Making new memories at North Carolina’s oldest country club

He spent his teenage years as a groundskeeper at a local golf club, and that’s where Matt Ostwalt developed not only respect for the game but also reverence for the beauty of a well-tended course.

“Playing golf gives me a sense of peace,” says Matt, sharing his intimate appreciation of the grass, the lay of the land, the melding of sport with nature. “I always find joy out on the golf course.”

Matt and his family find that – and so much more – at the Country Club of Asheville.

“We are having an amazing experience as members,” he says. “When friends ask, we sing the praises of the family atmosphere.”

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, the Country Club of Asheville, established in 1894, is the second-oldest private club in the South and among the oldest clubs in continuous operation in the entire country. It is anchored today by a championship Donald Ross golf course. This historic club also features a recently updated clubhouse, Olympic-size swimming pool, new fitness center, indoor and outdoor tennis facilities, and dedicated recreation rooms for kids and teens.

A Family Affair

Matt and his wife, Amy – along with their children Charlotte, 10, and Birch, 7 – joined the Country Club of Asheville in 2017. However, the family’s own history here dates back to a decade earlier when, as a newly-engaged couple, they were seeking out wedding and reception venues.

“We fell in love with the location,” Amy recalls.

You could say Matt horsed around a bit in his pursuit of the love of his life. He proposed to Amy at The Carolina Cup on April Fools’ Day and they got married on Derby Day which, in 2007, coincided with Cinco de Mayo.

“Our wedding reception featured Mint juleps and mojitos!” he says. “Everything was fantastic – the club did an amazing job. We were so happy with how the reception turned out. That was our first introduction [to the Country Club of Asheville] and it made a huge impression.”

After settling into Montford, a historic district just north of downtown Asheville, the Ostwalts intended to join the country club once they completed renovations to their 1920s-era home. “We kept having numerous delays – like having babies,” Matt laughs, noting that Charlotte added to the family’s horsey tradition by being born on Derby Day in 2010. “But really, the kids were a big part of our decision to join – we wanted a place where they could meet friends, a place to make memories as they grow up.”

And that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.

“Being members [at the Country Club of Asheville] has impacted our family in such a positive way,” says Amy. “It provides an outlet for the kids and also for us as a couple. Charlotte and Birch have a place to play, we can do things together as a family, and we can also enjoy time with our couple friends.”

Finding Joy

As new members, Matt and Amy were greeted with the same enthusiastic hospitality they enjoyed during their wedding reception 10 years earlier.  

“The staff embraced our children from Day 1,” Matt says. “They give them so much attention – our kids love coming here.”

Charlotte and Birch joined the Fins, the summer swim team, where there’s equal emphasis on technique and sportsmanship. They are also regulars at the club’s long roster of clinics and summer day camps, focusing on everything from sports to science, arts and crafts.

“The camps in the summer have been a saving grace,” Amy says, noting the sports programs ensure the kids come home happily exhausted. “They spend a lot of time up at the club. It’s fun, especially when it’s with friends.”

Since becoming members, Amy has fallen in love with tennis and Matt has rekindled his lifelong passion for golf. The entire Ostwalt family enjoys the culinary program, whether it’s a family meal or date night. 

“The kids really like the Sunday brunch – they ask to go all the time after church,” Matt says. And, adds Amy, “we like the wine tasting events; we have so much fun learning about and trying new wines.”

As a sales rep for an out-of-town manufacturing company, Matt spends a lot of time on the road. By playing golf with a rotating group of fellow members, he feels connected to the local community. 

His favorite people to play with, though, are Charlotte and Birch. “I’m glad the kids can enjoy this sport with me,” he says, noting the pleasure he takes in passing along all the traditions of the game.  “I love when they ask to go to the putting green.”

Matt also takes pleasure in a home golf course that’s a gem in the North Carolina mountains.

“It’s a unique place,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed playing a lot of courses and I never really expected myself to ‘marry’ one golf course. But this one plays a little different every time you go out there. The course changes constantly – in ways that defy physics – and I don’t feel like I’m playing the same course over and over.”

The subtlety of the course challenges golfers at every level. “Whether you’re a skilled golfer or a novice,” Matt says, “you can find joy in playing here.”

