Golf Courses To “Dye” For

Legendary golf course architect Pete Dye was back in the news last week when 20-year-old amateur Nick Dunlap won a PGA TOUR event on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Raleigh-NC-based McConnell Golf boasts a pair of Dye-designed courses among its extensive portfolio, including one considered among the best college courses in the country and another that features a hole Dye called “the hardest par three I ever designed.”

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — Last week’s historic PGA TOUR victory by 20-year-old amateur Nick Dunlap took place on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. When the legendary architect was hired to build the golf course, the developers told him to “build the hardest damn golf course in the world.”

In conjunction with last week’s event, Golf Digest ran an article titled “Pete Dye’s Best Courses, Ranked.” At No. 20 on the list is the Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech, which was added last year to Raleigh, N.C.-based McConnell Golf’s portfolio of owned and managed courses around the southeast. Golf Digest also listed the Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech at No. 6 in its list of the “25 Greatest College Golf Courses” for 2023.

Wrote Golf Digest: “A donation from the Goodwin family in 2003 allowed the financial support to cover a complete redesign by Pete Dye on an existing 18-hole layout along the New River in Radford, Va. The River course earned a fourth-place award from Golf Digest in its Best Remodel rankings of 2006, the highest of any public facility. The course — which is the home to both Virginia Tech and Radford University’s golf teams — has earned the reputation as one of the best collegiate courses in the country.”

“Pete Dye really outdid himself with the design of The River,” said Michael Abraham, General Manager and Director of Golf at Pete Dye River Course. “There’s no real letup out there – it’s a fantastic layout. To challenge golfers, he strategically placed over 100 bunkers, shaped fairways and greens, and used more than two miles of coastline along the New River.”

Another McConnell Golf course, The Cardinal by Pete Dye in Greensboro, N.C., was also designed by Dye. Its modern, 140-acre layout meanders along a countryside stream, around two lakes and through wooded glades. Dye returned to The Cardinal after McConnell Golf acquired the golf course in 2006 and, upon completion of his renovations, famously dubbed No. 12 as “the hardest par three I ever designed.”

Last year, in Golfers' Choice list of the “Best golf courses in North Carolina,” The Cardinal was ranked No. 7 in the state.

“McConnell Golf is proud to have the work of famed golf course architects such as Pete Dye within our portfolio,” says McConnell Golf Vice President of Golf Operations Brian Kittler. “We strive to maintain the best playing conditions and offer a memorable experience for golfers of all skill levels. The Cardinal and River Course at Virginia Tech are both deserving of the accolades they’ve received and look forward to improving their rankings in the years to come.”