Operation 36 is bringing thousands of players into the sport, by working backward from the pin

Family time at Amy Godiwalla’s home looks totally different, now that she and her sons have become obsessed with golf through Operation 36. “It’s a great way to learn the sport,” the busy mom says. “For someone like me, who was not exposed to the game that much growing up, it can be intimidating. But I love it, and when my boys saw me having so much fun, practicing like crazy, and getting motivated, they got engaged too.” In just one year’s time, all three are heading to the course on a regular basis, with newfound confidence and lower scores.

Born in the Carolinas, Operation 36 is the brainchild of Ryan Daily and Matt Reagan. In 2010, the duo designed a long-term golf development program in Buies Creek, North Carolina, after recognizing some 12 million people were interested in learning the sport, but far too many tried it and left frustrated. In a nutshell, Operation 36 instructors start golfers 25 yards from the pin. Players don’t tee off further back on the fairway until they can shoot 36 across nine holes. “We met with Ryan and Matt about a decade ago and liked the concept,” says McConnell Vice President of Golf Operations Brian Kittler. “It’s a game-changer. It’s the first program where there’s a really good transition from golf instruction to getting on the golf course. We now run Operation 36 at 10 of our 14 facilities.”

“It’s bonkers!” exclaims Fergal O’Shea, Head Golf Professional at Providence Country Club. “Since last August, we’ve had almost 200 juniors and 168 ladies join the program. It makes the game manageable and removes all the intimidation when you’re first learning. You’re in a clinic-type setting, you learn visually from your peers, verbally with the pros.” Players move another 25 yards out with each new “division,” picking up new clubs, new swings, and new techniques along the way. O’Shea was steadfast that men would not want to start just off the green, with only a putter. Was he wrong? “The wives kept talking about it, so I set up a small class for 12 men,” the pro says. “I ended up with 30! We’ve even had intermediate players enroll in the program to improve their game, especially their short game.”

At The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation, Teaching Golf Professional Erica Britt has been recognized as an Operation 36 “Top 50 Golf Coach” for the past three years running. “I think the big difference the program offers is the ability to see your growth,” she says. “A lot of times students have tremendous growth, but not in a way that they realize it, so they struggle with confidence and believing in themselves. Op 36 builds confidence and motivates you to continue to work on your game so you don’t feel defeated.”

The program features weekly instruction and the use of an app to track progress. McConnell instructors have found golfers frequently visit the range and course to play on off days, even providing updates to them through the app. “They text me what they’ve practiced and the results they see,” says Britt. “The app shows them how their number of putts-per-round has improved, or the number of greens they hit. Students are so hard on themselves and don’t give themselves credit for their accomplishments. They can’t ignore what the app shows them.”

Wakefield Plantation is so serious about Operation 36, crews have installed permanent markers on the fairways, noting each division. “They’re color coded cement circles,” explains Britt. “Twenty-five yards out is orange, 100 is green, 150 is blue. We wanted the students to be on the course to play and practice, not just on the days we test.” 

O’Shea says Providence’s short-game practice area was underutilized. He now regularly sees up to 15 people squeezing into it to work on their strokes. Operation 36 founders have a goal of introducing one million new golfers to the game and get them to shoot even par (36) for nine holes by 2025. “Proof is in the pudding,” says O’Shea. “The rapid movement from class to class is fantastic to watch. It’s great to see so many people coming out and sticking with the sport we all love.”

After only two sessions, Godiwalla is now playing in division four, teeing off 150 yards from the hole. Her oldest, Landon, is playing in division three, after a session and summer camp, while Armin plays in division one after four days at camp. “The way the program is set up, your goal is totally attainable. You can see it,” she says. “I’ve found myself totally addicted and very passionate about it. Every day, I can’t wait to play.” And that’s what we like to see.

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Until last year, longtime golfer Bob Adams walked the entire course at Country Club of Asheville. Now he only walks the front side, which is still quite a feat, considering he just celebrated his 91st birthday and is out on the green four to five times a week.

