Press Releases
Not your typical golf package, the new McConnell Golf Trail offers the chance to play five private Carolina courses.
From The Traveling Golfer, written by Anita Draycott
Toronto, ON – January 21, 2010 Golf Trails aren't new. The Robert Trent Jones Trail, covering 26 courses in the State of Alabama, has been going since the 1980s. In Canada there are trails from Cape Breton to Muskoka to Whistler. Even Viet Nam recently launched a Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail.
But, what makes the new (opened December 2009) McConnell Golf Trail unique is the opportunity to play five of the finest private courses in the Carolinas: Cardinal Golf & Country Club by Pete Dye; Treyburn Country Club and Old North State Club by Tom Fazio; Musgrove Mill Golf Club a signature course by Arnold Palmer; and Raleigh Country Club, the last design by the legendary Donald Ross. That's quite a line-up.
McConnell Golf was founded in 2003 when John McConnell acquired the Raleigh Country Club. By 2007 the other four courses were also part of the McConnell portfolio. The Raleigh/Durham/Pinehurst area has been attracting golfers for years. Most avid golfers put Pinehurst No. 2 on their trophy list, but Mr. McConnell decided to give visitors the unique opportunity of discovering five private clubs they had never before discovering five private clubs they had never before been able to play.
"We realize that this area is a destination for golfers from all over the world," says McConnell. "Many are repeat visitors, and since we have some of the top rated courses in the state, we thought there may be a market for the discerning golfer looking for that added experience of luxury golf on private courses. Our intentions are to offer only a limited number of packages each season and to provide an unforgettable experience to those who decide to spend time on the McConnell Trail."
This promises to be a very exclusive experience. The plan is to take a maximum of 15 groups of eight per year. Ray McDonald, VP Sales and Marketing, recommends that the Trail would be best enjoyed by handicappers of 18 or less. Each package can be personally customized to meet the group's needs. Most will be met at the Charlotte or Raleigh Airports. Your driver will also be your gang's forecaddie for the week. Individual caddies may also be arranged. Throughout the week you'll be transferred to the five private clubs where you'll experience unlimited golf and first-rate accommodations - either on the club property or at a nearby hotel. The seven-day rate per golfer (minimum four per party) is $2,595.75 US for peak season. There are also low season rates, plus five and three-day packages.
A professional personal chef will prepare most meals, usually salads and sandwiches for lunch and gourmet offerings, such as surf and turf, for dinner. Each golfer is given a temporary McConnell membership card allowing signing privilege for drinks and pro shop items. There's not a weak links in the bunch.
Cardinal Golf & Country Club, a 7,002-yard, par-70, meanders over 140 acres of wood glades and over several lakes and streams.
Treyburn Country Club was named "Best New Course" in 1988 by Golf Digest.
When Old North State opened in 1991 it was awarded the number two ranking in Golf Digest's "Best New Private Courses in America."
Musgrove Mill located on a Revolutionary battle site is consistently ranked in Golfweek's "100 Best Modern Courses in America." Host to almost every South Carolina Golfing Association event, Musgrove is still an important battleground.
Pure golf for the true golfer best describes Donald Ross's last design at the Raleigh Country Club where legends, such as Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, have walked the fairways. The course was completed by Ross' able assistant, Ellis Maples, who became the club's first head professional and superintendent. Once you've experienced the McConnell Golf Trail, Mr. McConnell and his team are hoping you'll consider becoming a member. For folks living at least fifty miles or more away from any club, rates are very tempting: $10,000 US for initiation; $3,500 annual dues for unlimited golf on all five courses and no food or beverage minimums.
And who knows, you might bump into one of McConnell's most illustrious members, Lucas Glover, winner of last year's US Open.
U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover Impressed by McConnell Golf Trail
2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover Endorses McConnell Golf.
