Thursday, June 18, 2015

Southern Summer Golf in the 60s and 70s - or It’s on Us

(BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C.) – Golfers who tee it up in North Carolina’s coolest town this summer are virtually assured to play in temperatures ranging from the 60s to the 70s.

In fact, Beech Mountain is so confident of this claim that it guarantees it as part of the Summer of 79° stay-and-play package. If anybody participating in the package plays on a day where the official high exceeds 79 degrees, they receive a certificate for a complimentary round of golf.

Beech Mountain can make this claim because it is the highest elevation town east of the Rocky Mountains. It’s a place where the high temperature has eclipsed 79 degrees only 11 times since a National Weather Service reporting station was installed in 1992.

“This is a unique way to showcase how our weather on Beech Mountain is a key factor that few others have this far South,” says Brian Barnes, general manager of the Beech Mountain Club. “Recently it was 100 degrees in several places across North Carolina and our high was 76.”

Entering its third year, the Summer of 79 package is available seven days a week and is easy to use. Simply book the package – which starts at $79 a person per night – and if the high exceeds 79 degrees at any point during the day of play at Beech Mountain Club, golfers are mailed a certificate for a complimentary round of golf at the club.

While pleasant temperatures are certainly a draw, there’s another reason for golfers to consider Beech. Beech Mountain Club is a picturesque course, perched on a number of north-facing ridges with panoramic views into Tennessee and Virginia from multiple vantage points.

“A lot of golfers take pictures of the views the whole way around the course,” Barnes says. “And the course is in great shape. Our cool season grasses made it through the winter in very good condition. Everything is lush, green, beautiful and very playable.”

The design of the course is also superb. Noted architect Willard Byrd took advantage of high mountain terrain to craft a playable – yet challenging – 18-hole layout. The par-3s are especially dramatic, with three of them routed downhill over ponds.

Although Beech Mountain Club is private, access is available via local stay-and-play packages. Several lodging operations have memberships, thus providing access for their guests.

“The great thing about the Summer of 79 promotion is there aren’t many places that can offer a deal like this,” says local lodging proprietor Calder Smoot. “We always brag about how cool it is here in summer. This gives us a chance to put our money where our mouth is.”

Summer of 79° stay-and-play packages are available through Oct. 18, 2015. Double occupancy prices start at $79 per person, per night, in a standard room with two-night minimum. Upgrades to condos, chalets or vacation homes are available as well.

“Up here on this mountain with the cool, crisp air and lower humidity, it’s so much more pleasant to get out and play during summer,” Barnes says. “Folks who come here and experience the course typically want to come back, and we want to see them back. Some have even become members.”

For full details, call (800) 468-5506 or visit: www.SummerOf79.com.

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