Red Velvet Cake Cookies

October in North Carolina seems to be the ideal wedding season. This includes my wife and I, which is why I wanted to share a little treat from our wedding. We passed around these delicious cookies on our wedding day. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

½ Cup Vegetable Oil
½ TSP Kosher Salt
2 Eggs
1 15.25 Ounce box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
¾ Cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together oil, salt and eggs until well combined. Add the cake mix and mix until fully combined, about two minutes. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion out heaping tablespoons of dough and roll them in your hands to form round balls. Place each ball about two inches apart on the baking sheet. Note: The cookies will spread out considerably, so it's important to leave plenty of space.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges begin to brown slightly. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

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The Wyndham Championship is one of the PGA Tour's most historic events. Now contested annually at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Wyndham was founded in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open. Eight decades of rich history later, the popular Triad tournament is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA Tour, excluding the major championships.

In its early years, the tournament alternated between two Greensboro-area clubs: Starmount Forest Country Club and the current home course at Sedgefield. In 2008 — after 31 years at Forest Oaks Country Club — it moved back to Sedgefield. The former GGO enjoys a storied history and an impressive list of winners such as Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros. A whopping 18 former champions are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In 2010, the Wyndham Championship received a significant boost when McConnell Golf purchased Sedgefield Country Club, helping to spearhead a new decade of excellence during which the Wyndham has truly hit its stride. McConnell Golf acquired Sedgefield with the intention of restoring the club to its original glory. Several major upgrades were made prior to the 2011 Wyndham, while others have been made in subsequent years, including construction of the “Wall of Champions” overlooking the 9th green.

In 2011, for the 16th time in tournament history, the Wyndham produced a popular first-time winner in Raleigh native and Wake Forest University alumnus Webb Simpson, who would then go on to win the 2012 U.S. Open Championship. “There’s no way I would have won the U.S. Open if I hadn’t won at Sedgefield,” Simpson would later say. Following Simpson’s victory in 2011, McConnell Golf President/CEO John McConnell decided to convert Sedgefield’s green complexes to Bermuda grass, a significant investment and improvement. “With Bermuda greens, Sedgefield becomes one of the great golf courses on the PGA Tour,” according to Simpson.

Former champion Davis Love III was equally pleased about the decision.“Changing the Sedgefield greens to Bermuda grass is great news for the members at Sedgefield, but it’s also great for the Wyndham,” said Love. “The new greens allow the course to be played the way Donald Ross intended most of the year.”

Bobby Long, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board of Directors, agreed. “People tend to think the greens should be soft so a player can scream a low 3-iron into a green and have it stick, but that is not what Donald Ross had in mind when he designed this golf course.”

Every aspect of the club has been elevated in the past 10 years, according to Tournament Director Mark Brazil, from the golf course to the clubhouse to the “first-class” activities building.

“And all the little touches around the golf course — the tee boxes, the beautiful landscaping, the benches and the bridges — McConnell Golf’s just done it right,” Brazil said. “Bobby Long always talks about how we need an A++
course. Well, we’ve really got that now.”

On those new greens in 2012, with a fill-in caddie carrying his bag, future Masters champion Sergio Garcia claimed a two-stroke Monday win in a water-logged Wyndham Championship for his first victory on tour since the 2008 Players
Championship. The enigmatic Spanish sensation has always enjoyed Sedgefield and had staged some near-misses in years past — including squandered opportunities to win the Nike Greensboro Open there in 1998 and the Wyndham
Championship in 2009. Finally, it all came together for Garcia, who carved up Sedgefield with rounds of 67-63-66-66 to finish at 18 under.

Afterward, all anyone could talk about were Sedgefield’s new green complexes. “I was surprised how quick [the greens] were,” Garcia said. “Even after all the rain. My first three putts — I couldn’t believe it. They did an awesome job getting the course [ready]. The course looked better than it’s ever looked.”

Two-time major champion John Daly, who made his first trip to Greensboro in 1991, described the greens as perfect. “They’re beautiful, awesome,” he said. “The greens are perfect,” echoed future U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. “They’re rolling great. You get above the hole, and they’re lightning fast. Keep it below the hole, you can make a putt.”

