in northern DuPage County, which was once owned by the Meacham, Lawrence and Rosenwinkel families.

Tom Bendelow, a world-renowned golf course architect from Scotland, was retained to design the golf courses. In September of 1925, the Shriners enjoyed their first round of golf at Medinah on Course #1. Construction on Course #2 was completed a year later. Both of these courses have hosted a variety of amateur, professional, and Chicago District Golf Association events. Course #3, originally designed for Medinah’s ladies, was completed in 1928. That original Bendelow layout only lasted for three years. A major redesign took place in the early 1930’s.

While the golf courses were being constructed, Richard G. Schmid was hired to plan and design the clubhouse. Schmid had a flair for blending the classic lines of Byzantine, Oriental, Louis XIV, and Italian architecture characteristic of many Masonic structures. His design gave Medinah’s clubhouse the taste, style, and elegance still evident today. Schmid’s plans were carefully executed with Schmidt Brothers Construction Company as general contractor. The Schmidt Brothers (Otto, August, and Ernest) were Shriners and charter members of Medinah. The rotunda and murals were the work of another club member, Gustav A. Brand, a German-born artist. Shriners were familiar with Brand’s work on the Chicago Medinah Temple and other historic sites.

In the late 1920’s, Medinah had approximately 1,500 members. The onset of the Great Depression created great financial hardship. As many members withdrew, the club waived initiation fees, lowered dues, instituted fundraising events, launched golf tournaments, and soon thereafter eliminated the requirement that only Shriners could join Medinah. World War II brought more economic misfortune and the club’s membership dropped far below capacity. Course #2 was closed, and for a time members helped maintain the other two courses. The end of the war brought slow but stable economic recovery, new hope, and gradual growth in the club’s membership.

Late in the 1940’s, Medinah resumed hosting important regional, national and major golf tournaments. Since then, these national and major events have included three Western Opens, two U.S. Opens, a Senior U.S. Open, and two PGA Championships. A complete restoration and re-modeling of the clubhouse was completed in 1997, and at the same time, fine art conservators cleaned and restored all the interior frescos, murals and decorative stenciling. A new golf shop, and shooting lodge were built.
Over the years, there were changes made to the three golf courses. A re-design of the championship Course #3 by renowned golf architect, Rees Jones, was completed in 2002. When the 2012 Ryder Cup competition is held at Medinah, eighty-eight years after the club’s founding, it will mark another crowning achievement in Medinah history.

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East Lake Golf Club

East Lake Golf Club is a private facility located approximately 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Over the years, the golf course has hosted many golf tournaments including the 1950 U.S. Women's Amateur, 1963 Ryder Cup, and 2001 U.S. Men's Amateur. It is now the permanent home of the TOUR Championship by Coca Cola, the culminating event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

All proceeds from operations, as well as charitable donations from the club’s corporate membership, support the East Lake Foundation and its remarkable redevelopment project.

In 1994, famed architect Rees Jones restored Donald Ross' original golf course layout. The course measures 7,374 yards from the championship tees and plays to par 72. East Lake’s signature hole is the 168-yard, par-3 sixth, which plays from an elevated tee to a diagonally angled peninsula green. This particular green complex existed on the original Tom Bendelow course, where it served as the green at the par-5 16th and was one of the first island greens in America.

During the mid to late 1800s, the United States was experiencing an unprecedented growth in the interest of sports, especially amateur sports. At the time, Atlanta did offer many social clubs, but there was no club organized for the purpose of promoting athletics. Led by Burton Smith, a group of 65 men formed the Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC) in 1898. The original clubhouse was located on Edgewood Avenue, just below the Equitable building.

The club initially had no golf course, but four years after it was founded, it had more than 700 members. John Heisman, the Georgia Tech football coach for whom the famed Heisman Trophy was later named, directed the club’s athletic program of swimming, tennis, basketball and track. The club leaders soon realized the increased interest in golf, and in 1904, acquired property in the “suburbs” of Atlanta to create a country club, engaging golf architect Tom Bendelow to lay out the course.

The grand opening of the Bendelow course took place on July 4, 1908, on the property that was known as East Lake. East Lake itself, a sparkling stretch of water surrounded by forestland, was originally the site of an amusement park in the 1890s. It was privately owned and its chief attractions were a swimming beach, picnic tables, hot dog-popcorn-and-peanut stands, and a penny arcade where for the sum of 1¢, people could peep at such scenes as Pike’s Peak, the 1889 World’s Fair in far away Paris, and bathing beauties in revealing bloomers. There was also a real steamboat that huffed and puffed up and down the narrow confines of the lake to give sightseers a thrilling ride.

