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PRESS RELEASE November 7, 2006
PR Contact: Mike Jamison,
(407) -330-4674 , mike@jamisongolf.com
Eagle Creek Golf Club Draws Raves As Host Of Hooters
Women's Collegiate Match Play
ORLANDO, FL (November 6, 2006) - Duke University defeated
Vanderbilt 3-2 in the finals to capture the 2006 Hooters
Women's Collegiate Match Play Championship Sunday at Eagle
Creek Golf Club. The other big winner besides Duke might
very well have been the host course.
The Ron Garl-designed track proved to be a very popular
host for this annual event. Everyone agreed that it was
a perfect "match" for this style of play.
"Eagle Creek was an excellent layout for match play,"
said Jacqui Concolino, a sophomore at Vanderbilt and an
Orlando native. "Perfect venue for our match play championship,
with the five par 5s" said Auburn coach Kim Evans.
"With the windy conditions, Eagle Creek proved to be
a challenging test," said victorious Duke coach Dan
Brooks.
Another consensus among the players was the conditioning
of the course, especilly the greens which feature Mini Verde
grass.
"These are the best Bermuda greens I have ever putted
on," said Concolino. "Really really good greens,"
said LieBelei Lawrence of Vanderbilt. "The condition
of the greens made it easier to make birdies," said
Roger Yaffe, Executive Director of the National Golf Coaches
Association.
And one other popular aspect of Eagle Creek was the bunkering,
including the Scottish-like revetted bunkers.
"The bunkers were the most memorable aspect of this
course," said Lawrence. "It was rather peculiar
to find a Scottish links-style course right in Central Florida,"
said Duke freshman Alison Whitaker. "It was a very
fun course. The pot bunkering was amazing. It was interesting
to see girls pitching out away from the hole."
Duke captured the championship for the third time in four
years. The remainder of the 16-team field included 2005
Match Play champion Purdue, local favorites Florida and
Florida State and other top southeastern schools Georgia,
Auburn and South Carolina. It was presented by the National
Golf Coaches Association in association with Hooters of
America, Inc. and is co-hosted by the Central Florida Sports
Commission.
Eagle Creek Golf Club is an 18-hole layout, located minutes
from Orlando International Airport. The course is a par
73, featuring five par 5's and more than 90 bunkers and
dramatic bulkheads reminiscent of those found in Scotland
and England. Eagle Creek is an Audubon International Silver
Signature Course and the first of the Florida golf courses
to sport vibrant Mini Verde greens for exceptional play.
"Having this outstanding event here is another testament
to the quality of the Eagle Creek golf experience,"
said Eagle Creek Director Of Golf, Tony Crawford. "We
are thrilled and proud to be hosting such an elite tournament
field."
Eagle Creek is a favorite among local players, visiting
golfers and many tournament planners, having hosted the
national finals of the Buick Scramble, the Florida Open,
the Golf Channel's Drive Chip & Putt Junior Challenge,
and several Florida State Golf Association competitions.
The 7,198-yard design by Ron Garl and Howard Swan has earned
many honors in its two years, including being ranked 4 and
1/2 Stars by Golf Digest readers, and being named among
the top 10 new courses of the decade in Florida by Travel
& Leisure.
The 18th hole at Eagle Creek was re-designed after the
initial work had begun on the golf course, turning a beautiful
par 4 into a stunning and dramatic par 5. The change gave
Eagle Creek the only par-73 layout in Orlando.
The 18th is the definitive risk/reward hole. At 535 yards
long, it tempts the player to go for the deep ball off the
tee in hopes of reaching the long, narrow putting surface
in two. But the drive must carry fairway bunkers on the
left, and avoid the water hazard on the right. The green
is completely fronted by water, and slopes dramatically
from back to front. So whether hitting a third shot after
playing it safe, or gambling to reach in two, the approach
shot must be struck with great accuracy to assure a two-putt.
"Our 18th always is the talk of the Belfry after rounds,"
said Crawford. "Along with the beauty of the hole with
our clubhouse visible from start to finish, the challenge
and excitement it creates is the perfect ending to a great
round of golf."
Other awards and honors garnered by Eagle Creek in its
first two years include:
- Top 10 New Florida Courses Of The Decade" by Travel
& Leisure Magazine.
- One of less than 50 courses in Florida to achieve "4.5-star"
status in Best Places To Play, by Golf Digest.
- Belfry named among the "Top 10 19th Holes"
by Orlando Magazine.
- Selected to host the Buick Scramble National Finals.
- Named host site of the Golf Channel's Mutual of Omaha
Drive, Chip & Putt Junior Challenge.
The Emerson International-owned golf course is "Distinctive
Orlando Golf With A European Flair." It is designed
to blend unobtrusively with the homes in the master-planned
Eagle Creek Golf Community. Homebuyers have the option of
choosing from different communities that make up Eagle Creek
For more information about Eagle Creek Golf Club, or to
schedule a tee time please call 1-866-EAGLEGC, or visit
the clubs at www.eaglecreekgolf.info.
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