Raleigh, NC – December 30, 2009 – Lucas Glover, the most recent professional golfer to claim the United States Open title, has played the championship caliber courses of McConnell Golf, and is a McConnell Golf member. Glover, a native of Greenville, South Carolina and a top-quality ACC collegiate golfer, grew up in the Carolinas, and knows the quality of the courses offered on the McConnell Golf Trail.
"As an Atlantic Coast Conference collegiate golfer and now a McConnell Golf member I am familiar with the courses on this trail and can confidently say that these are some of the finest private courses in the Carolinas.” Glover continued to praise McConnell Golf by saying, “McConnell Golf understands that combining championship golf with excellent service results in an experience that all others will be measured by."
The McConnell Golf Trail is the highest quality of champtionship-level private courses, designed for the serious golfer who appreciates a commitment to keeping the game pure and challenging.
McConnell Golf introduces The McConnell Golf Trail
McConnell Golf is now offering The McConnell Golf Trail, a 7-day tour of the most luxurious private courses in the Carolinas.
Raleigh, NC – December 10, 2009 – The McConnell Golf Trail is the newest and most prestigious collection of private luxury golf courses in North and South Carolina. The trail consists of seven days of the finest golf that the Carolinas have to offer. Courses include all properties available to McConnell Golf members: The Old North State Club, Musgrove Mill Golf Club, and the Cardinal Golf, Treyburn, and Raleigh Country Clubs. Courses have been designed by various legends of golf, including Arnold Palmer, Donald Ross, Pete Dye, and Tom Fazio, giving each course a different playability and feel. This collection of world class facilities is made to offer the purest of golf, to the truest of golfers.
The McConnell Trail has a very structured itinerary, precisely laying out travel to and from courses, lodging specifics, and lunch and dinner provisions. The first course of play will be Musgrove Mill, designed by Arnold Palmer. After dinner prepared by Musgrove’s executive private chef and lodging at Musgrove Mill Cottages, the party will depart to Old North State Club for unlimited play. All meals on day three will be served by private chef. Day four consists of the legendary last course architected by Donald Ross, Raleigh Country Club. Following on day five, Durham located, Tom Fazio designed, Treyburn Country Club will feature unlimited play at yet another prestigious course. The final day of play will be in Greensboro, NC, at Cardinal Golf & Country Club, a Pete Dye design. A grand farewell dinner is provided that evening, wrapping up the golfing experience of a lifetime.
The McConnell Golf Trail is the most exciting, prestigious, and lavish package available to high-caliber golfers seeking the finest play that the Carolinas have to offer. Ray McDonald, VP Sales and Marketing for McConnell Golf, remarked, "We are very excited to offer this package to non-members of McConnell Golf. Our outstanding collection of historic Carolina golf courses provides the most serious of golfers with the finest the sport has to offer." Package prices vary depending on season, being lower during the off-peak months (November-March). Packages are per golfer, and The McConnell Golf Trail requires a minimum of four participants per party. To reserve a trip or for pricing information, contact Ray McDonald at 919-922-4171 or rmcdonald@mcconnellgolf.com.
About McConnell Golf
McConnell Golf was first created in December 2003, upon acquisition of Raleigh Country Club. Adding Cardinal Country Club and Treyburn Country Club in 2006, McConnell completed its collection with Old North State and Musgrove Mill in 2007. Featuring designs by four legendary minds of golf, the "Generations of Greatness" Championship courses of McConnell Golf continue to offer Pure Golf to the True Golfer.www.mcconnellgolf.com
Our Courses On The Trail
Packages & Prices
Seven, five, and three-day luxury golf packages are offered during peak & off-peak seasons. Prices vary upon season; off-peak(November-March) and peak(April-October). The seven-day package includes all private courses on the McConnell Golf Trail; five and three-day packages may feature fewer courses. Minimum 4 golfers per event, lodging, daily lunches, entry fees, & travel expenses included. Call for individual packages and prices, 1-919-922-4171.
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