REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Stonebridge going
long, Longview
to open in October

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 18, 2003) -- Stonebridge Golf Club is in the best shape of its young life, under new leadership, and looking to re-establish its place atop the Metrolina golf scene. That is the word from this Rich Osborne designed layout snuggled in the rolling hills and dales of Union County's horse country.

The course's bentgrass greens and Bermuda fairways are flourishing despite the region's excessive rainfall (73 inches in the past 12 months). With top-notch conditions in place, new director of golf Ross Desmond said the next step is to make the course tournament ready.

"I am very big on tournament golf and Id' like to host some major CGA (Carolinas Golf Association) events," said Desmond, who recently moved to Stonebridge from the Crescent Club in Salisbury. "I don't think there's a course in better condition. So if we make it tougher, we should be able to land some major events."

For now, tougher means extending the course from 6,950 to well over 7,000 yards. A new tee box on the par-4 12th will help the cause, and plans are in the works to lengthen the par-5 14th. The 12th now measures 394 yards from the Championship tees and requires a stout drive to reach the corner of its severe dogleg left fairway. Fourteen, currently 513-yards from the tips, will be lengthened some 40 yards this fall, making it a true three-shot hole.

The additional brawn will be a good warm-up for what many local golfers consider to be one of the toughest closing stretches in the area. Stonebridge finishes with two long par-3s with forced carries over water (15 and 17), a testy, split-level par-4 (16) and burley par-5 (18) with water guarding the front right of the green -- all which play into a prevailing wind that gusts from 10 to 25 mph.

Stonebridge Golf Club (888) 337-2582 stonebridgegolfclub.com Crystal Creek Golf Club (704) 588-3640

To help golfers prepare for the grind, a mach fairway was cut into the practice range and the areas surrounding the mach pins have been mown tight to better define the target area. Desmond said some new targets within 100 yards also will be added.

In the end, Stonebridge will be longer, stronger and a better all-around facility. According to Desmond, the challenge is getting local golfers to take notice.

"The biggest challenge we have is getting people out here," Desmond said. "We need them to know it exists and that it is not that long of drive."

Stonebridge is about a 40-minute drive from downtown Charlotte, and less than a half hour from the Queen City's affluent Southeast side. Since opening in 1997, the course's mantra has been "not as far as you think." Desmond believes the growth of the surrounding area should change misconceptions about Stonebridge's location.

"Maybe when you drive through more suburbs to get here it won't seem as far," Desmond said, chuckling. "Golfers drive three and a half hours to spend the weekend in Myrtle Beach, but then they think driving 30 minutes to play a local course seems unreasonable. It shouldn't be that way."

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Stonebridge has managed to gain something of a cult following among traditionalists, however. The layout is one of the most walker-friendly in the Charlotte area and hoofing is permitted almost any time of day and week. Tee boxes and greens are never more than a few yards apart and are often connected by mown walking paths.

As for the layout, it is straight-forward and well-conceived. The front nine and first four holes on the back nine play through dense strands of Carolina hardwoods and pines. The final five holes are wide open, windswept and often call for a totally different strategic approach.

Stonebridge also has the distinction of being book ended by two of the better three-shot holes in the area. The par-5 first is a links style hole dissected by a creek featuring the course's namesake -- a stone bridge. Osborne offers two routes to the green; the left passage is shorter but more demanding, the right passage is longer and safer. The par-5 18th gives the illusion of being a drive-it-anywhere hole, but the left side of the fairway is by far and away the best way to approach the green.

Crystal Creek fronts affordable golf revolution

Golf should be affordable and fun. What a concept. But according to Steve DiBo and Del Ratcliffe, Charlotte golf is lacking in both. DiBo is a former major-league pitching prospect turned general manager of the Crystal Creek Golf Club in Pineville. Ratcliffe is president of Ratfliffe Golf Services, which oversees operations at Crystal Creek, Sunset Hills Golf Course and Paradise Valley Short Course.

"The way they build courses today, it is no wonder beginners and high handicappers quit the game before they even get hooked," DiBo recently told GolfCarolina.com. "It costs a lot to build these type courses and the cost is passed along to the golfer."

Not the case at Crystal Creek, where a round of golf with cart rarely exceeds $35. Two years ago the course could not have commanded even half this fee. When Ratcliffe Golf Services took over, Crystal Creek was one of the worst tracks in all of Metrolina, period. Carts path were riddled with potholes, the clubhouse roof was about to cave in, and greens were a mixture of grasses (ranging from crab to weed).

Over the past 18 months, DiBo and Ratcliffe sold Crystal Creek's owners on totally revamping the course and physical plant. The turf is consistent and lush, many of the bunkers have been remodeled, and a new irrigation system was installed. Future plans call for adding and removing some trees and adding "learner's loop" set of tees for beginners and juniors.

"If you played here a few years ago, you wouldn't even recognize this course today," DiBo said.

DiBo is the perfect complement for Crystal Creek. Still fiery, determined and competitive, the ex-hurler now cares more about providing locals with a comfortable, affordable place to play golf than chucking 90 mph fastballs. Behind the scenes is Bill Berst, a top-notch superintendent. Berst -- considered among the most creative supers in the business - has designed his own maintenance equipment and is a beta tester for many equipment providers.

Club at Longview gears up for the Golden Bear

Excuse Charlotteans if they are a bit excited about the October opening of the Club at Longview -- even if most of them never will set foot on the property. The ultra-private, gated community will unveil its Jack Nicklaus designed golf course in October. The Golden Bear himself will grace the course's christening in October to play in an exhibition match.

Longview, private or not, is the first new course to open in and around Charlotte since Springfield Golf Club in 2001. From 1993 to 2000, the Metrolina region added as many upscale, daily fee courses as any major metro area in the U.S. The expanded pay-for-play menu included the likes of Stonebridge, Sky brook, Ballantyne Resort, Birkdale, Highland Creek, Verdict Ridge, Regent Park, Olde Sycamore, Firethorne, and the Warrior, to name a few.

As for Longview, the par-72 layout is routed through an old dairy farm in Union County ten miles south of Charlotte in the Weddington area. It measures 7,088 yards from the "Nicklaus" tees and plays to a course rating of 74.9 and a slope of 143. The club is now accepting membership applications. The initiation fee is $50,000 and dues are $500 a month.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.