Adams is more than a familiar face at the club. A member for 55 years, he’s held various leadership positions. He’s served as a board member and club president, during which time he maneuvered the sale that moved the club from The Grove Park Inn to its current stunning location in north Asheville. He’s participated in more than 50 member-guest tournaments, and he and Margaret (Peggy), his wife of 67 years, even have a house on the 18th fairway.

“I used to be pretty good, but now I shoot in the middle 80s,” says Adams, who holds 20 aces and has shot his age almost two thousand times. “Last Sunday I shot 79.”

Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Adams attended the University of Alabama, and after graduation pursued a career in industrial engineering. Work took Adams and his family (he’s a father of six) from Pennsylvania to Florida, and eventually Asheville, where they settled in 1967. Though he played golf sporadically before, his game truly took off when he joined Country Club of Asheville, especially when he retired in 1991.

“When we were having kids, I didn’t have a lot of time for golf,” Adams says. “I played once a month, maybe. But then I got decent at it, and started playing in the single digits.”

As Adams talks about the highlights of his golfing tenure, it becomes clear he’s a competitive player who still enjoys the technical challenges of the game. He’ll never forget the day he shot his age for the first time at 67. Or when he won the club championship on his 60th birthday. And most importantly, he’ll never forget April 27 of this year, the day he finally aced hole No. 17, the longest par 3 on the course and the final step
in fulfilling his quest to eagle on all 18 holes.

But the special moments aren’t just on the green. “Bob is one of about six members that still play gin rummy in the Men’s Card Room,” says Debbie Ponder, Country Club of Asheville’s membership director. “It was standing room only in the Men’s Card for many years. Now attendance has dwindled to an occasional 4-top, but he still shows up for gin rummy with his long-time friends.”

Though many of his golfing buddies throughout the years have passed on, Adams speaks fondly of The Connor Group, a competitive crew that plays together four days a week.

“This group of men are a fun, warm and talented bunch that keeps me and all the others coming back again and again to enjoy the competition and the fellowship,” Adams says.

When talking about Adams, Ponder considers him synonymous with Country Club of Asheville. But perhaps Bob Adams is also synonymous with the untold golfing greats, the everyday players who’ve spent a lifetime trying to best the game and still enjoy the battle. Because odds are, this great grandfather, devoted husband, and passionate golfer, will be out on the green as long as he’s able.

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McConnell Golf’s courses are once again making headlines in Golf Digest, Golfweek and respective state golf panel rankings.

In Golfweek's prestigious “Best Classic Courses 2022” — the top 200 golf courses built before 1960 — Holston Hills Country Club ranked No. 101 in America. In Golfweek's “Best Private Courses 2022” — a state-by-state ranking of private courses — Holston Hills ranked No. 2 in Tennessee behind the Pete Dye-designed Honors Course in Ooltewah. In the 2021-22 Golf Digest state-by-state rankings of all courses, public and private, Holston Hills was ranked No. 6 in the state. As it approaches its 100th anniversary, the Donald Ross design is consistently ranked among the country’s top 100 by Golf Magazine.

“Holston Hills takes great pride in its consistent recognition as one of the most well-preserved Donald Ross courses in the country,” said Chris Dibble, General Manager and Director of Golf at Holston Hills. “We believe this philosophy is the reason the golf course continues to be recognized as one of the country’s top classical designs.”

McConnell Golf Founder and CEO John McConnell said he knew Holston Hills was a special place from the moment he set foot on the property. “It immediately reminded me of Shinnecock Hills,” McConnell recalls, referencing the storied eastern Long Island golf club that was a founding member of the USGA and has hosted five U.S. Open Championships.

NORTH CAROLINA COURSE RANKINGS
The North Carolina Golf Panel ranked all 10 of McConnell Golf ’s North Carolina courses in the state’s top 100 with Sedgefield Country Club, Old North State Club, Raleigh Country Club and Treyburn Country Club leading the way. The Golf Panel was founded in 1995 and is considered the most authoritative statewide source of golf course rankings.

