Area Insider

By Jay Allred

Former N.C. State University star Carl Pettersson has been making sure folks in Europe know how to correctly spell his name. Now the folks at the British Open have to learn, too.

Pettersson, the touring pro at the new Heritage Club in Wake Forest, has qualified to play in this month’s Open at Muirfield based on his No. 10 ranking in the Volvo Order of Merit. He also carries a world ranking of 79^th.

His spot in the field should make for an interesting week at the Heritage Club. Like many courses, it puts together a little contest for the major championships. Carl’s not likely to be anyone’s No. 1 draft pick — not with you-know-who in the field — but he’s sure to be selected somewhere.

Brier Creek Country Club has hired a new course superintendent whose credentials are, well, super. Martin Fuchs comes to Raleigh from Oakland Hills Country Club just outside Detroit, where he was credited with renovating the club’s famed South Course, which host the U.S. Open in 1996 and the U.S. Senior Open five years earlier.

“Martin is one of the nation’s leading golf course superintendents, and he will be a great asset to Brier Creek,” said Jim Van Buren, general manager of the club, which is home to an Arnold Palmer signature course that was rated the state’s Best New Private Course for 2001 by North Carolina Magazine. “His expertise coupled with the beautiful design of the course, is sure to improve what is already one of the best courses in North Carolina.”

Rick Robbins and Associates in Cary is working on several projects throughout the country. In our state, it’s doing a First Tee Project in Charlotte for Mecklenburg County, and are in the process of raising funds for it.

One of its other projects is at Sanford Country Club, which dates back to the 1930s and was initially a government project. Landscapes Unlimited, in conjunction with Robbins’ design, is building five new holes and rebuilding all of the remaining greens. The restoration began with the decision to build a practice range and then it was a domino effect. They are adding new irrigation, which will utilize treated water from the city of Sanford.

Take time out from your next round at the coast and visit the Cape Fear Museum in downtown Wilmington. New exhibits include Presidential Golf and Twenty Questions about Cape Fear Golf. Visitors will learn the history of the sport in the area while entertaining them with artifacts from the golf games of presidents from Harding to Clinton. Unique holes and unique tales of golf in the area are told through artifacts, photographs and diagrams.

Presidential Golf — The Memorabilia of White House Golfers — is on loan from the USGA. It showcases clubs, balls and other artifacts from presidents Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. The exhibit runs until Sept. 2. For more info, call 910-341-4350.

Mike Gardner’s staff at The Crossings just outside Durham figures to have its hands extra full on July 14-15. The course will host a Buick Scramble qualifier on that Sunday at 2 p.m., a tournament that’s open to both members and nonmembers. Less than 24 hours later, the third annual Carolina Cobras Golf Outing will take place. For info on the former, call 919-598-8686. For more about the latter, call Nicole Barros at 919-281-0400.

River Ridge, the fine semi-private course in Clayton, will complete a move into a brand spanking new 10,000-square-foot clubhouse in mid-July, according to Amy Moss, the club’s membership and marketing director. The state-of-the-art facility, which is attached to a 5,000-square-foot pavilion, carries a pricetag in excess of $1 million and features all of the most modern amenities, including conference rooms. “We’re esctatic to have such a great clubhouse for our members,” said Moss. “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful facility.”

 The Southeastern Hospitality Sporting Clays Golf Championship, an event that combines trap shooting and golf, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for June 14-15 but the decision to postpone was made May 28, the day our June issue was printed. The organizers decided six weeks was not enough time to get the word out to the sporting clay community and they want to run a first-class tournament. The tournament expects to draw from the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. It will be rescheduled for the fall. Call 336-699-8694 for more information.

Josh Brownell has been hired as the director of golf at Meadowlands Golf Course in Wallburg. He was previously the director of golf at Birkdale Golf Course in Huntersville. Both properties are managed by Harris Golf Services.