By STEVE HUFFMAN

GRAHAM – At only 6,617 yards from its championship tees and 6,013 yards from its white tees, Quarry Hills Country Club is anything but the longest golf course around.

But Marty Predmesky, the club's PGA golf professional since 1987, said newcomers are generally surprised at how long the course plays.

"People come in the clubhouse and say, ‘That's only 6,500 yards? It sure plays a lot longer,’" Predmesky said.

There's little wonder. The course is built along some fairly steep hills on land that stretches from the Haw River to N.C. 54 just east of Graham.

Because of those sharp grades, balls sometimes get little fairway roll, meaning drives typically measure only about as far as they carry on the fly.

As a result, even long-ball hitters find themselves with challenging second shots on most holes.

Quarry Hills was opened in September 1970 and for the first 15 years of its existence was known as Piedmont Crescent Country Club. But when Will Mann bought the course in 1985, he changed its name in order to give the facility a new identity.

The Quarry Hills name comes from the course’s trademark hole – the 13th – where golfers tee off over a huge rock quarry built alongside the Haw River.

"It had been a long-time goal of mine to own my own course," said Mann, who came to Quarry Hills from Roxboro Country Club where he had worked as general manager. "I saw this as a wonderful opportunity and I’ve never regretted it."

With a new clubhouse and restaurant that opened in 1993, Quarry Hills is considered by many local golf enthusiasts one of the nicer facilities in the Triad.

Mann certainly wouldn’t disagree.

"I think the layout is just outstanding," he said. "It‚s got great elevation changes and it’s challenging enough for the experienced golfer or playable enough for the beginner. From any tees, it’s a challenging course and fun course to play."

Quarry Hills has served as a qualifying site for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur, and earlier this year served as the Carolina qualifying site for the PGA Senior Club Professional Championship. In 1989, the course served as the site of the first stage of the PGA Qualifying School.

Though Mann said he’s proud of the entire course, he admitted to a particular fondness for holes eight through 13, several of which flank the Haw River.

"I think they’re some of the best golf holes in the Carolinas," he said.

Still, Mann said he and other Quarry Hills officials constantly strive to improve the facility.

"We’re always looking for ways to make the course more fun," Mann said.

Longevity is a trademark of Quarry Hills employees. In addition to the 14 years Predmesky has served as golf professional, Joe Covington, the superintendent, has worked at Quarry Hills since the course opened in 1970.

Mann noted that Predmesky isn’t the type to brag on himself, but he said the golf professional is a member of the National PGA Rules Committee, a prestigious position that requires years of study.

Mann is a former PGA President and still serves on the organization’s board of directors as Honorary President.

Both he and Predmesky said there are a couple of myths about the course they can neither verify nor dismiss.

One concerns the giant quarry on the course’s 13th hole. Some locals say the quarry measures 150 feet deep. Mann and Predmesky admit that the quarry is plenty deep, but he said there's no real way to tell if it's as deep as those legends contend.

They’ve had divers go as deep as 40 or 50 feet, at which depth it’s impossible for them to see their hands in front of their faces.

Exactly how much deeper the quarry goes, Mann said, is anyone’s guess.

"It’s deep enough," he said. "I’m not sure it’s as deep as some people would lead you to believe, though."

Quarry Hills is currently one of six courses in the nation selected as part of a pilot program operated by the World Golf Foundation. The program, Link Up To Golf, is intended to introduce golf to adults. Through the program, those at least 18 years of age can get six hours of

golf instruction and five rounds of golf for $200.

"The idea is to get more people interested in playing," Mann said. "The World Golf Foundation is judging how well the program does here and at the other five courses that were selected to pilot the program."

Quarry Hills also has a membership special in effect. For a $100 initiation fee and monthly dues, members can play as much golf as they want while also taking advantage of the club’s other amenities which includes a restaurant, pool and tennis. That initiation fee is usually $2,000.