The 135-member organization comprises golf media, club professionals and general managers, accomplished amateur
players and college golf coaches, and others who play a role in promoting North Carolina golf.

SOUTH CAROLINA COURSE RANKINGS
In recent rankings from the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel, Musgrove Mill Golf Club checked in at No. 18, followed by The Reserve Golf Club at No. 41. The objective of the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is to promote excellence in the state’s golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. The panel consists of up to 128 members. Approximately 32 panelists are chosen from each of the following geographical regions in South Carolina: the Upstate, Midlands, Low Country and Grand Strand.

McConnell Golf members can truly experience golf at its best with courses designed by international legends such as Donald Ross, Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin, Greg Norman and Ellis Maples.

“Our courses continue to merge history, beauty and opportunity for our avid golfing membership and their guests,” said McConnell Golf President & CEO John McConnell. “With numerous recent enhancements at McConnell Golf courses and other projects planned, I am proud of what we have accomplished and eager to see how the rankings play out in the future.”

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McConnell Golf has agreed to a long-term deal with the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc. to lease the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech in Radford, Virginia, expanding its portfolio of premier golf courses into the Mid-Atlantic region.

The unmistakable elements of design by legendary golf course architect Pete Dye, along with Virginia Tech’s commitment to excellence and tradition are apparent from the moment you arrive at “The River.” There is the distinctive look and feel of links golf in a unique setting, where the extraordinary clubhouse rests on a rock cliff 70 feet above the historic and pristine New River. With two and one-half miles of frontage, every hole at The River Course offers memorable views of the New River Valley. 

The River Course hosted the 2011 NCAA Regional Championships and the 2016 Virginia State Amateur Championships, and is widely considered one of the best and most challenging courses in the region. It is also the proud home of Virginia Tech and Radford University’s golf teams. This layout has also been featured in multiple golf course rankings in recent years, including:

• No. 7 Golfers’ Choice 2022: Best golf courses in Virginia
• No. 7 in GolfLink’s 25 Best College Golf Courses in the U.S. for Student Golfers
• No. 10 in Virginia in Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2022: State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts
• No. 14 in Golfweek’s Best 2022: Top 40 Campus Courses in the United States

“This place has all the ambiance and qualities that make a golf course really good,” said Dye, who passed away in early 2020 at the age of 94. “Here you’ve got the sound of the river up and down the whole golf course the entire time. The river and scenery are unbelievable.”

Dye was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2008. Among the hundreds of highly regarded Dye-designed golf courses around the world are The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla., The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, S.C., Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C., and the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisc.

McConnell Golf is no stranger to Pete Dye courses, having had the master himself renovate his original design of The Cardinal in Greensboro, N.C., in 2006.

Founded in 2003, McConnell Golf is the largest owner of private clubs in the southeast. McConnell Golf’s ownership collection — comprised of 14 golf courses, including 13 private courses and one semi-private course — includes Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh, N.C., the last design of fabled golf course architect Donald Ross, and another Ross design, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, annual site of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship.

The latest addition to the Raleigh-based company’s stable of premier golf courses and clubs is a homecoming of sorts for company founder and CEO John McConnell.

McConnell grew up on a farm about two hours south of The River Course in Abingdon, Virginia, where he and his brothers would hit rubber balls with homemade golf clubs into tuna cans that were used as cups. He played high school golf and continued to play casually as a student at Virginia Tech, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance prior to his career in software sales. McConnell remains an avid and supportive Hokie alumnus.

The Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech is McConnell Golf’s second course in Virginia, joining The Water’s Edge Country Club on Smith Mountain Lake outside Roanoke.

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Since its debut in 1927, Holston Hills Country Club on the northeast side of Knoxville, Tenn., has played an integral role in the game of golf.

Set near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains on 180 open acres of rolling old farmland tucked into a bend in the Holston River, Holston Hills boasts a magnificent, Donald Ross-designed golf course.