In 2013, a pair of future Masters champions, Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, battled down the stretch, with Reed capturing a sudden-death playoff on the second extra hole. Both players parred the first playoff hole at No. 18 when Spieth rolled in a 30-foot effort for par while Reed missed his birdie putt. On the second playoff hole, No. 10, Reed played a miraculous second shot from the trees on the right side of the fairway to 7 feet with Spieth already safely on the green. Spieth narrowly missed his birdie putt and posted a par. Reed converted his uphill putt for birdie to earn his first PGA Tour victory at 23 years of age.

The Wyndham Championship celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014. Former champions Rocco Mediate (1993 and 2002) and Davis Love III (1992 and 2006) played in the tournament, while Bob Goalby (1958), Dow Finsterwald (1959) and Lanny Wadkins (1983) made special appearances. Weldon Fields, a tournament volunteer at the inaugural Greater Greensboro Open in 1938, returned shortly after his 100th birthday to take part in the festivities.
The tournament field included 21 major championship winners and multiple international stars like World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els.

Colombian golfer Camilo Villegas captured that historic 2014 tournament, becoming the third international golfer in the previous five years to win the Wyndham.

More tournament history was made a year later, when Love won his third Sam Snead Cup — 28 years after his inaugural PGA Tour win in 1987.

Only the man for whom the trophy is named has more victories — eight — at the event.

“[Winning] means a lot here at Greensboro,” said an emotional Love.

In 2015 — the first time Tiger Woods played the Wyndham — the overall economic impact of the “Tiger Effect” on the Triad was staggering. When Woods committed to the event, organizers immediately printed 49,000 extra tickets. While a typical tournament would have, at best, 90,000 people for the week, in 2015 more than 143,000 spectators came
through the gates.

Woods told John McConnell — one of his partners during the Pro-Am, along with Los Angeles Clippers superstar Chris Paul — that Sedgefield’s greens were the best he played all year.

“The people are just absolutely incredible,” Woods said, after his final round 70 left him four strokes behind Love and tied for 10th. “The support that they showed, to come out in droves like this … it was very special playing in front of them.”

In 2017, Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson captured the Wyndham Championship and became the tournament’s 19th international winner. Stenson entered the tournament ranked ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings and moved to sixth with the win — setting the tournament scoring mark at 22-under par.

Two years later, bolstered by a supportive throng of family, friends and fellow Western Carolina University alumni, Hickory born-and-bred J.T. Poston made some Wyndham history of his own, wrapping up a bogey-free week by firing a scorching, Sunday 62 to hold off Simpson by a stroke. Poston’s performance equaled the lowest mark for a final round in tournament history, set by Love at Forest Oaks Country Club in 1992. He became the fifth North Carolina native
to win the tournament in its 80-year history, joining Raymond Floyd, Scott Hoch, Love and Simpson.

“I haven’t had that many bogey-free rounds this year,” Poston said, following his final-round fireworks at Sedgefield. “To be able to do four in a row is pretty special, and finish it off with a 62 on Sunday is pretty awesome. To be able to do it here in North Carolina with a lot of friends and family, I don’t think I could have drawn it up any better.”

The Wyndham Championship has benefited from recent PGA Tour calendar changes. Three years ago, the tour unveiled a revamped tournament schedule highlighted by significant championships every month, all culminating with the FedExCup Playoffs in August.

The Wyndham Championship now holds an important position on the PGA Tour schedule, as it represents the final opportunity for some players to move into the top 125, thus securing exempt status for the following season and qualifying for the FedExCup, while those already qualified for the playoffs can improve their seeding.

If there’s any tournament on the PGA Tour where prize money takes a backseat, it’s the Wyndham. As the schedule’s final regular-season event, players aren’t as concerned about picking up a few extra grand coming down the Sunday stretch. Instead, they’re thinking about earning a few additional FedExCup points.

There’s also the recently implemented $10 million Wyndham Rewards payout awaiting the FedExCup Top 10 following the Wyndham Championship. Last year, Justin Thomas had already claimed the $2 million top payout, but Simpson and Sungjae Im entered the final week with a shot at the $1.5 million second-place bonus.

