The annual awards through the National Golf Course Owners Association honored the 18-hole layout at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., with regional finalists Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H., Swan Lake Resort, Plymouth, Ind., and Resort at Eagle Point (Ore.) Golf Club.
The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) has announced the winners of the association’s annual awards. Each year the NGCOA honors the most outstanding members. These individuals and organizations have helped preserve the tradition of the game while embracing the challenges and opportunities of the golf business.
“This year we are honoring some golf industry giants, ” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, we are excited to recognize some unsung people who have done giant things for golf. The awards ceremony is always NGCOA’s finest hour of the year.”
Atlantic Dunes, the Davis Love III design at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., earned the National Course of the Year Award, which recognizes a golf course that epitomizes exceptional course quality and management excellence, while making important contributions to their communities and the game.
“We’re so honored Atlantic Dunes has received this prestigious award,” said Cary Corbitt, Vice President of Sports & Operations of The Sea Pines Resort. “Davis Love and his team did an incredible job creating the new course and our members and guests have been raving about the layout since it opened a year ago.”
Course of the Year regional finalists included Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H., for the Northeast; Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind., for the Midwest; and Resort at Eagle Point (Ore.) Golf Club for the West.
Cantigny Golf in Wheaton, Ill., earned the Player Development Award, which is given to a course, entity or individual, which has implemented true and tested player development programs, providing effective return-on-investment and an overall welcoming atmosphere for new golfers of all ages. Cantigny Golf offers Youth Links (youth-only, nine-hole golf course) as well as robust programming, including youth clinics that reached more than 1,500 young golfers in 2017 and Young Executive Program that introduces golf to millennials and has accounted for more than 700 rounds since starting in 2016.
Erin Hills in Hartford, Wis., earned the Jemsek Award for Golf Course Excellence, which honors the world’s top golf courses, which are widely known for superior quality, having hosted major amateur and professional tournaments and for being venues to which golfers travel from far and wide.
The Ladies Professional Golf Association earned the Award of Merit, which is designated for long-term and significant contributions to the game of golf, while Peter Hill, CEO and Chairman of Billy Casper Golf, NGCOA Board of Directors since 2011, won the Don Rossi Award, which is given for significant and long-lasting contribution to the NGCOA.
Additional awards include:
—Paul Porter Award – Established to recognize an NGCOA member who left an enduring mark on a national or international affiliate through the highest level of commitment, service and leadership: Mark Seabrook (Founding President of NGCOA Canada) and Jeff Calderwood (Executive Director of NGCOA Canada since its inception)
—Champion Award – Bestowed upon individuals or entities which have succeeded in working on behalf of a group of owners—locally, regionally, nationally or internationally—and have garnered through a significant victory for our members: Indiana Golf Course Owners Association, and Elisa Gaudet – Women’s Golf Day Founder
Award winners will be recognized at the Celebration and Awards Dinner on February 8, the final event of the Golf Business Conference at San Antonio’s Marriott Rivercenter. Golf Business Conference information and registration can be found at golfbusinessconference.com.
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