Holston Hills has always been highly regarded among the country’s most prestigious golf course rankings. Such recognition continues in 2022.

In Golfweek's prestigious “Best Classic Courses 2022” — the top 200 golf courses built before 1960 — Holston Hills ranked No. 101 in America. In Golfweek's “Best Private Courses 2022” — a state-by-state ranking of private courses — Holston Hills ranked No. 2 in Tennessee behind the Pete Dye-designed Honors Course in Ooltewah.

In the 2021-22 Golf Digest state-by-state rankings of all courses, public and private, Holston Hills was ranked No. 6 in the state. In addition, as it approaches its 100^th anniversary, the Ross design is consistently ranked among the country’s top 100 by Golf Magazine.

“Holston Hills takes great pride in its consistent recognition as one of the most well-preserved Donald Ross courses in the country,” said Chris Dibble, General Manager and Director of Golf at Holston Hills. “We believe this philosophy is the reason the golf course continues be recognized as one the country’s top classical designs.”

The co-founder of the Donald Ross Society, Michael J. Fay, has said that he would rather play Holston Hills on a regular basis than any other golf course in the South. Acclaimed golf course architect Tom Doak says Holston Hills is the closest golf course around to what Ross originally designed.

The club has played host to many national events in its history, including the PGA Tour’s Knoxville Invitational, which was captured by Byron Nelson in 1945 during a historic season that included a record-setting 18 victories. Holston Hills welcomed the 2004 USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and has also played host to numerous Tennessee PGA Championships.

McConnell Golf purchased Holston Hills in late 2015 and has invested millions in capital improvements. In 2019, the PGA Tour and TOUR Vision Promotions signed a five-year agreement with Holston Hills to host the Korn Ferry Tour’s Visit Knoxville Open.

McConnell Golf Founder and CEO John McConnell said he knew Holston Hills was a special place from the moment he set foot on the property. “It immediately reminded me of Shinnecock Hills,” McConnell recalls, referencing the storied eastern Long Island golf club that was a founding member of the USGA and has hosted five U.S. Open Championships.

McConnell Golf is the only individual golf course proprietor in the world that owns four Ross-designed courses.

“I knew when I saw Holston Hills that it would be a great addition to our golf portfolio,” McConnell said. “It’s a ‘must-play’ for our members. Holston Hills enjoys a proud past and we think that it has a great future as well.”

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Porters Neck Country Club members know they have it all — a memorable, Tom Fazio-designed golf course, a beautiful clubhouse, countless amenities including year-round family activities and enduring fellowship among the club’s vibrant membership. 

And with Porters Neck’s renovation and enhancement of its golf practice facility, long-time member Paul Chase says he feels an even greater sense of pride in his club.

“Now, I feel like our practice facilities elevate the level of the club, with how the facilities look and how they’re perceived by not only our membership but outside folks here in Wilmington,” says Chase. “They come to the club and they’re very impressed with how everything looks now, the facilities.”

The impressive renovations include an overhaul of the short-game area and the addition of a four-hole short course, which opened to members in August 2021.

“Not that you're showing off, but it’s really nice to hear their feedback, to hear positive feedback about what we did and how it turned out,” Chase says. “It's been a really nice improvement to the club over the last year or so.”

Along with the revamped short-game practice area at Porters Neck, McConnell Golf also rebuilt and lowered the entire driving range tee to offer improved visibility from the rear of the tee, sloping it toward the front for better drainage. The short-game area features for game improvement include:

• A 360° area, with a four-hole short course
• A new, 8,500 square foot putting green
• Laser Link rangefinders and target greens on the range with Zoysia definition
• Bunkers around target greens, with solid surface for ball retrieval
• Five new, greenside practice bunkers with concrete shells and new sand around the new short course

“The opportunities that the new area has opened up for instruction has been tremendous,” says Robert Loper, Porters Neck head golf professional.

Chase adds that the new area is much more spacious, too. “There’s a number of chipping greens to play too, there’s a new putting green, so there’s plenty of area for members on the driving range.”