In 2020, with no paying spectators, no TV towers or grandstands lining Sedgefield’s greens and fairways, the 81st Wyndham Championship was a visibly different affair. Yet in many ways, the COVID-19 edition of the Triad’s long-running event ranked among its most memorable. Four former World No. 1s, including Brooks Koepka and Spieth, and plenty of impressive international talent arrived for the final week of the Tour’s regular season. As always, there was plenty of local representation. Three North Carolina natives — 2011 Wyndham champion Simpson, up-and-coming
talent Doc Redman and fan favorite Harold Varner III — all were in the mix late Sunday afternoon.

In the end, the 2020 Wyndham Championship teed up one of the most exciting duels in recent tournament memory. The dark-horse journeyman, a 42-year-old former club pro named Jim Herman, held off familiar Wyndham contender Billy Horschel and a host of others down the stretch in a thrill-a-minute finish. Herman and Horschel traded punches
throughout a gripping afternoon. Herman backed up a career-best 61 on Saturday with a final round 7-under 63. His weekend total of 124 matched the lowest final 36-hole score by a winner in PGA Tour history. 

Horschel closed with a 65 — the 23rd consecutive round of par or better at Sedgefield for the 2014 FedExCup champion. The tournament wasn’t decided until Horschel’s final chance to tie on the 72nd hole, an 8-foot birdie putt, slid left of the cup. Third-round leader and 2016 Wyndham champion Si Woo Kim shot 70 to tie for third at 18 under with Simpson (65), Redman (68) and Kevin Kisner (64).

More than anyone, Herman took advantage of Sedgefield’s flawless Bermuda green complexes, which have become among the most popular on Tour. He drained 444 feet of putts for the week, which equates to making a 6-footer on every hole. He gained a Herculean 6-plus strokes on the field by deftly employing his Bettinardi Inovai 5.0 Tour mallet
nicknamed “The Hermanator.”

So many golfers praise Sedgefield Country Club, the Wyndham Championship and the Triad in general.

“Greensboro will always be a special place to me,” said two-time Wyndham champ Brandt Snedeker, who shot 59 in winning the 2018 event. “I think most of the guys love coming here because it rewards good tee balls and gives you the opportunity to make birdies. And there’s only two par 5s. Everybody in the field can reach them, so distance here is not an overriding factor. It’s kind of nice to come to a place and know you can make some birdies and get some
good stuff going.”

Simpson, who hasn’t missed a weekend at Sedgefield since 2009, adores the Wyndham so much he named one of his daughters after the event. “I love the holes,” Simpson said of Ross’s old-school, rolling parkland layout. “I love the shot shapes … I’ve had some good finishes here. My first win here. I’m close to home where I grew up, close to where I live now and obviously a short drive to where I went to college, so I love being here.”

A sentiment that’s shared by many.

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IN VINO VERITAS…

A Latin phrase that means “in wine, there is truth.” Well, I can’t agree more, and similar phrases exist across cultures and languages. Growing up in Europe, I had an early start in the “World of Wine.” Throughout my hospitality career, I have been fortunate to taste some of the finest wines from the world’s major viticultural regions. These include the Chateau Margaux 1990, Latour 1990, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 1982, Petrus vintages 1982, 1989 and 1990, the Joseph Phelps Insignia 1990, Dominus 1991 and 1994, Dunn Cabernets from Howell Mountain, the Mondavis, BVs and Berringer Private Reserves, the Penfolds Grange and many, many, many more.  

The few growers/producers who have continuously received 5-star ratings are indeed those who make the world’s finest wines and they have been selected because:
· They make the greatest wine of their particular viticultural
· They are remarkably consistent and reliable, even in mediocre and poor vintages  

Then, there is the Robert Parker Rating System, a scale from 50 to 100. Any wine that Parker rates above 85 is very good to excellent and any wine that Parker rates 90+ will be outstanding for its particular type. Parker uses specific standards for wines sold to consumers—standards that full-time wine professionals recognize, and these are benchmark wines to which others are judged.  

However, today’s wine rating systems found on labels are not any different from those found screening ratings from Amazon, Netflix, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Vudu. It is simply “Corky” and very dangerous. The rating systems are not only for marketing purposes, but also shape the consumers’ tastes as to what is to be considered good, excellent and outstanding.              