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The Ultimate Cookie

This past summer while my wife was pregnant she had an occasional sweet tooth. I came across this fun and playful recipe to help fulfill her cravings. From the crunch of the cornflake to the great balance of flavor, I think it’s a great year-round cookie! I hope you all enjoy it! Cheers from my family to yours!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown sugar, packed

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg

1 TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Salt

1 TSP Vanilla

1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats

3 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut

1 Cup Lightly Crushed Cornflakes

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Directions:

Note: This dough requires chilling.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer. Add oil and stir until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mix until smooth, then stir in the salt and baking soda.

Mix in oats and flour until just mixed. Stir in coconut, nuts, and cornflakes.

Scoop two tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet covered in wax or parchment paper. No need to spread the balls out, you’re just going to chill them. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour. (If you chill longer than four hours you may need to let them warm up a few minutes on the counter before baking).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats. Place cookies two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Lightly press down with the palm of your hand. Bake for nine to 11 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze for up to one month.

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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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To be sure, earning a spot in golf’s national championship is no easy proposition. There is a plethora of qualifying criteria players need to meet to play in a U.S. Open, such as winning tournaments or moving up the Official World Golf Ranking. Those still finding themselves on the outside looking in must rely on the gauntlet that is U.S. Open Final Qualifying … a.k.a. “Golf’s Longest Day.”

On that day in 2021, several household names punched their tickets to Torrey Pines and this week’s 121st U.S. Open, while others weren’t so lucky. Among the big names who tried, but came up short at the U.S. Open Final Qualifying — Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker and Lucas Glover, among others.

However, at Torrey Pines this week, there will be 11 U.S. Open competitors who have battled during the past month on McConnell Golf venues, either during the Korn Ferry Tour’s Visit Knoxville Open (May 13-16) at Holston Hills Country Club or the REX Hospital Open (June 3-6) at The Country Club of Wakefield Plantation.

Greyson Sigg, a 26-year-old University of Georgia product, who opened with a 61 and fired a final-round 66 to claim his first professional win at Holston Hills, will be teeing it up at Torrey Pines on Thursday and Friday (and hopefully during the weekend) after qualifying in Atlanta, Georgia. Sigg competed at both McConnell Golf venues this summer, as did fellow Atlanta qualifiers Hayden Buckley and Rick Lamb.

In addition to the other eight qualifiers from various courses around the country, former McConnell Golf Junior Scholarship recipient Akshay Bhatia, 19, continued to prove he’s a real deal “touring professional” by securing his spot at this week’s U.S. Open after a 3-for-1 playoff at the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina sectional qualifier.

(Phil) Mickelson recently played a practice round with Bhatia, who was born a few months before the veteran recorded his second runner-up finish in the U.S. Open in 2002, although it’s unclear whose brain was being picked. “He has as many questions for me as I have for him,” said Mickelson. “I’m curious how he does things too because he’s got a lot of clubhead speed, a lot of strength, a lot of shot making. He might ask me a few things on chipping. I might ask him a few things on clubs."

For McConnell Golf members, here are some lesser-known names to cheer for this week:

Dallas, Texas

• Eric Cole (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
• Paul Barjon (REX Hospital Open)

Jupiter, Florida

• Fabian Gomez (REX Hospital Open)

Atlanta, Georgia

• Hayden Buckley (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
• Greyson Sigg (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open) – *won at Holston Hills CC
• Rick Lamb (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)

Rockville, Maryland

• Taylor Pendrith (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
• Dylan Wu (REX Hospital Open)

Purchase, New York

• Cameron Young (REX Hospital Open)
• Andy Pope (Visit Knoxville Open + REX Hospital Open)
• Zach Zaback (Visit Knoxville Open)

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Golf with shoreline views – and so much more – at The Water’s Edge Country Club

It is hard to believe The Water’s Edge Country Club at Smith Mountain Lake is now a part of the McConnell Golf portfolio.

Since first visiting Smith Mountain Lake in the mid-90s, our family has enjoyed many summer weekends there making great memories. It always amazes me when people ask, “Where is Smith Mountain Lake?” Only two hours away from Raleigh, up Highway 86 to Highway 29 and along several country roads, you can enjoy a prestigious golf course on a mountain lake with 500 miles of shoreline.

Along more than 13 miles of the Smith Mountain Lake shoreline is The Water’s Edge Country Club golf course, designed by R.F. Loving Jr. Dating back to 1988, with a renovation in 2007, this golf course is one of the most scenic you will ever play.

While every golf hole is different, the three holes to spotlight are No. 6, 7 and 18. Once you get on the tee box to Hole 6, you will realize how special this mountain lake golf course is to play. Everything you see is what you get on this straight par 4 with the pristine lake view in the background.