Chase says PNCC’s avid golfing membership has given extremely positive feedback on the new short-game facility. “I just think that the ability to practice now versus how it was previously is a night and day difference,” he says. “I’d say improvement of everyone’s short-game, as long as they go out and use it, is going to be possible.”

Porters Neck member John Pisarek says he’s seen first-hand how the short-game facility can elevate a golfer’s skills. “I played with a higher handicap golfer yesterday who made a difficult chip shot look easy,” says Pisarek, who has been a club member with his wife, Laura, since 2008. “Unsolicited, he said ‘thank the new McConnell short-game ractice area for the ability to hit that shot.’”

Pisarek, a 5-handicap, said the short-game area offers golfers the opportunity to practice every shot they will face on the golf course.

“The short course offers the opportunity to practice chipping and sand shots from multiple elevations, different bunker depths and simulates shots needed not only at PNCC, but any other course that you would play,” he says. He adds that any golfer – from beginner to pro – can improve their game by using the short-game facility.

Chase says his wife, Deehje, and their 7-year-old daughter, Miller, are enjoying the practice area even though they are not yet avid golfers. “We’re up there quite a bit. We like to go out and utilize the range and the short-game area and the practice green to get together.”

“The general takeaway is it’s been an awesome improvement at the club,” Chase says. “Everyone’s really excited about how it turned out.”
 

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During the month of October, McConnell Golf invites you to get involved and participate in fundraisers held throughout our properties. Members at each of our clubs can also give back with $1 from every Meyer Filet and McConnell Golf Salmon BLT sandwich order going toward our Susan G. Komen fundraiser. On Sunday, October 17, every McConnell Golf cart fee booked will also go towards our fundraising efforts. Click here to donate and to follow our progress throughout the month of October! Read on below to see how several of our properties are also contributing to Susan G. Komen.

The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation – Yoga for a Cause & Rosé Drink Specials

On October 5, the staff at The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation hosted an outdoor yoga class. Participants paid $15 to attend the class as proceeds benefited Susan G. Komen. They also wore pink and enjoyed a complimentary glass of rosé. Additionally, during the month of October, the main clubhouse and Breaker Bar & Grille will donate a portion of funds from their rosé sales to Susan G. Komen.

Country Club of Asheville – Family Fun Run, Yoga on the Lawn, Pink Cocktails, Pickleball Social & Tennis Clinic

On October 11, Country Club of Asheville is hosting their first Family Fun Run. Participants will meet at the driving range for drinks and snacks before taking off for the walk/run. They will have the option to walk or run along the back nine of the course, which is 2.3 miles, and the run will end at the range where a wall of foam awaits participants. There is a $10 minimum donation to participate.

Members also have the option to participate in a special evening yoga class on the lawn or a pickleball social on October 13. All proceeds will go toward our Susan G. Komen fundraiser. Afterwards, members will meet by the firepit for "pink" cocktails and watch the sunset over the mountains. There is a $20 minimum donation to participate in the yoga class and a $25 minimum to participate in the pickleball social. Finally, on October 14, the tennis staff will host a morning clinic followed by tennis play and a luncheon at the clubhouse. The cost to participate is a $20 minimum donation per person. 

Brook Valley Country Club – Drink & Entrée Specials, Tough Day Scramble, Closest to the Pin Contest & 50/50 Raffle

Every day during the month of October, Brook Valley Country Club has drink specials and two dinner entrée offerings will $1 going toward our Susan G. Komen fundraiser. On October 3, Brook Valley also hosted a Two Person Tough Day Scramble and Closest to the Pin Contest. The entry fee for the Tough Day Scramble was $50 with $25 going toward the event. Entry for the Closest to the Pin Contest was a wager of the participant's choice as they competed against the club staff on the 18th tee. 

Raleigh Country Club – Sunset Yoga & Cocktails

On October 20, Raleigh Country Club will host a sunset yoga session on the pool deck. The cost is $20 per person and all proceeds will benefit Susan G. Komen.

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