Phil Mickelson's First New Company Course Set For North Carolina
http://www.golftribune.com/articles/12/1/Phil-Mickelson039s-First-New-Company-Course-Set-For-North-Carolina/Page1.html
James Raia
By James Raia
Published on 09/18/2007
Phil Mickelson's first project with his deisgn company, River Rock Golf Club in Cahiers, N.C., will debut in 2010.
Weaving delicately along the natural contours of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the River Rock layout that is to debut in 2010 combines panoramic vistas, meandering streams and lush forests into a thrilling experience.
"My commitment to golf is to creating the highest quality courses that are challenging, engaging and always provide a truly enjoyable experience each time they are played,” said Mickelson.
Weaving delicately along the natural contours of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the River Rock layout that is to debut in 2010 combines panoramic vistas, meandering streams and lush forests into a thrilling experience.
"My commitment to golf is to creating the highest quality courses that are challenging, engaging and always provide a truly enjoyable experience each time they are played,” said Mickelson.
Phil Mickelson's first project with his deisgn company, River Rock Golf Club in Cahiers, N.C., will debut in 2010.
Weaving delicately along the natural contours of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the River Rock layout that is to debut in 2010 combines panoramic vistas, meandering streams and lush forests into a thrilling experience.
"My commitment to golf is to creating the highest quality courses that are challenging, engaging and always provide a truly enjoyable experience each time they are played,” said Mickelson.
"To do that, you need to find the most beautiful landscapes available, and develop dream destinations for golfers from around the world. We’ve done that in the mountains of North Carolina."
Still in the design phase, the unique characteristics throughout the River Rock course are to appear in many forms:
* The first tee is only a few steps from the back door of the majestic clubhouse, creating a “center stage” feel to the start of each round.
* The second hole is a 305-yard, par 3 from the back tees, with a 65-foot drop to a green that sits on a knoll with 180-degree views of the mountains.
* The 343-yard third hole is a drivable par 4. The 270-yard carry over a stream and ravine is helped considerably by the 104-foot drop from tee to green.
* The 15th and fourth fairways cross one another, a feature rare to American golf courses that adds intrigue to the experience.
A par 72 with a variety of challenges, River Rock will measure approximately 7,100 yards at its championship maximum. Six of the 18 holes will play uphill on a site that lies from 2,250 to 4,250 feet above sea level. That creates a dramatic contrast that ranges from a 114-foot descent on the fourth hole to an uphill of climb of 74 feet on the 11th hole.
River Rock encompasses close to 4,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains on The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau of North Carolina, where the private course is to be a signature element of an amenity-rich, luxury planned community.
Mickelson, who launched Phil Mickelson Design in January of 2007, incorporates “redan style” green complexes and sharply sloped fairways throughout River Rock.
Although River Rock is the first project of Phil Mickelson Design, Mickelson is no stranger to golf course architecture. The Lower Course at Whisper Rock, a desert-style design in Scottsdale, Ariz., which opened in 2001 is his debut course.
The River Rock clubhouse is scheduled to open in 2009. The River Rock course is to be accompanied by a 22-hole instructional short course, called King’s Grant, designed by Mickelson’s long-time swing consultant Rick Smith. King's Grant also is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.
Owned and operated by Legasus of North Carolina, LLC, River Rock is 75 minutes from Asheville about three hours from Charlotte, Atlanta and Knoxville.
Weaving delicately along the natural contours of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the River Rock layout that is to debut in 2010 combines panoramic vistas, meandering streams and lush forests into a thrilling experience.
"My commitment to golf is to creating the highest quality courses that are challenging, engaging and always provide a truly enjoyable experience each time they are played,” said Mickelson.
"To do that, you need to find the most beautiful landscapes available, and develop dream destinations for golfers from around the world. We’ve done that in the mountains of North Carolina."
Still in the design phase, the unique characteristics throughout the River Rock course are to appear in many forms:
* The first tee is only a few steps from the back door of the majestic clubhouse, creating a “center stage” feel to the start of each round.
* The second hole is a 305-yard, par 3 from the back tees, with a 65-foot drop to a green that sits on a knoll with 180-degree views of the mountains.
* The 343-yard third hole is a drivable par 4. The 270-yard carry over a stream and ravine is helped considerably by the 104-foot drop from tee to green.
* The 15th and fourth fairways cross one another, a feature rare to American golf courses that adds intrigue to the experience.
A par 72 with a variety of challenges, River Rock will measure approximately 7,100 yards at its championship maximum. Six of the 18 holes will play uphill on a site that lies from 2,250 to 4,250 feet above sea level. That creates a dramatic contrast that ranges from a 114-foot descent on the fourth hole to an uphill of climb of 74 feet on the 11th hole.
River Rock encompasses close to 4,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains on The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau of North Carolina, where the private course is to be a signature element of an amenity-rich, luxury planned community.
Mickelson, who launched Phil Mickelson Design in January of 2007, incorporates “redan style” green complexes and sharply sloped fairways throughout River Rock.
Although River Rock is the first project of Phil Mickelson Design, Mickelson is no stranger to golf course architecture. The Lower Course at Whisper Rock, a desert-style design in Scottsdale, Ariz., which opened in 2001 is his debut course.
The River Rock clubhouse is scheduled to open in 2009. The River Rock course is to be accompanied by a 22-hole instructional short course, called King’s Grant, designed by Mickelson’s long-time swing consultant Rick Smith. King's Grant also is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.
Owned and operated by Legasus of North Carolina, LLC, River Rock is 75 minutes from Asheville about three hours from Charlotte, Atlanta and Knoxville.