Young Bob Jones, then 6, was present at the opening reception on that summer afternoon in the company of his father, “Colonel” Robert P. Jones. The elder Jones, already an active member, later served as president of the club from 1937 – 1942 and as a director for 38 years (Bob himself later also served as president from 1946-47).

In 1913, famed golf course architect Donald Ross redesigned the Bendelow course at East Lake. The remodeled course featured a routing plan that provided each nine holes to conclude at the clubhouse. Previously the original course had nine holes that oddly finished across the lake from the clubhouse. Ross also designed the “new” No. 2 course in 1928. That No. 2 course was opened on May 31, 1930, to coincide with the final day of Bob Jones’ victorious British Amateur championship match. The club enjoyed another milestone in 1930 when Bobby Jones completed the Grand Slam of golf, winning the United States Amateur, United States Open, British Amateur, and British Open in the same year.

East Lake has hosted its fair share of golf tournaments over the years. The Golden Anniversary of the Woman’s Amateur Golf Championship, played at East Lake on September 11-16, 1950, marked the first time a USGA National Championship was ever played in Atlanta. In 1963, the 15th biennial Ryder Cup Matches were played over the No. 1 course. In preparation for the matches, the home course went through a face lift for three years, during which most of the old course was rebuilt and many of the holes changed to provide the quality championship layout the tournament merited. The alterations were performed under the direction of golf course architect, George Cobb.

Not long after the club hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup, the outlook for East Lake began to change. The surrounding neighborhood deteriorated as the 1960s fell victim to white flight and urban decay. The Atlanta Athletic Club became part of that flight when it sold the “Number 2” course to developers and moved to its present home in Duluth. The original course and clubhouse were saved when a group of 25 members purchased them and began operation as the newly formed East Lake Country Club in 1968.

In 1970, the East Lake Meadows public housing project was built on the site of the club’s “Number 2” course and became a center for poverty, drugs, and violence. Middle-income homeowners fled the surrounding neighborhood, replaced by low-income renters. By the 1980s, once proud East Lake was a tired, mostly forgotten golf course, seemingly as hopeless as the surrounding neighborhood.

This all changed in 1993 when a local charitable foundation purchased East Lake with the intent to restore it as a tribute to Bobby Jones and the club’s other great amateur golfers. The East Lake Foundation has used the renovation as a catalyst for revitalizing the surrounding community.

In 1994, Rees Jones restored Donald Ross’s original golf course layout. Using the original Philip Shutze architectural drawings, the clubhouse was brought back to its 1926 design and condition. In 2008, an impressive addition to the Clubhouse was completed and several modifications were made to the golf course, including changing the putting surfaces from Bentgrass to Bermuda grass.

The club serves as the driving force behind the effort to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. All profits from the club, as well as charitable donations from the club’s corporate membership, support the East Lake Foundation and its remarkable redevelopment project. The revived East Lake stands as a symbol of tradition and honor to those who know its history and were a part of its past. But, even more importantly, it stands as a symbol of hope to those who will live in its future.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

FROM DOWNTOWN/ MIDTOWN

I - 85/75 South

I - 20 East

Exit 61B

Turn Left at top of ramp

Go 5 lights, 1.1 miles, to 2nd Avenue

Turn Left on 2nd Avenue

At first stoplight turn Right on Alston Drive

Clubhouse on right

FROM HARTSFIELD JACKSON AIRPORT

I - 85 North

I - 20 East

Exit 61B

Turn Left at top of ramp

Go 5 lights, 1.1 miles, to 2nd Avenue

Turn Left on 2nd Avenue

At first stoplight turn Right on Alston Drive

Clubhouse on right

FROM GREENVILLE

I - 285 East

Exit at Memorial Drive

At top of the ramp turn Right onto Memorial Drive

Drive approximately 4.4 miles

Proceed past East Lake Community Park on Left

At traffic light turn Left on East Lake Drive

East Lake Drive dead ends at Clubhouse

FROM AUGUSTA (EAST)

I - 20 West

Exit 61B

Turn Right at top of ramp

Go 4 lights, 1.1 miles to 2nd Avenue

Turn Left on 2nd Avenue

At first stop light turn Right on Alston Drive

Clubhouse on right.

