In addition to opening up the tee sheet to non-members, the course will now be named The Cardinal by Pete Dye. McConnell Golf purchased the Cardinal G&CC in 2006 and invested nearly $5 million in renovations to the clubhouse and golf course.
The Sedgefield Country Club Dye Course in Greensboro, N.C., will become a semi-private facility and will restore its original name, The Cardinal by Pete Dye.
“We are excited about this change and look forward to increased rounds and activity on the golf course,” wrote McConnell Golf Triad Regional Director Beverly Marler in a letter to the membership. “Rest assured membership will still have its privileges.”
In 2006, McConnell Golf purchased the Cardinal Golf & Country Club, a Pete Dye-designed course originally constructed in 1974 and host to many amateur tournaments, including the club’s Cardinal Amateur.
McConnell invested nearly $5 million in renovations to the clubhouse and golf course, most notably hiring Dye to return and fully restore his original design.
In 2013, McConnell Golf streamlined operations with the merger of The Cardinal and Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club, which McConnell Golf has owned since 2011 and which annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship. As a result of the merger, McConnell Golf realized improvement to its bottom line.
Yet, McConnell Golf still found itself with an underutilized golf course and a need for further improvement to the financial position of the property. They found that the current level of golf members did not generate enough rounds to sustain operations.
With its recent announcement, McConnell Golf opens up The Cardinal tee sheet for non-member play. McConnell Golf also announced that: All members will have preferred access to the tee sheet; Full Golf members may retain the same access that is currently enjoyed at Sedgefield and other McConnell Golf properties; and all Dye Family Golf members may retain their same membership privileges at The Cardinal as well as dining privileges at Sedgefield.
All current dues/fees will remain in place. In addition, McConnell Golf is utilizing GolfNow to help generate interest and better market The Cardinal in the Greensboro area.
McConnell Golf first expanded into public golf courses in 2016 when it signed a 10-year lease to operate the 27-hole Raleigh Golf Association course.
McConnell Golf will continue to sell Dye Family Golf memberships for The Cardinal. In addition, Head Golf Professional Chris Terry and his team will continue to offer a full calendar of golf tournaments, events, and programs throughout the year that are available exclusively to members — including Full Golf members who have access to all McConnell Golf properties, existing Dye Family Golf members and any new Cardinal memberships. These programs will not be open to non-members.
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