McConnell Golf’s tennis program brings all the clubs together.

Each August since 2011, tennis fans have gathered at Wake Forest University for the Winston-Salem Open. The last men’s tournament on the Emirates Airline US Open Series circuit before the US Open, this event draws top pros and a large, enthusiastic crowd.

For the past couple of years, McConnell Golf members have joined in the fun. “It’s a good event,” says Kyle Thortsen, McConnell Golf director of tennis. “We start out with a tailgate in the parking lot. We have a tent, and cornhole, and food, and everyone hangs out until the gates open.”

Member Jill Uttridge agrees. “I attended the WSO with my husband and sons, who are 13 and 9. While the boys enjoyed cornhole in the parking lot, we mixed with friends from our club, Wakefield Plantation, and met members from other McConnell clubs. It was fun to hang with the pros in a non-instructional capacity.” The highlights for the kids? “My 9-year-old loved watching the players practice a few feet away and getting autographs on his big tennis ball. We love the small tournaments because you can really get up close to the players.”

Once inside, the group gathered at center court for a photo. “That was really cool,” smiles Thortsen. “Last year, we had 25 members, and this year we had 50. We hope it will continue to grow and grow.”

The Country Club of Asheville trip took place in the spring, with members from the Raleigh area heading to the mountains. Member Mary Beth Corbin recalls, “We brought a lot of energy and were greeted with sincere enthusiasm. Everyone was so welcoming, and the clinic with the pros was well-designed to meet the levels of the different participants.”

These excursions also involve entertainment and local college players coming out for some sets. An event at Old North State Club in New London, North Carolina happened in November, and it was anticipated from more than just a skill standpoint. Corbin says, “Our group was discussing what our outfits would be — and we asked our coach to have us McConnell-clinic-ready!”

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At McConnell Golf the sport of golf is more than just a leisure activity. Members across all 12 clubs train competitively in the hope of one day playing among their idols. Three McConnell Golf members have progressed to amateur and professional levels, and we’re proud to share their latest updates.

Standout Scholars

After receiving a McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship in 2008, Grayson Murray has wasted no time ascending the ranks to the PGA Tour. After the 22-year-old started the year with conditional status on the Web.com Tour and missed the cut in his first event, he tied for 10th place at TPC Wakefield Plantation and then tied for eighth at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. He earned his full-time PGA Tour card for the upcoming season in mid-October by finishing among this year’s top 25 money winners on the Web.com Tour.

“I received the McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship in the eighth grade, and it was perfect timing. It elevated my game so much just getting to go out to Raleigh Country Club every afternoon after school,” said Murray. “I don’t think I would have been the player I am without that scholarship.” The MCG Junior Scholarship is a program designed to offer instruction, practice, and playing opportunities to young golfers who may not have the financial ability to work on their games at first-class facilities. Murray was selected based on his level of talent, need, and commitment to the sport — as well as his proven dedication and value to the future of golf.

A fellow McConnell Golf Scholar is Raleigh native Carter Jenkins, a 2010 recipient who also played in the Rex Hospital Open as an amateur. Like Murray, Jenkins excelled in the amateur and collegiate ranks and is currently playing as a professional on the PGA Canada Tour. A fun fact about Jenkins: He and Grayson Murray were high school golf teammates at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh.

Member Competitor

A celebrated Sedgefield Country Club member is Scott Harvey. At the end of 2015, Harvey represented the U.S. in Manchester, England on the Walker Cup team, one of the most prestigious tournaments for an amateur golfer.

In April he won the Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship at Dataw Island Golf Club in South Carolina, then two days later represented the U.S. in the Concession Cup in Bradenton, Florida, an international amateur tournament with teams from Great Britain and Ireland.

Most recently he played the U.S. Mid-Amateur in September and was a fourth-time medalist in the stroke play, setting a record. Next up he will represent North Carolina in the U.S. Men’s State Team Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. At the end of the year, he’ll again be considered for the Carolina’s Men’s Player of the Year by the Carolina Golf Association, an honor he’s received six consecutive years.

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I once had the opportunity to spend time around Jackie Burke, Masters champion and owner of Champions Golf Club in Houston. He described an analogy about tournament golf that has stuck with me: “Battlefields are special places because something historically significant happened on that soil. Similarly, that’s why tournament golf matters to courses.”

In that spirit, Wakefield Plantation hosted its 16th Rex Hospital Open in May. Trey Mullinax - a Birmingham native who played collegiate golf at the University of Alabama - was the champion of the event with a 14-under-par total. Wakefield’s own Web.com Tour players, Cameron Percy and Grayson Murray, each posted top-10 finishes. During the final round, there were only 14 total scores under par. We will have to see how the rest of the year plays out, but the 73.65 final round scoring average (par 71) might be the highest on the Web.com this year.

This annual golf tournament is about much more than the game. Rex Hospital has a longstanding commitment to PGA Tour golf in the Raleigh community, and this was the 29th professional golf tournament the health care system has sponsored. This year’s event proceeds will go to a new Heart and Vascular Center.

Over 450 volunteers helped make the event a success. Wakefield Plantation’s head starter Bob Bidwell was named the 2015 Web.com volunteer of the year and hit the ceremonial tee shot. Bidwell, a beloved part of the Wakefield community, also announced his 60th tournament this year.

