It plays very firm and fast, Fazio said. The Congaree Golf Club will get its chance to shine this week when it hosts the Palmetto Championships, . Numerous mature trees were carefully uprooted and replanted elsewhere around the course. Davidson and McNeely scouted six to eight locations, but the inland property that would become Congaree stood out from its sandy soil perfect for building a golf course to its peaceful hunting grounds and historic feel. Keeping in the style of Australian sandbelt courses, the traditional rough is replaced by sand on the course. Congaree has been positioned as a philanthropic club since it was founded. An event similar to the renowned pro-member tournament at Seminole Golf Club in Florida is conceivable, especially with the dedicated philanthropic mission of the club, which will soon become even more accessible with the expansion of the local airstrip six miles away. The course features a numerous amount of oak trees which are prominently featured throughout the course. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - PGA TOUR and CJ Group officials today announced that THE CJ CUP will be contested at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina, the week of Oct. 17-23, 2022. I don't know what happened hundreds of millions of years ago right there, but the sea was probably there and left the deposit of sand. The soil of the golf course is all sand based, and all of the grass on the course is one height. Congaree Golf Club boasts notable ambassador members from many industries, including golf and business. They not only promote the club but lend their time and capital. Back in spring of 2017, one of the clubs ambassadors in Scotland called Congarees co-director of golf, Bruce Davidson, and told him about this teenage girl from Northern Ireland who excelled in the classroom and had the ability to play golf in college, but lacked the financial means to do so. Using sand-capping, Fazio, Davidson and McNeely further firmed up the course. In replacement of the traditional member system at most golf clubs, Congaree has an extended membership of over 200 Ambassador Members. We discussed this and said, `Lets build a club thats different. Were not trying to sell anybody anything, but what we want is a network of people that commit to helping. Since opening in 2017, Congaree Golf Club has been one of those courses that holds a certain lore in the golf worldmany have heard, but few have seen. 8 will probably emerge to be the signature, great holes abound at Congaree, a par-71 layout that can stretch to 7,685 yards. . "Ambassadors is a word we chose because. Wednesday 6/9 Live Chat: youtu.be/IE0BHCzCfVU Wednesday 6/9 JockMKT Power Hour: youtu.be/aY5jzrpUJGg I thought theres no way somebody wants to take you to America and do all this stuff for you. McNair owned Palmetto Partners, Ltd. and RCM Financial Services, L.P., private investment entities that managed the McNairs private and public equity investments. Thats hard to do. Its flattering and, more importantly, it helps more underprivileged youth. Professional Ambassadors, including PGA and LPGA players, teaching professionals, and golf industry executives, provide additional support locally and nationally. Robert C. McNair (Jan. 1, 1937 Nov. 23, 2018), a leading businessman, sportsman and philanthropist in Houston, Texas for more than 50 years, was the founder, senior chairman and chief executive officer of the Houston Texans National Football League team. Congaree turns to PGA pro ambassadors such as World Golf Hall of Famer Mark O'Meara, LPGA star Morgan Pressel and 39-time PGA Tour winner Tom Watson to help identify participants who are passionate about golf and show academic promise, but do not have the means or support to fulfill their potential. Originally, Congaree was co-founded with two Members, owners Dan Friedkin, chairman of The Friedkin Group and owner of Diamond Creek Golf Club in Banner Elk, N.C., and the late Bob McNair, former owner of the NFLs Houston Texans, chairman of The McNair Group, and owner of the Golf Club at Briars Creek in Johns Island, S.C. Congaree is a stunning golf course, one of the best in South Carolina, and this week it gets its first ever PGA Tour event, the Palmetto Championship. The PGA TOUR is returning to Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina for the second time in two years, but with a twist. The bid was voted on and approved by the Ridgeland Town Council in support of the clubs bid for the event. A native of Scotland, Bruce Davidson is Director of Golf at The Friedkin Group and a world-renowned PGA professional. The CJ Cup will take place Wednesday, Oct. 19-Sunday, Oct. 23, at Congaree Golf Club, located north of Ridgeland near Gillisonville. Congaree Golf Club hosted its first PGA Tour event in June of 2021 when it hosted the Palmetto Championship. But at Congaree, theres much more to come. Hint: It's not the Ocean Course", "Built by billionaires, Congaree has only 1 member but a grand