Wine has made major contributions to the quality of life in many societies of the world for millennia, and it continues to do so. It has always had its critics, some misinformed, others genuinely concerned. Cut through the noise; experience, keep an open mind and, most of all, enjoy! There is much to be enjoyed and appreciated. If wine and food combinations still perplex you, your best strategy may be to learn some of the greatest pairings, as well as some of the worst. Remember that in the final analysis, a good wine served with a good dish to good company is always a good taste—“à votre santé!”  

McConnell Fine Wine LLC was founded upon the simple principle of introducing single, small vineyards and innovative winemakers to our membership under one private label, presented as the M Signature Series. This private label is only offered through our clubs and the winemakers are selected for the following reasons:                 
· They produce some of the greatest wines from a particular region
· Their wines are remarkably consistent and reliable
· They are innovative—and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo  

This year, McConnell Fine Wine introduces exclusively from the following winemakers and vineyards:     
· Chris Corley, Knollwood Vineyards: Right Bank Red Blend
· Juslyn Vineyards: Pinot Grigio
· Kerr Vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon

Our Right Bank Red Blend is nothing short of a perfected blend of Merlot/CabFranc/Cab that can only be experienced at Pomerol, Bordeaux. Although, nowadays Pomerols’ are 100 percent Merlot, Chris Corley remained a traditionalist and it paid off. My notes: Experience this wine with dinner (anything grilled with sautéed vegetables or rosemary roasted baby potatoes). You will be pleasantly surprised just how powerful this creation is with dinner, trust me.

In closing, there are many exceptional wines to experience; I mean truly exceptional ones. These resemble experiences such as playing at Pine Valley, Cypress Point, St. Andrews or Shinnecock Hills, but there are also many more varietals, blends and crafts that are part of our civilization. I encourage you to be bold and explore the beauty of Vino—it is truly rewarding!  

Christian Anastasiadis

Chief Operating Officer at McConnell Golf

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The fastest-growing sport you’ve never played – but should

OK, let’s be honest. Could the sport have a sillier-sounding name – Pickleball? And it involves a nostalgic sphere of childhood typically associated with plastic bats and neighborhood bragging rights: the whiffle ball.

Yet from this odd pairing comes the fastest-growing recreational sport in America that almost 3.5 million players are rushing to the court to enjoy.

“Today’s the club championship,” exclaims John Hambel, a pickleball enthusiast and member at Porters Neck Country Club. “We’re finishing up the ladder league and I’m playing in the mixed doubles finals.  I started playing about three years ago. It’s very addictive.”

Porters Neck is one of many McConnell Golf properties featuring pickleball. In fact, nine clubs have retro-fitted tennis courts or dedicated pickleball courts, and host either formal or informal play, from open-morning sessions to community-wide leagues. 

“I’m proud we’re on the front end of this sport,” says Kyle Thortsen, Corporate Director of Tennis Operations at McConnell Golf. He admits he was initially hesitant, but has witnessed the sport take off like an overhead smash from the edge of the kitchen (that’s pickleball lingo for the non-volley zone). “It’s coming and it’s coming fast. It’s getting a whole new group of membership involved, people who weren’t involved on the tennis courts before.”

Last year marked the 55^th anniversary of pickleball, a sport that showcases elements of tennis, racquetball and Ping-Pong, as well as whiff of badminton.  Pickleball’s popularity has soared in recent years, especially with aging Baby Boomers who want to remain active – indeed, 34 percent of those who play are 55 and older.

The short, 15-minute games usually feature high-cardio, low-impact and lots of social interaction.  

“My wife and I have been at Wakefield for 14 years,” says Patrick Newton. “I could count the number of times I’d been on the tennis courts on one hand. But I attended a Saturday morning pickleball clinic for beginners, and was hooked! I now play with several regular groups and we just finished our first season with men’s, women’s and mixed couple’s leagues.”

The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation boasts more than 100 pickleball players.  Thortsen says the attraction is the game is so easy to learn. 

“Pickleball is a sport that you don’t have to be the best athlete to play,” he explains. “Anyone can pick up a paddle, have fun and learn in 20 minutes, which is not something you can say about most sports.” 