Overall, it was another opportunity for us at Wakefield to witness history being made on our battlefield. We’re already looking forward to next year.

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I'm sitting in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona on a third-story patio admiring the purple glow of the McDowell Mountains. Chatting with friends over pulsating music and a cadence of “whoosh … ping” on the perimeter, I order appetizers and a round of cocktails. Moments later buffalo chicken sliders, crab cakes, and a myriad of margaritas arrive for the group.

Turning my attention to the “whoosh … ping,” I watch our host settle into his stance and send a golf ball soaring toward a netted outfield. It lands on its target, and a microchip within the ball instantly pings distance and accuracy data to a nearby monitor. The group cheers  and jeers as points are assigned and a new champion emerges on the leaderboard.

NEW FRONTIER

At this point, I’m half expecting a spaceship to cruise by on a routine connection between Sky Harbor airport and Mars. What strange planet is this? “It’s fun,” a friend tells me as she chooses from a color-coded rack of clubs, “but it’s not really golf.”

First arriving from the UK in 2005, TopGolf describes this scene as “golf entertainment,” and it has quickly become a popular urban hangout. (One can draw parallels to the evolution of the arcade hall that Dave & Busters spearheaded in the ’90s.) Though certainly not for everyone, it caters to the shorter attention spans of this modern “Age of Instant” and offers a new opportunity for entry into an otherwise less approachable sport. 

Whether mixing elements of the game into an altogether new experience, or amplifying teaching tools with video and Doppler radar, there’s no question that technology has crossed paths with our beloved, age-old sport.

MODERN ENHANCEMENT

Let’s travel now to a more utilitarian setting, the Golf Learning Center at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Director of Golf Josh Points puts his tenured teaching methods to work. Lined up across from a television screen, a student swings purposefully while a nearby camera records the motion. They review the footage together, and Points uses slow-motion to provide precise instruction.

“Our Learning Center lets us focus on improving longstanding fundamentals in a technology-forward environment that creates the ultimate student experience,” says Points. “Visual learning is by far the most efficient way to improve any type of motor skill, and we see it in practice every day with our students’ growth.”

Also equipped with FlightScope® technology, Raleigh Country Club and The Reserve Golf Club of Pawleys Island, South Carolina are able not only to enhance lessons, but also help golfers determine their best set of clubs based on the club head speed and ball speed data it generates. Both Ross and Dye courses at Sedgefield Country Club and Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee use the TrackMan system for swing analysis. On the mobile front, members and pros across all McConnell Golf clubs use the V1 app on their phones or tablets to improve their game.

A GAME FOR THE AGES

So, what will a golf club look like in the future? Will a set of monitors showing member’s daily scores illuminate the walls? Will a hole-in-one become a push notification on our mobile devices instead of an in-person celebration at the 19th hole? Maybe someday.

But I don’t see anything replacing mankind’s 500-year-old passion for the game itself. At the heart of golf lies a connection with nature’s simplistic beauty and the physical and mental contest between a player, the landscape, and himself. These classic elements need no improvement.

“McConnell Golf is always looking for technology that brings our members real value. From operational efficiencies to learning tools, we focus on advancements that embody the spirit of the game and enhance the service we are able to provide,” says McConnell Golf COO Christian Anastasiadis.

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Wellness is the quality or state of being healthy: It’s that simple and that daunting. “It’s not just something that you do in the gym,” explains McConnell Director of Activities and Wellness Natalie Clemens. With a background in both resort and country club fitness, Clemens has seen members assume that a half-hour workout or a regular round of golf means living healthfully. While exercise is import­ant, so is proper nutrition and overall balance.

The Enjoyable Element

An active country club life fits seam­lessly into that balance by offering both social and physical outlets. While having fun and plugging in, you’re re­ducing stress and introducing balance to your lifestyle. To ensure well-rounded offerings, McConnell takes a team approach. “We’re thinking about fitness, chefs, and club managers,” Clemens says. “They’re all important to a wellness program.”

That means lighter menu options, athletic practice groups, and upfit­ting the gym facilities at many clubs — from a total overhaul at Wakefield Plantation to an aesthetically enhanc­ing de-clutter and rearrange at The Country Club of Asheville. The team approach has also spurred fresh choices. “We’re thinking outside the box to always change up what we offer,” Clemens says. Clubs are implementing 5K runs followed by a healthy breakfast, post-golf stretch classes, children’s yoga, and Tae Kwon Do for kids while adults learn self-defense. Look for expanded group fitness op­tions that go beyond basic cardio and weightlifting, including small-group boot camps and sport-specific classes.

Relationship Based

While innovative programming is exciting, it’s the in-depth service that stands out. Every McConnell club now has a designated activities coordinator or wellness expert. “You have some­body available who’s passionate about wellness and will get you the support you need from throughout the club,” Clemens says.

She encourages you to connect with your club manager or with a person­al trainer to be pointed in the right direction. “Our trainers and pros are all very different in how they train, but the common denominator is that they really get to know our clients. They are supremely skilled at getting to know members’ needs and wants.” Your club leadership will help you break down and understand wellness, whether it’s a bit more stretching each week or a complete lifestyle overhaul. “Wellness is at the forefront of culture right now,” Clemens says. “We all want to eat better, stay in shape, live longer, enjoy life more. It’s so important to people and it’s important to us too.”

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