purpose", https://www.friedkin.com/leisure/congaree, https://www.fraser-construction.com/galleries/congaree-club-located-in-ridgeland-sc, https://www.fraser-construction.com/galleries/congaree-golf-maintenance-facility, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Congaree_Golf_Club&oldid=1133372574, Buildings and structures in Jasper County, South Carolina, Golf clubs and courses designed by Tom Fazio, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 13:04. Architect Tom Fazio. The par-4 ninth in some respects is reminiscent of the 16th hole at Pine Valley, while the finishing stretch of four straight par-4s from 15-18 is a terrific mix, ending with a testing approach over water and sand to a narrow 18th green behind the clubhouse. Dec 31, 2022 at 4:30pm Doyley: in-game deadline is accurate - on site is off for some reason Dec 31, 2022 at 12:56pm Cecil Harvey: Looks as if the old events will close in game and the new ones will open way before that extra 24 hours are up. Nick Price, Tom Watson and Mark. It's just remarkable.. 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If you were doing it purely as a business, then wed all be in this for the wrong reasons. Thats our stated goal, to give kids educational and vocational opportunities, says Bruce Davidson, Congarees Director of Golf, a title he shares with John McNeely. Ben has been awarded the Carolinas PGA Junior Golf Leader of the Year and selected as one of Charlestons Forty Under 40 business professionals. My mom thought it was like the classic too-good-to-be-true thing. Theyll look into students financial and family situations, academics and golf game before inviting the next group in for a summer. Club Guest Ambassadors (rather than members) are encouraged not only to make a financial contribution to the Congaree Charitable Foundation, but to take an active role in interacting with and mentoring children who go through the Congaree Global Golf Initiative and winning college scholarships - many of which went on to play golf at the . Renowned architect Tom Fazio designed the championship course to seamlessly embrace its natural surroundings. But Congaree is so much more than that week. McMasters wife Peggy had seen the film and wanted to see the set come to life. The founders of Congaree - Dan Friedkin and the late Bob McNair - set out to create a new philanthropic model that unites ambassador-members with a shared purpose to positively impact the lives of young people, locally and around the globe, by providing educational and vocational opportunities through the game of golf. While No. Participants get access to elite instructors and high-quality facilities, and the CGGI requires students to attend class sessions with academic consultants, explaining the college admissions process. Thats big, but thats not the sole purpose of this story or the club. The course also ranked 30th on Golf Weeks list of the best modern courses for all layouts opened in or after 1960 in the United States. In addition to the leadership positions he holds within the business community, Dan remains highly active in wildlife conservation initiatives and various aviation and education philanthropies. A PGA Class A Professional, Ben has a Professional Golf Management degree from Clemson University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Since the clubs opening in 2017, the CGGI has identified aspiring golfers each year with the talent but not necessarily the resources for college golf. Friedkin, 52, is an active conservationist a trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Society, chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and head of a charitable fund established to conserve millions of protected acres in Tanzania. Inspired by European links courses built on sand, Fazio saw the bones of a compact course in Congaree. The course is often described as a heathland style course and is inspired by the sandbelt region golf courses of Australia. The quaint, two-room school house was fully restored (complete with a working bell in the steeple) and will remain just that, a future home for kids both local and international. Through the Global Golf Initiative at Congaree, Friedkin wants to identify 40 high school students each year from around the world who have demonstrated a commitment to education and personal development, and who also might be good enough to play golf in college but dont have the financial wherewithal, parental support or knowledge to locate the right opportunities and navigate the various hurdles. They had a vision for more than just 18 great golf holes designed by Tom Fazio, so they established the clubs charitable arm, the Congaree Foundation, which is headlined by the Congaree Global Golf Initiative. The fairways arent the only place where the balls will run; the greens are fast, challenging and roll true as a pool table. The initiative operates a camp each summer for selected high school students from around the world, instructing them in golf, academics