Depending on intensity, play can be easy on the body too. “I’ve had a lot of surgeries on my knees and feet,” chuckles Newton. “My joints can’t participate in traditional high-impact sports, but this is something I can do. It’s fun, competitive and not overly physically demanding. Pickleball is truly fun for all ages, from little kids, to teens, to senior adults.”

As for Hambel in the Porters Neck Club Championship? Win or lose, he knows he’ll be back for more.  

“With short games, you’re always switching partners and meeting people,” he says. “It’s extremely social. You’ll make great friends. My whole social circle is now predominantly pickleball players. We’re all different levels and on our favorite night, we finish around 8:30 and go to the pub.”

No doubt to share stories of victory on the court.

ORIGINS OF THE GAME (AND NAME)

In 1965, three families were visiting Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, when the dads grabbed left-over sports gear to entertain their bored children. They lowered the badminton net, and invented a game using whiffle balls and Ping-Pong paddles. 

As for the conception of the name? Some recall one of the moms on the island commenting on how the game’s genesis reminded her of the “pickle boat” in crew that uses oarsmen left-over from other boats, while others recall the family dog Pickles always chasing the ball and running away with it.

PLACES TO PLAY

• Brook Valley Country Club
• Country Club of Asheville
• Holston Hills Country Club
• Old North State Club
• Porters Neck Country Club
• Providence Country Club
• Sedgefield Country Club
• Treyburn Country Club
• Country Club at Wakefield Plantation

THE REAL DILL

• 64 percent of “core” players, who play at least eight times a year, are 55 and older.
• The South Atlantic is the fastest-growing region of players, with an average annual growth rate of 19.5 percent.
• USA Pickleball, the sport’s national governing body, tested and approved 134 paddles and 10 balls in 2019.
• Paddles are about twice the size of a Ping-Pong paddle. Early paddles were plywood. Today, paddles range from $8.88 at Walmart to $2,950 for Chanel’s Black Wood “CC” Paddle Ball Set.

IN THE KNOW

• Gear: All you need is a paddle, a ball and place to play.
• The Kitchen: The non-volley zone that extends seven feet off the net on both sides. Players cannot volley (take the ball out of the air) inside this area.
• No-Man’s Land: The area between the kitchen and baseline. Try to avoid getting stuck in this area, as it opens up angles for opponents to strike the ball past you.
• Scoring: Typically, games are played to 11, with a team gaining a point each time they win a rally while serving. Scores are called with a series of three numbers: the serving team’s number of points, the receiving team’s number of points, and the team member serving. A score called of 6 - 3 - 2 means the serving team has six points, the receiving team three points, and the second server on a team is serving.

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Founded in 2007, Folds of Honor's mission is to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members. Their motto says it best: Honor their Sacrifice. Educate their Legacy.

To display McConnell Golf’s commitment to these families who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms, members of the golf professional staff at each of our properties will play a golf marathon from sun-up until sun-down beginning on Tuesday, June 1, and on select dates in June and July. Each golf professional has committed to playing at least 100 holes!

To learn more about what your club is doing to get involved and raise money for Folds of Honor, click on your club's link from the list below.

Brook Valley Country Club (June 1)

The Cardinal by Pete Dye (June 1)

Country Club of Asheville (June 1)

Grande Dunes Members Club (June 21)

Holston Hills Country Club (June 1)

Musgrove Mill Golf Club (June 15)

Old North State Club (June 1)

Porters Neck Country Club (June 1)

Providence Country Club (June 1)

Raleigh Country Club (June 1)

Raleigh Golf Association (June 14)

The Reserve Golf Club (June 1)

Sedgefield Country Club (June 1)

Treyburn Country Club (June 7)

The Water's Edge Golf Club (June 1)

The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation (July 5)

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No Bake Cookies

One of my personal favorite combinations is always chocolate and peanut butter. My mom used to make these for us when we were younger except she would joke around and call them "cow patties." She likes to make these during the summer months to avoid the heat of cutting on the oven. I remember anxiously awaiting for dinner to be over so we could have a no bake cookie, and robbing the fridge when there were extras!