East Lake Golf Club

2575 Alston Drive SE

Atlanta, GA 30317

404-373-5722 – Main

404-687-8955 – Golf Shop

404-373-1437 – Fax

administration@eastlakegolfclub.com

Website East Lake

Everyone in the Greensboro Triad area knows about the great history of Sedgefield Country Club. From its start in 1926, the purchase of the Sedgefield Inn as its Clubhouse, the birthplace of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953, to the many world class golfers like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan who participated in the Greater Greensboro Open. History continues today as the former GGO has returned home to Sedgefield Country Club as the Wyndham Championship.
On September 22, 2007, Sedgefield Country Club’s famous Donald Ross Golf Course reopened following a major 10 month, $3 Million restoration project which has transformed the golf course back to how Donald Ross intended the course to play, while taking into consideration the changes in golf technology and turf grass development over the last 50 years. The restoration of our Donald Ross 1926 classic design has positioned Sedgefield Country Club as one of the premier private country clubs in America.
Sedgefield’s elegant 48,000 square foot Tudor style clubhouse offers first class dining and banquet facilities. The golf driving range and short game practice areas provide the perfect place to work on your game. A fully equipped 2,400 square foot fitness center, a tennis complex featuring five composition and three hard courts, and a 25-meter swimming pool complete the package of full service private country club amenities. Sedgefield Country Club also offers staff dedicated to providing extraordinary service so that members can enjoy quality lifestyles and build lasting friendships.

An extraordinary Akron golf club

Quietly situated on the outskirts of Akron, Ohio, Firestone Country Club offers 54 of the finest, most beautiful holes of golf of any private club in the country. Couple our challenging Akron golf course options with our luxurious overnight accommodations, phenomenal Akron dining, fully-equipped private event venues, and a friendly, professional staff to create the ultimate Akron golf experience for your friends, guests or business associates.
Firestone Country Club has made a name for itself as a first-class Akron golf course both across the country and around the world, just as the incredible players that have graced its hallowed holes. Just like the iconic golfing heroes of days past such as Snead, Palmer and Nicklaus, to the golfers of the future like Adam Scott, Zach Johnson and Aaron Baddely; Firestone Country Club, with its stunning North, South and West courses, has permanently positioned itself among the elite, just like the remarkable golfers who have helped to make it that way.

Luxurious golf accommodations
Firestone Country Club offers an array of magnificent on-site overnight golf accommodations to help further the ultimate Firestone golf experience. For the group of men looking for all the nostalgia that is Firestone Country Club, the clubhouse has comfortable sleeping rooms available in the men’s locker room. These dormitory-style Firestone Country Club accommodations flank the outer edges of the locker room and offer a look back at more than 50 years of incredible golf history at the Club.
If the resort golf experience is more what you’re looking for, Firestone also offers villa-style golf accommodations. Each luxurious, well-appointed golf villa is strategically placed in key areas of the property to offer our guests the best, most spectacular views of the courses. Whether viewing the “Monster” 16th hole on the South Course while sipping your morning coffee or looking across the beautiful, serene lakes of the North Course while winding down after an outstanding day on the links, Firestone Country Club provides the superb Akron accommodations to make memories that will last a lifetime.
Transportation
For your convenience, a Firestone Country Club van offers transportation for you and your guests to and from the Akron-Canton Regional Airport and the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Contact us prior to your visit for additional details.

Exceptional Akron Dining
While at Firestone Country Club, don’t forget to make a reservation for dinner in the incredible, exquisitely appointed Grille Room, offering Akron fine dining at its very best! The food is phenomenal—with a diverse menu featuring a wide assortment of delectable culinary creations prepared daily by our renowned culinary team. From the incomparable cuisine to the elegant atmosphere, Akron dining at the Grille Room is the perfect way to end a spectacular day on the links! Hacker's Bar & Grill is also a great choice for outstanding casual dining in Akron!
Looking for a refreshing cocktail before dinner? The 55th Hole Bar at Firestone is just the ticket! Located just off the men’s locker room and above the Grille Room, this charming Akron bar offers a casual lounge type of atmosphere where men and women gather to socialize and relax before heading down to dinner in the Grille Room. The 55th Hole also has a spacious open-air balcony with rocking chairs that boast stunning views of the famous South Course.

Firestone makes it easy to get away from the office. We offer a Business Center where you can read, write, make calls or simply think.

Business services
Make yourself at home in the Business Center, on the phone or working on your laptop. The Club provides concierge, administrative, business and meeting planning services to support your business needs. Find workstations, computers, convenient telephone access, reliable copy, print and fax services and high-speed internet access throughout the Club. Meeting rooms may be used for conference calls upon availability.
Open areas
Firestone has all the comforts of home and the amenities of your office. With Wi-Fi available throughout the Club, you can work in the Business Center, in the lounge, in the dining room or anywhere you find to be most comfortable.

Meeting services
Firestone has properly equipped conference rooms, conducive to business meeting and presentation needs. Our Club supports all types of business activities including conducting interviews, hosting executive board meetings, seminars and training sessions. Full catering services are available for all events.

Need help with directions

Contact them

Firestone Country Club,

452 East Warner Road,

Akron, OH 44319, US

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