Next comes the signature Hole 7 with the island green. This par 3 green is surrounded by nearly 360 degrees of blue water. It is just as popular for boaters as it is for golfers. Odds are you will have a crowd of people watching your shot, hoping your ball will splash so the boaters can be one golf ball richer.

Now, arguably, one of the best finishing holes out of any McConnell Golf property is here at The Water’s Edge. Hole 18 has an amazing elevated tee box with the clubhouse behind the green and mountain range in the distance. The second shot is an intimidating one as you have to add extra club to hit the uphill green above you. You will be happy to finish with a par here.

Life at Smith Mountain Lake

Smith Mountain Lake is a manmade lake, created in 1963 when the Appalachian Power Company built a massive hydroelectric dam, making it the largest lake located completely within the state of Virginia. It encompasses more than 40 miles of clear blue water and wide open spaces. It is easy to leave your boat on cruise control while enjoying the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.

This lake gets as deep as 250 feet and is a haven for fishing. Smith Mountain Lake consistently ranks as one of the best lakes for bass fishing, containing multiple state records of striped bass weighing around 50 pounds.

Beyond all of the water sports to enjoy, there are plenty of great sites to see and restaurants on the water to visit. If you like Mexican food, Los Amigos at The Crazy Horse Marina is a must with live music during the summer weekends – freshly-squeezed margaritas are their specialty! One of the most popular spots boaters like to go is Bridgewater Plaza, where you will find shops, restaurants, an arcade and even miniature golf. This place lights up on the Fourth of July, bringing boaters from all over to view the fireworks show.

We are excited to have The Water’s Edge Country Club join the McConnell Golf family, but golf is just a fraction of the fun. Smith Mountain Lake is a great destination to take your family. To learn more information about The Water’s Edge and all of its amenities, reach out to your home club professional staff for accommodations.

McConnell Golf acquired The Water’s Edge Country Club in Penhook, Virginia in December 2020. Beyond its 36,000-square-foot clubhouse, The Water’s Edge members enjoy an extensive variety of amenities including golf, tennis, swimming, fitness, boating, fishing and horseback riding. McConnell Golf President & CEO John McConnell first started playing at The Water’s Edge with friends in the early 1990s. It has been his family’s ‘home away from home’ for 25 years. With the addition of this new property, McConnell Golf now owns 15 clubs and operates 17 courses total.

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Renovated golf course at Raleigh Country Club boasts new updates, retains old beauty

Hunter Grove lives in Cary, North Carolina, and it takes him nearly 22 minutes, door-to-door, to reach Raleigh Country Club (RCC).

“It’s worth the drive,” he says. “I pass probably four or five golf courses to get [to Raleigh Country Club], but it’s well worth it.”

Grove played collegiate golf at the University of North Carolina in the early 1990s and his handicap still hovers around scratch. He decided to join Raleigh Country Club about six years ago, in large part because RCC is widely considered “a player’s course.”  

“One of the appeals [to RCC] was that I have a lot of friends, teammates and former college guys that I used to play against, so it’s a really good, select group of players. You always get a good game,” Grove says. “The golf course and the way John [McConnell] does things at all of his locations is always first class.”

Grove has never been into social media, but says he entered the online arena — slightly — during RCC’s major golf course renovation last year, which was overseen by architect Kyle Franz.

“I would go on Twitter or Facebook to look at [renovation] photographs that Kyle Franz would post,” he says, noting the only reason he’s used either platform is to look up pictures of the historic golf course, the final design of legendary architect Donald Ross.

“The course was always good,” Grove says. “I’m a huge Donald Ross fan and that was another reason I went to Raleigh, because I just love his courses, and this was the signature Donald Ross.”

Raleigh Country Club opened in 1948, just east of downtown Raleigh; the newly-renovated golf course made its debut in November 2020.

Now that Franz, who worked hand-in-glove with RCC Superintendent Billy Cole, has unveiled the “reimagined” golf course, Grove says that one of his favorite places to play has been exponentially improved.

“I was so, so impressed that you could still have a Donald Ross course and just update it,” he says. “And when I say update, the bunkering was updated and beautiful; the greens were updated and beautiful. And then they added length, because golfers are hitting it so much further today. But when you play the course, it still feels like you’re on a Donald Ross course. I think that’s the beauty of it. We were able to get a new course with an old feel and that’s really hard to do. The intrigue of all old courses is how great their design was. Today, Raleigh Country Club has a great design and it’s been updated. So, it’s the best of both worlds.”

