The Cliffs golf courses ranked among America’s Top 100 by Golfweek raters
November 10, 2015
TRAVELERS REST, SC ‐ When Golfweek’s Ultimate Guide to Golf 2016 hit newsstands last week, The Cliffs made quite an impression, even at first glance. Signature hole no. 13 on The Cliffs at Glassy golf course graces the cover of this year’s publication. In addition, three of The Cliffs’ golf courses were rated and ranked in the Top 100 Residential Courses in America: The Cliffs at Mountain Park (designer: Gary Player), The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards (Tom Fazio), and The Cliffs at Walnut Cove (designer: Jack Nicklaus).
For the first time this year, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, located near Asheville, N.C., joins Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Courses in America. Jack Nicklaus described the course this way: “Walnut Cove provides an extraordinary natural setting for golf. Areas on this course make you feel as if you are playing through a national forest.” Indeed, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove is surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest and Blue Ridge Parkway, America’s Favorite Scenic Drive.
“The addition of our Walnut Cove golf course to Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Courses is very exciting, as well as a great honor,” stated Brian Peeples, director of golf for The Cliffs. “Superintendent Steve Shand and his team have done a tremendous job maintaining our second Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in first class playing conditions throughout the year.”
Now in its second year of operation, The Cliffs at Mountain Park golf course made an impressive jump to no. 36 of the Top 100 – up seven places from its 2015 ranking of 43. Superintendent Jason Harris commented, “It is quite humbling to see the course ranked even higher this year by Golfweek’s Raters. The Mountain Park golf course has matured well as we near the end of our second full season.”
One of the two Tom Fazio-‐designed golf courses at The Cliffs, The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards, stood strong at number 56 maintaining its rank from 2015. The Keowee Vineyards course has
now been in Golfweek’s Top 100 Residential Courses for six years since its opening. In a recent interview with Executive Golfer magazine, Fazio recently commented, “My Cliffs Vineyards Course sits on one of the great lake properties in America. It is a must see golf course. The drama of the foothills, mountains, and water make it one of a kind.”
The Cliffs at Glassy golf course designed by Tom Jackson and The Cliffs’ second of two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, were included in this year’s Top 200 “Best Residential Courses.” In April 2016, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls will host the men’s teams participating in the inaugural Clemson Invitational at Lake Keowee. This is the first time Clemson will host a co-‐ed golf tournament in the history of the university.
David Sawyer, Managing Partner of The Cliffs Clubs, stated, “I would like to congratulate and thank all of our Golf Course Superintendents and our golf maintenance teams for their continuous dedication to provide our members with a collection of some of the top golf courses in America.”
The Cliffs is owned and managed by Arendale Holdings, LLC, whose 40-‐year history of successful development projects includes Currahee Club on Lake Hartwell in Ga., Clear Creek at Lake Tahoe, and the Colorado Golf Club, all of which ranked high on this year’s list with the latter two also included in the top 25.
Since beginning its rating system in 1997, Golfweek has developed the most respected ranking structure in the industry. Golfweek’s expert team of course raters, which rates each nominated course on the basis of Golfweek’s ten strict standards of evaluation.
About The Cliffs
The Cliffs is a collection of seven premier private, luxury residential mountain and lake communities located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the western Carolinas, between two of the nation’s top award-‐winning cities for quality of life, Greenville, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina, and Clemson, SC – home to top-‐ranked Clemson University. The Cliffs’ suite of amenities for members includes seven clubs, six wellness centers, 50 restaurant and private event venues, seven championship golf courses, marinas, beach club, cycling, water sports, tennis complexes, equestrian center, hiking trails, wakeboarding, wine clubs, an organic farm and more than 4,000 year-‐round social activities to create timeless experiences. Homes at The Cliffs range in price from $500,000 to $4 million+; homesites, from $150,000. For more information about The Cliffs, visit CliffsLiving.com or call 866-411-5771.