and life skills and aiding in obtaining academic and athletic . He also founded a next-generation entertainment studio which is producing major film and television projects, and is chairman of a company that owns and operates a portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts (including the landmark Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado, that he bought for a reported $70 million). They werent prepared for the reaction they got: tears of joy. Friedkin and McNairs aspirations were for Fazio to build a course unlike many of the overly lush designs favored throughout the U.S. today. I write about businesses, news and destinations in the golf world. It is a fairly new golf course when compared to others in the country. Davidson and McNeely were both involved in building the club and its programs with Friedkin and McNair. It was August in Baltimore, high humidity, 98 degrees, you had three inches of rain the week of the tournament, so it played soft, Fazio said of the 2021 BMW. Almost every single one of our Congaree Kids has earned a college scholarship, with many of them playing golf at the collegiate level. Some members of the inaugural Congaree Global Golf Initiative (CGGI) program in 2017 have now graduated college (playing competitive golf along the way) and turned their opportunity into something much bigger. Dan Friedkin is the chairman of The Friedkin group, which is a consortium of businesses that operates in the luxury hospitality, automotive, entertainment, and golf industries. To be sure, this isnt a local country club where you set up a usual Saturday morning tee time. The club wants golf to be a vehicle for the kids in the foundations program to use as a tool to get into college. The tournament was launched as Korea's first official PGA Tour tournament in 2017 and was . Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, South Carolina native, and one of Congaree Golf Club's pro ambassadors, also spoke at the event. [4], With the 2021 RBC Canadian Open's cancellation due to logistical challenges related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Congaree was selected to host that week's PGA Tour event. Among the ambassadors is three-time PGA Tour winner and 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas. The Minnesota native graduated with a journalism degree from Minnesota State University in Mankato. Its been a lot of work. clubhouse and several of the propertys old live oaks. Congaree helped usher in a new membership model in the world of high-end private clubs, with a philanthropic purpose and a network of invited ambassadors committed to providing educational, vocational and golf opportunities to underprivileged and deserving youth. Upon entering, a serene drive under arching live oaks leads you to a village of historic white buildings, some which have existed on the former rice plantation since the 1800s; this includes the Roberts Cottage, where actress Julia Roberts stayed while starring in the 1995 movie Something to Talk About, which was filmed at the Congaree estate. Soon after one summer session ends, planning for the next begins. We always knew that we wanted to create a golf course for the ages, says McNeely, whose extensive list of prominent club experience includes working under Masters champion Claude Harmon at Winged Foot in New York. McNair graduated from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Oct 2018 - May 20198 months. There are also no cart paths, as Congaree is a walking property. The schoolhouse, clubhouse and overnight lodging accommodations are all among the new buildings or fully renovated buildings rubbing shoulders with the old, maintained ones. He and his wife Janice have been residents of Houston since 1960. There are no tee times. At the turn, a small white shack offers complimentary refreshments, signature meat pies, and every type of snack food or candy you could imagine. get a degree, get a degree. I write about businesses, news and destinations in the golf world. How A New Golf Course Will Help Sustain A New Orleans Community, 12 Years After Hurricane Katrina, The Baddest Nine Holes In Golf Has PXG Ties And A $1,000 Offer To Break Par, Kukuiula: Kauais Most Luxurious Club Is Home To The Garden Isles Lone Private Golf Course, Mossy Oak, aka Natures Golf, Is Gil Hanses Mississippi Masterpiece, Jamaicas Golf Scene Is On Par With The Islands Great Food, Music And Beaches, Quivira Might Be Mexicos Pebble Beach, With 18 More Holes Of Great Golf On The Way. . She is a member of the United Way Womens Initiative of Greater Houston, served on the Board of Make-A-Wish Foundation Gulf Coast and Louisiana Chapter from 2016-2019, and is an active member of the Bayou City Chapter of the National Charity League. The ambassador members of the course are likeminded individuals who are invited to be members of the club. Anybody can come by, anybody that needs some help. Who Are Members At Congaree? 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