The RCC renovation cost approximately $5.5 million, funded entirely by McConnell Golf, making it one of largest recent privately-funded investments in east Raleigh. There were no member assessments. The focus of the project was to produce an improved course for all levels of players — retaining the integrity of the course that Ross first designed and built, while allowing more challenges for today’s long-hitting players. Among RCC’s numerous enhancements:

• An entirely new irrigation system improving bunkers and turf conditions while minimizing erosion and eliminating bare spots near the tree lines.
• Enlarged green complexes allowing for more pin locations and improved, strategic shot making. On the greens, McConnell Golf used a new variety of bent grass called Pure Eclipse, which promises improved heat tolerance. RCC is the first course in the region to seed this grass on all 18 holes.
• New tee boxes on certain holes extending the course yardage to nearly 7,400 yards, while also benefitting female, junior and senior golfers. RCC’s rolling hills make the course play even longer.
• New bunkers provide greater visuals and improved play for golfers, as well as much improved drainage with the material used in the traps. “We’ve tried to vary out the scale of the bunkers quite a bit, to where it’s reflective of the best stuff of Ross that I really like here in North Carolina,” Franz says.
• Air movement and turf quality have been enhanced by the removal of approximately 500 trees.
• The new irrigation system allows for native grasses to be planted during the next few years that will give the course a dramatic look. Many of the natural drainage areas across fairways were changed, to help the course better absorb rainfall and create more strategic shot-making opportunities.
• Rerouting some cart paths (and removing others) on certain holes lends the course a more natural feel as to the lay of the land. McConnell Golf is the first to utilize a new process called soil stabilization. “A machine tills whatever is existing, be it old path, soil or roots, and incorporates cement and water to create a soil surface,” says McConnell Golf VP of Agronomy Michael Shoun. “The final product is 8 to 10 inches of a soil surface that takes on the natural look of the material tilled. It’s called ‘natural path’ — not meant to be a perfectly smooth surface, more like a hard soil path.”

The feedback from RCC members has been overwhelmingly positive.

Jay Mills is a Raleigh lawyer who joined RCC in 2007 and currently carries a 3.5 index. “I used to play a ton and then had kids, and that slowed things down,” he says. “But I’ve tried to jump back in, in large part due to the renovation.”

Mills is a member of the North Carolina Golf Panel, which means he uses his architectural expertise to rate golf courses around the state. He thinks Franz’ work at RCC could propel the layout into the very highest echelon.

“Overall, I think the renovation has significantly improved the golf course,” Mills says. “While many of the changes are dramatic and obvious, each time I’ve played the ‘new’ course I’ve noticed a subtle change to one of the holes and I’ve agreed with most of them. I think that will continue for many rounds and that, to me, is the sign of a successful renovation.”

The biggest and best improvement, Mills says, is the green complex on hole No. 3. “The prior green was too penal, particularly considering most were already hitting a long iron or a hybrid into it,” he says. “Now, while still a difficult hole, it’s no longer borderline unfair. So, huge win there.” 

Will and Summer Smith have been RCC members since 2015 and play the golf course regularly. Just weeks following the grand reopening, Summer dunked her third shot on the par-5 12th hole for an eagle.

“She blew up the cup,” Will Smith says. “We had to repair it. It was awesome. PD [RCC’s Director of Golf, Paul Dickens] said it was the first eagle on No. 12 so far that he knows of.”

Summer Smith calls the renovation “spectacular.”

“I love the openness of the course now, being able to see so much more, the clubhouse and our friends playing other holes,” she says. “The greens don’t break nearly as much as they used to, which may change come spring. The rough is extremely tough and causes quite a few more lost balls. I’m so happy with how it turned out.”

Her husband agrees.

“The course before [the renovation] was phenomenal,” he says. “It made me a much better golfer, because it’s not your normal, stock track. You have to hit shots, sharpen your short game, and learn how to get creative with your mind while putting and all that good stuff. When I would travel, people who knew Raleigh Country Club would be like, ‘Oh gosh, you know, he’s an 8 handicap there, he might be a 5 here.’”

Aesthetics set the course apart.

“It’s just captivating,” Will Smith says. “One thing that’s cool is that it’s different at different tee boxes, which is fun. So, sometimes you want to go play a step back just so you can see the course from another perspective — it’s that pretty — especially with the flashed bunkering. It’s profound.”

