McConnell Golf: Reputation for Excellence

Strategically expanding McConnell Golf continues to dominate the rankings of the Carolinas’ finest private club golf experiences

(RALEIGH, NC) — Purchasing The Country Club of Asheville (NC) and Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, NC in the past five months, McConnell Golf continues to enhance its reputation for excellence.

Raleigh-based McConnell Golf enters its second decade of existence with a bang, as its stable of clubs has grown to feature ten of the finest private golf experiences in North and South Carolina. McConnell Golf has also expanded in its new club management division at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, SC.

McConnell Golf’s attention to quality is a chief reason why each of the courses that bear its name in North and South Carolina consistently ranks among the states’ best. Given that both states have been described as having “50 Top-10 golf courses,” earning the highest marks is not an easy task.

“We have been very selective in our club acquisitions and these course rankings prove that the quality of our product and member service are unmatched in the Carolinas,” said McConnell Golf Founder and CEO John McConnell.

As they have done time and time again, McConnell Golf courses dominated the 2015 rankings. In North Carolina’s prestigious Top 100, McConnell Golf’s Old North State Club in New London, NC repeated as the fourth best golf course in the Tar Heel State, trailing only Pinehurst No. 2, Grandfather Mountain and CCNC’s Dogwood Course.

Meanwhile, Sedgefield Country Club’s Ross Course in Greensboro, home of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship, made one of the year’s most significant jumps among the Old North State’s best, up to No. 16 from No. 22 in 2014 — giving McConnell Golf the top two-ranked courses in the Triad.

Close behind Sedgefield’s Ross Course, Raleigh Country Club remained at the No. 21 position in the state while Treyburn Country Club in Durham (No. 30) again earned a spot in North Carolina’s Top 30.

Not to be outdone, McConnell’s popular Pete Dye layout, formerly The Cardinal Golf and Country Club and now part of Sedgefield CC’s 36-hole offering, checked in at No. 58, followed by another Ross gem The Country Club of Asheville at No. 60. The Hale Irwin-designed TPC at Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, home of the Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open, also enjoyed a jump in state rankings, up five spots to No. 68.

The North Carolina Golf Panel is comprised of golf media including some of the top daily newspapers in the state, as well as golf club professionals, noted amateurs, college golf coaches and business leaders. Each year, the Panel provides a well-researched list of the top golf courses in the state.

North Carolina’s Top 100 courses are determined by a scoring system where panelists consider among these factors: routing, design, strategy, memorability, fairness, variety and aesthetics — all detailed in the April issue of Business North Carolina magazine and at NCGolfPanel.com.

Members of the Panel also voted on the top courses in the state’s six regions, plus ranked the top five courses per region in three specialty categories: Best Collection of Par 4s; Best Bang for the Buck; and Best Experience.

Among the Best Par 4s in the Triad: Old North State grabbed the No. 1 spot followed at No. 3 by Sedgefield’s Ross Course. In the Triangle, Treyburn Country Club earned the top spot, with Raleigh CC coming in No. 2.

As for the “Best Experience” — course itself, practice facilities, locker rooms, clubhouse, setting and memorability — in the Triad Sedgefield’s Ross Course was No. 1, while Old North State Club was No. 3. In the Triangle, Raleigh Country Club grabbed the No. 2 spot, with Treyburn Country Club checking in at No. 5.