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 ¾ Cups Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
3 Cups Quick Oats
Dash of Salt

Directions: 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a 2.5 to 3 quart medium saucepan combine butter, sugar, cocoa and milk.

Set over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently until it reaches a full boil (should be rolling boil/bubbling).

Allow mixture to boil for 60 seconds without stirring.

Remove from heat, immediately add in vanilla, peanut butter and quick oats.

Stir mixture until well-combined, then, using a medium (2 TBSP) cookie scoop or two spoons drop mixture onto lined baking sheets.

Refrigerate until set.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

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We know that rankings — particularly golf course rankings — can be extremely subjective. But it’s always nice to be considered among the “Best of” and in the 2021-22 Golf Digest state-by-state rankings, several McConnell Golf courses were recognized as among the best in state.

In Tennessee, the magnificent Donald Ross layout at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, which recently played host to the Korn Ferry Tour’s Visit Knoxville Open, was ranked No. 6 in the state by Golf Digest. Click here to view the full list.

In South Carolina, Arnold Palmer’s spectacular design at Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton was tapped as the state’s 19^th best layout. Click here to view the full list.

Last but certainly not least, in North Carolina, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro was ranked No. 18 in the state, Old North State Club in New London was ranked No. 24, while Treyburn Country Club in Durham was ranked No. 30. Click here to view the full list.

Of course, as we mentioned, golf course rankings are subjective. The North Carolina Golf Panel ranks all 10 of McConnell Golf’s North Carolina courses in the state’s top 100, including a trio of layouts — Old North State, Sedgfield Country Club and Raleigh Country Club — rated among the state’s top 20. Click here to view the full list. In South Carolina, the state panelists rank “The Mill” high every year, and also include Greg Norman’s memorable design at The Reserve Golf Club on Pawleys Island.

McConnell Golf was built upon the concept of “pure golf for the true golfer,” focusing on enhancing both the individual club’s and its company’s overall membership value. The McConnell Golf portfolio throughout the Carolinas, Tennessee and now Virginia includes courses designed by Ross, Fazio and Palmer, as well as other architectural legends Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Hale Irwin and Ellis Maples.

McConnell Golf is the only individual golf course proprietor in the world that owns four Ross-designed courses. This includes Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club, the longtime home of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship.

“McConnell Golf is a company that has set its vision on building clubs of the future,” said McConnell Golf Chief Operating Officer Christian Anastasiadis. “We see things differently than other clubs or operators, focusing on the little nuances that make a trip to the club memorable for the customer.”

To arrive at its ranking of “America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses,” as well as the “Best Golf Courses in Each State,” the Golf Digest panelists play and score courses on the eight criteria below:

SHOT OPTIONS

How well does the course present a variety of options involving risks and rewards and require a wide range of shots?

CHALLENGE

How challenging, while still being fair, is the course for a typical scratch golfer playing from the tees designated as back tees for everyday play (not from seldom-used championship tees)?

LAYOUT VARIETY

How varied is the physical layout of the course in terms of differing lengths (long, medium and short Par 3s, 4s and 5s), configurations (straight holes, doglegs left and right), hazard placements, green shapes and green contours?

DISTINCTIVENESS

How individual is each hole when compared to all others on this course?

AESTHETICS

How well do the scenic values of the course add to the pleasure of a round?

CONDITIONING

How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways? How firm yet receptive were the greens? How true were the roll of putts on the day you played the course?

CHARACTER

How well does the course design exude ingenuity and uniqueness and possess profound characteristics that you would consider outstanding for its era?

FUN

How enjoyable for all levels of golfers would this course be to play on a regular basis? NOTE: Golf Digest's Fun category was introduced two years ago, so Golf Digest does not have enough data to use in the calculations of 100 Greatest rankings.

To arrive at a course’s final score, the magazine totals its averages in the seven categories, doubling Shot Options. A course needs 75 evaluations over the past 10 years to be eligible for America's 100 Greatest and the Second 100 Greatest.

“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 the enhancements made at Raleigh Country Club and new projects planned at other McConnell Golf courses, I am proud of what we have accomplished in the past year and eager to see how the rankings play out in the future.”

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