Restored historic church at The Water’s Edge Country Club has become a wedding venue for many couples

When Virginia developer Ron Willard began clearing property around Smith Mountain Lake in 1985 for the course that would become The Water’s Edge Country Club, he had little idea he’d uncover a piece of history. It wasn’t until one of his crew came upon an old building that Willard knew they’d found something special.

“He got off the bulldozer and noticed it was an old church,” says Willard. “He refused to tear it down, because it was God’s house.”

The old church, now a beautifully restored chapel used for wedding ceremonies at The Water’s Edge, hadn’t shown up on the land survey when Willard purchased the property. Curious, he decided to dig into its history, and ultimately rerouted the course to avoid tearing down the church.

Having grown up in the area, Willard soon discovered the building was the old Rising Sun African American Church. After talking to his father, Walker Willard, Willard uncovered a wealth of stories about the church, including some Willard himself can remember. Off an old state gravel road, the church used to be surrounded by big trees with picnic tables spread out underneath the branches. Willard can remember driving down the road as a boy and catching sight of revivals at the church, with all the members gathering around the tables in the yard.

“My father can remember when it was a two-horse wagon road,” Willard says.

“They’d come that way before the lake was built, and people would have their horses tied up to the trees in front.”

After purchasing the church from the Rising Sun congregation, Willard used the building for storage until he was able to restore it in the late 1990s. After adding a copper roof and redwood siding, along with new floors, electricity, and some support, the old church transformed into a lovely chapel. Willard celebrated the restoration with a christening, inviting the grandchildren of the old Rising Sun congregation. And in 2010, his own daughter Heather was married there, complete with a gospel choir.

Since the church’s restoration, many have tied the knot at this beautiful venue. While the interior can be used for smaller ceremonies, couples tend to utilize the chapel as an altar background with guests seated outside on either side of the walkway. Kasey Outen, stepdaughter of McConnell Golf CEO John McConnell, and her husband, Stewart, held a destination wedding at The Water’s Edge in the fall of 2020. Outen grew up swimming at Smith Mountain Lake with her family, and as it quickly became a special place for the couple while they were dating, she knew the property would make an ideal spot for their wedding.

“Having a chapel on-site at a beautiful property with all of the other event amenities is rare,” Outen says. “This made our experience particularly special. The chapel is chic and rich in history, it’s such a neat addition to the property.”

A former country club employee, Crystal Dofflemyer worked at The Water’s Edge in high school and through college on her breaks. Hosting her wedding at the property was incredibly special for her.

“The chapel entrance was our altar, and the walkway to it was the aisle,” Dofflemeyer says. “Our family and friends sat on each side of the aisle under the shade provided by mature trees. There was a slight breeze coming off the water so despite having a late August wedding, it was absolutely perfect.”

The chapel continues to create special memories for countless newlyweds at The Water’s Edge Country Club. And to think it’s all thanks to a crew member in 1985 who refused to tear down an old church.

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Baked Apple Fritter Cookie Recipe

These baked Apple Fritter Cookies are easy to make with the family and have become a Monday morning baking tradition with my kids. My daughter prefers to scoop the mix into a small muffin pan so it's “not so messy” while my son chops the dough and eats all the apples.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tube (8 count) Refrigerated Biscuits (or your favorite biscuit recipe)
• 1 Tube(8 count) Refrigerated Biscuits, flaky
• 1 Cup Apple, chopped
• 2 TBSP Granulated Sugar
• 1 TSP Cinnamon
• 2 TBSP Unsalted Butter, melted

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 Cups (156g) Confectioners’ Sugar
• 1/4 TSP Vanilla Extract
• 3-6 TSP Water
• 1/4 TSP Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut each of the 8 biscuits into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the biscuit pieces, apple, sugar and cinnamon.
4. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing each into about a 1½-inch
5. Drizzle the melted butter over the fritters.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. While the fritters are baking, prepare the glaze.
7. Whisk together the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and 3 teaspoons of water. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until a more pourable consistency is reached.
8. Drizzle the glaze over the baked fritters. Allow the glaze to set up before serving. Serve and enjoy!

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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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Boykin Mill Grits and Corn Sauté with Carolina Sweet Shrimp
Yields approximately: 4 servings

GRITS
Use fresh grits, not instant
15 oz whole milk
7 oz heavy cream
5.5 oz Boykin Mill Grits (Yellow)
Tbsp unsalted butter
2 oz Mascarpone cheese (or use cream cheese as a substitute)
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper (freshly ground) to taste
Dash of Tabasco

1. In a medium sauce pot, combine the milk, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
2. Using a whisk, slowly mix the grits and continue to stir, reduce heat to very low.
3. When grits thicken and become tender (about 30-40 minutes), add the butter and Mascarpone cheese.
4. Add Tabasco and adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Grits can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in a hot water until ready for use.

CORN CREAM
7 oz yellow sweet corn kernels
5.5 oz heavy cream
4 oz chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, combine corn, stock and cream.
2. Cook on medium heat until the liquid begins to thicken and corn is vibrant yellow and tender.
3. Place in a bar blender and puree until smooth, adjust the seasoning.
4. Strain through fine mesh, and reserve for plate up.
Note: you may need to add a little chicken stock to adjust the corn cream consistency.

CORN SAUTÉ
1 cup yellow sweet corn kernels
2 oz red and green peppers, small dice
1 oz chicken stock
1 oz heavy cream
2 oz bacon bits, cut bacon into ¼-inch dice and render until crisp, drain and reserve bacon grease for cooking and bacon bits for the corn sauté
Pinch freshly chopped thyme
Pinch freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sugar, if needed, to taste

1. In a large sauté pan, on medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of bacon grease.
2. When the grease is hot, add red and green peppers, corn and bacon. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Add chicken stock and heavy cream, and continue to cook until liquid forms a tight sauce around the corn (there should be very little liquid in the pan).
4. Season corn sauté with salt and pepper, add chopped herbs, and reserve (keep warm).

CAROLINA SWEET SHRIMP
8 oz South Carolina white shrimp, peeled, deveined and split in half lengthwise
1 oz clarified butter or vegetable oil (for cooking)
.5 clove garlic (peeled and crushed)
Salt and black pepper for seasoning

1. Cook in a large sauté pan or cook in a couple of batches. Season shrimp with salt and black pepper, reserve.
2. Heat clarified butter in sauté pan until butter begins to smoke, remove pan from heat source and add the shrimp. Return to heat source, add garlic cloves and cook until shrimp are pink in color.
3. Per serving, place 3 ounces of grits in the middle of the bowl, 3 tbsp of corn sauté and 5 shrimp on top then drizzle with corn cream. Serve and enjoy!

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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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Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie

This cookie is perfect for the holidays and easy enough for my 4-year-old daughter to help make with me. As it turns out, this is her favorite cookie and she asks to make it with me every week.

Ingredients:

½ Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
½ tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups AP Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Cup White Chocolate Chip
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
½ Cup Oats

Directions:

Mix butter and sugars until soft.
Combine all of the dried items until combined.
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter and then the dried items. Mix until just combined.
Bake in the oven at 375˚F for 10 minutes.

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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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