McConnell Golf’s three marinas provide the perfect launching point.
Whether at sunrise, sunset, or high noon, setting off on your boat is truly a treasured pastime to boat owners at the marinas adjacent to three McConnell-associated properties. For members and their guests, certain trips spark fond memories and some even create annual traditions.
McConnell Golf manages three marinas: Crazy Horse Marina, Old North State Marina, and Grande Dunes Marina. All are open to the public and offer slip opportunities for those looking for their next marina home, or just stopping by for the day.
Crazy Horse Marina, located in Moneta, VA, is owned by the McConnell family. This picturesque place is centrally located on Smith Mountain Lake in a cove just off Blackwater Marker B-10A, and offers full boating services. The marina hosts popular annual events such as Bass Pro Shop’s Big Bass Tour and the SML Wine Festival.
A little further south is Old North State Club Marina in New London, NC. Full-service, and available to boat owners and renters, the marina offers 50 wet slips, 100 dry-storage spaces, and 50 fence spaces. Anchoring Uwharrie National Forest, it’s the perfect launching point to explore 115 miles of shoreline.
In South Carolina, Grande Dunes Marina is the ideal place to begin your adventure on the Intracoastal Waterway. With 126 wet slips and 1,200 linear feet of lay-along floating docks, the marina offers a protected harbor for vessels up to 120 feet. A full-service marina, Grande Dunes is also located next to the Anchor Café, a favorite spot among locals.
For Grande Dunes member Francis Bell, the marina is like home. Bell was one of the first to purchase a slip in 2005, citing the marina’s prime location. Centrally located in Myrtle Beach, Grande Dunes Marina has allowed Bell to travel along the Waterway to picturesque fishing villages like Southport, NC and Georgetown, SC.
Most memorably, Bell recently took his Sea Ray to the annual Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, which features wooden boat exhibits with more than 140 classic wooden boats displayed on land and water. Poised to enjoy the novelties of the Wooden Boat Show, one can imagine Mr. Bell gazing eagerly towards the dock, preparing for the historical day ahead.
Bell’s marina neighbors, Steven and Denise LeMaster, use the marina year- round — mostly for extended weekends.
“It’s a great place to relax and enjoy fabulous sunsets,” says Steven LeMaster. The couple take longer boat trips in the spring and fall to beautiful coastal Carolina towns like Beaufort, NC; Wrightsville Beach, NC; and Hilton Head Island, SC. Add in a stop at the Anchor Café for a post-sail cocktail, and it’s the perfect recipe for the perfect trip down the Waterway.
Whether your vessel is headed for the quiet, smooth waters of Badin or Smith Mountain Lake or toward the Atlantic by way of the Intracoastal Waterway, marinas like these are the perfect place for members’ beloved boats to call home.