Grove says the renovated course reminds him of Oakmont Country Club, near Pittsburgh, host of nine U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships.

“Now, you can almost see every hole from the clubhouse and several locations on the course,” he says. “You can look around and just see forever. That, to me, is beautiful. But you still have a lot of the big, very old pine trees around there.”

Grove believes the true test of a golf course is whether you use every club in your bag and hit every type of shot.

“If great courses like Oakmont are in that discussion, I think Raleigh’s in that discussion, too,” he says. “Because if you play a few rounds of golf out there you realize, ‘I’ve got uphill lies, sidehill lies, downhill lies. I’ve got long irons, short irons. The greens are challenging.’ Every facet of your game is on call when you play RCC.”

Of all the on-course alterations, the redesigned bunkers and green complexes have received the most resoundingly positive member feedback. 

“McConnell Golf took a leap of faith with these new greens and my opinion on them is, ‘so far, so great,’” says Will Smith. “They’re only going to get better and they putt so well already. A lot of the guys have said, ‘It’s weird, because there are actually some straight putts on this golf course now.’ And they don’t know how to hit them, because they’ve always had to hit a putt that breaks. The greens are phenomenal, the layout’s amazing, and the vistas again are just tremendous.”

Mills emphasizes improvements to the bunkers.

“They are much more consistent and playable,” he says. “I think the improvements that come from the combination of tree removal, drainage and irrigation will be more obvious after spring and summer, but I think they will be significant.” 

Grove praises the conditioning. “The greens are much further along than I thought that they would be and the bunkers look like they’ve been there for much longer than just being brand-new. Hitting out of the bunkers is night and day. It’s still a hazard, but the sand is perfect and the ball pops out like it should,” he says.

“I love everything that they did. The added length is amazing to me, that they could find that much length in the golf course. That’s probably the biggest change to me,” says Grove. “There are several places where you can see almost every hole on the course. For a true golfer, that’s beautiful to see.

“I’m grateful for the vision that John [McConnell] had to even tinker with a gem like this Donald Ross design. He was so smart to hire somebody like Kyle Franz to keep the integrity of the Donald Ross design, but just update it. It’s so much fun to be out there now.”

Now that spring is here, the Smiths are anticipating playing the course as it grows in, getting fast and firm.

“We’re so thrilled to be McConnell members, just in general, but then you know that your home course is only going to get better and it’s already amazing,” Will Smith says. “We feel blessed every day being a member. It’s hard not to be grateful when you’ve got such an embarrassment of riches from a golf standpoint.”

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Royalty siblings earn McConnell Golf Scholarships for Golf & Tennis

In 2020, Keenan and Sierra Royalty became the first pair of siblings to earn McConnell Golf Scholarships.

Keenan, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, is one of the state’s most accomplished junior golfers, having captured numerous local, state and regional titles since he began competing when he was just five years old. In May, Keenan was awarded a McConnell Golf Scholarship.

Four months later, his 14-year-old sister, Sierra – an eighth-grade honors student at Wakefield Middle School – received a McConnell Golf Tennis Scholarship. Sierra, who is currently ranked 68th in the Southeast, recently won a USTA Level 4 tournament in Kinston, North Carolina; then beat the No. 1 seed in a Level 4 tournament in Snow Hill, North Carolina, catapulting her 14 spots higher in the rankings.  

The McConnell Golf Scholarship program is designed to offer instruction, practice and playing opportunities to young golfers and tennis players who may not have the financial means to practice at first-class facilities. To qualify, certain criteria must be met, including level of talent, need and commitment — as well as proven dedication and value to the future of the sport.

Keenan and Sierra hail from an athletic lineage. Their father, Doug, was drafted by the Houston Astros and pitched in the minor leagues for a couple years. One of their brothers, Alex, is a pitcher within the Cleveland Indians organization, while their oldest brother, Paul, played baseball at Wakefield High School.

Keenan says coming from an athletic family had an important influence on his approach to golf.

“I'm very competitive when it comes to my family, so that has helped me aim to become the best I can be at golf,” he says. “I’m very motivated to become the most accomplished of all of us.”

Keenan has navigated quite a journey. By the time he was just a year old, he was walking and swinging a plastic, 18-inch golf club. His parents gave him golf balls, but Keenan quickly began hitting them so well that he was breaking things in the house.

He then progressed to a golf mat outside the front door, and was quickly able to hit a ball across the cul-de-sac and close to the neighbors’ house. So, his parents bought a net.

“We had a park at the end of our street, so we would take Keenan there to hit golf balls,” recalls his mother, Karen. “All the neighbors knew him, and loved to see him tote a golf bag bigger than he was.”  

Keenan’s first tournaments were with U.S. Kids Golf and his parents both caddied for him. When he turned 11, he began to play on a wide variety of state and regional tours.

His parents decided to pull Keenan out of public school in seventh grade, so he could incorporate more golf time into his schedule.

 “Homeschool has been the best way to budget his time. He currently attends homeschool classes at New Life Camp in Raleigh one day per week, then studies at home or on the road. He maintains straight As and is finding a great balance,” Karen says.

When Keenan was in sixth grade, his feet began to swell when walking long golf courses. He learned that each of his feet had an extra bone that needed to be removed — meaning 2016 became a long year, including foot surgeries and no golf.

Now, Keenan’s true talent has begun to shine through.  

In 2020, when golf tournaments were on hold, Keenan spent all day, every day on the practice range. He also spent time on the putting and chipping greens, while playing as many holes as possible from sunup to sundown.

Keenan is coached by The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation’s Director of Golf Adam McLaughlin, whose expertise has been instrumental to his development. Keenan has also met several PGA professionals who practice at Wakefield — and often ask Keenan to join them in a putting contest — along with numerous other high school golfers, with whom he practices and plays tournaments.  

“Since becoming a McConnell Golf Scholar, Keenan has made some drastic improvement in his game as shown in the results over the past few months,” says McLaughlin. “I’ve been impressed with his work ethic and attitude during the time that I’ve spent coaching him. Keenan is a humble young man with excellent manners. He exemplifies the characteristics that we all look for in junior golfers. I expect big things from him over the next few years.”

Since August 2020, Keenan has consistently finished in the Top four from among nearly 150 high school boys, other than two tournaments where he placed 11th and 18th. He plans to not only play collegiate golf, but also work toward competing on the PGA Tour.

“The McConnell Golf Scholarship has seriously taken my entire game to a new level,” Keenan says. “Since starting, I’ve dropped my state ranking about 125 placements, and my national ranking by more than 700 placements. I’ve competed in countless tournaments since then, and I’ve consistently been finishing around the top. The scholarship is the greatest thing that has ever happened to my golf game.” 

The youngest Royalty sibling, Sierra, “has always been an overachiever,” says her mother. “(Vice president) of student council and now president of the Beta Club, which is an all-A club in middle school. She is also involved in our church and volunteering in the community, prior to COVID.”  

Sierra started competing in sports at age five, and tennis became her passion fairly quickly.  

“At first, I experimented with different sports and activities such as dance, gymnastics and tennis, and I did all of them for quite some time,” she says. “But tennis was the sport and activity that I loved doing the most… At around eight years old, I stopped doing gymnastics and ever since then, tennis is the only sport I’ve really done and enjoyed.”

Before she was awarded a tennis scholarship in September 2020, Sierra was practicing with the tennis coach at NC State. When NC State closed due to COVID-19, Sierra would hit with her father in the street or any tennis courts they could find, until she was able to play at The Country Club at Wakefield.  

Now she attends every clinic three days a week with high school players at The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation. She also takes private lessons with McConnell Golf’s Corporate Director of Tennis, Kyle Thortsen, who is based at Wakefield.

“Kyle has helped Sierra’s game tremendously, and she absolutely loves playing with his group. Andrew Hodges is the other pro tennis coach who works with Kyle, and he has helped boost Sierra’s playing level,” her mother says.  

“Our first opportunity to get to know Sierra was from a Summer High Performance tennis camp that was being held at Wakefield Plantation,” says Thortsen. “From the start of camp, it was easy to see that this young lady was all business once she stepped inside of the gates. From conditioning to drills, Sierra gives us 100 percent effort and focus every time. There’s no doubt that her determination and want-to-learn attitude will take her to great heights, on and off the tennis court.”

Sierra aspires to play collegiate and professional tennis one day — and believes her McConnell Golf Tennis Scholarship will provide just the boost she needs.

“My goal would be to have a good education, of course, and I would love to take tennis into my future,” Sierra said. “The McConnell Scholarship has definitely made me want to work and train harder. Knowing how much it has already helped me, and how much more it will help me, makes me excited and eager to see what my future in tennis will be like.”

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