ARLINGTON, Texas -- The two Jeffrey D. Brauer-designed golf courses at Sand Creek Station in Kansas and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in Minnesota have garnered mention on the 2010 GolfWorld magazine Readers' Choice Awards, which recognizes courses' overall golf experience.
Sand Creek Station was listed as the No 8 course in the nation on the ranking of public courses while The Wilderness at Fortune Bay earned a spot at No. 23 on the list of resort courses.
GolfWorld's Readers' Choice Awards, released Sept. 23, are more than just another ranking of courses - they are an assessment of the overall golf experience. It explores all the variables - from the quality and condition of the course, to the amenities being offered, to the overall value provided to the golfer - that make a golf facility an enjoyable place to play our favorite game.
"In many ways I like my clients to get the Readers' Choice Awards more than I like awards from the 'intelligentsia' of golf design," said Brauer, who is the principal of Arlington, Texas-based GolfScapes, Inc. "What really matters is whether the vast majority of golfers like the course, not whether it could host a U.S. Open."
Sand Creek Station, located in Newton, Kansas near Wichita, opened in 2006 and is a links-style, 18-hole municipal track and several unique features - including an active railway running through the course, Sand Creek bordering four holes and 11 ponds. A wooden cart bridge spans Sand Creek and a concrete underpass allows carts to travel under the BNSF railroad tracks.
Sand Creek Station has earned continuing acclaim. The course was ranked 29th best public course in the nation this year by Golfweek magazine and was also voted by Golf Magazine as a "Top 10 New Courses You Can Play" for 2006. In February 2009 Sand Creek Station was recognized by the National Golf Foundation as having the highest approval rating in 2008 in its Seventh-Annual Customer Loyalty Awards.
The par-72 course spans 7,357 yards from its back tees and incorporates the property's native grasses. The course is currently seeking to hold the national USGA Publinx championship and Brauer is now expanding the practice areas to host the competition. For more information, visit www.sandcreekgolfclub.com.
The kudos for Brauer's work at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay carries on a history of great notices for the course. Located in Tower, Minn., The Wilderness at Fortune Bay plays along high granite ridges just hours north of the Twin Cities, and offers spectacular panoramic views from the shores of Lake Vermilion. Wrapped around picturesque Minnesota woodlands - which include majestic white and red pines, thick evergreens and dramatic rock outcroppings - the challenging course is as visually stimulating as it is enjoyable to play.
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay has received several recognitions from the industry's top publications. Golf Magazine named the track as one of the "Best New Courses to Play," and Travel & Leisure Golf recognized The Wilderness at Fortune Bay as a "2004 Best New Public/Resort Courses." And more recently Golfweek added the course to its Top 40 list.
"This award is more significant than others because it comes from the readers who come and experience what we have to offer," said Tom Beaudry, general manager at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay. "Our high marks in course quality and condition and off-course activities and amenities underscore what a great job our grounds crew does and the excellent amenities offered by Fortune Bay Resort Casino."
Opened for play in 2004, The Wilderness at Fortune Bay plays to a par of 72 and at 7,207 yards from its back tees and is a long hitter's dream, while also catering to golfers of all skill levels by offering four additional sets of tees. For more information, visit www.golfthewilderness.com.
Three other Brauer-designed golf courses received honorable mention on the GolfWorld Readers' Choice Awards list. Giants Ridge's Quarry course in Biwabik, Minn. and Wild Wing Plantation's Avocet course In Conway, S.C were mentioned in the resort category while The Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, TX was listed in the public course category.
About Jeffrey D. Brauer and GolfScapes, Inc.
Jeffrey D. Brauer knows golf and the courses which make golf great. Now in his 25th year of private practice, and with 32 years in the business of fashioning golf courses overall, Brauer's work - from his 36-hole masterpiece at the Giants Ridge Golf Club in Minnesota to the Avocet Course at Wild Wing Plantation in South Carolina to the sublime Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine - speaks to his knowledge of expert design and ability to use of the land to make each course distinct.
Brauer began his career in the Chicago area; his first project was Kemper Lakes Golf Course, site of the 1989 US PGA Championship. In 1984, he formed his own company - GolfScapes, Inc. - and moved to Arlington, Texas, where he has developed a national portfolio of both new course and renovation projects. Brauer has been commended for his work in such publications as Golf Magazine, Golf World and Golf Digest. He is currently working on a handful of projects around the United States.
A member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1980, Brauer served as president of that organization during its milestone 50th anniversary year in 1995-1996. As that role, he spearheaded the development of the USGA's Environmental Principals of Golf. The book, Golf Has Never Failed Me by Donald Ross, is a result of Brauer's efforts to produce a commemorative work for the 50th anniversary of the ASGCA.
Brauer's completed projects, both individually and in conjunction with some of the world's top designers, include:
The Legends at Giants Ridge (Biwabik, MN)
The Quarry at Giants Ridge (Biwabik, MN)
The Wilderness at Fortune Bay (Tower, MN)
Sand Creek Station Golf Course (Newton, KS)
Colbert Hills Golf Course (Manhattan, KS)
Cowboys Golf Club (Grapevine, TX)
Tangle Ridge Golf Club (Grand Prairie, TX)
Indian Creek Golf Course (Carrollton, TX)
The Wilderness (Lake Jackson, TX)
The Bridges of Preston Crossings Golf Club (Gunter, TX)
Ridgeview Ranch Golf Course (Plano, TX)
Squaw Valley Golf Club, Apache Links (Glen Rose, TX)
Whitestone Golf Club (Benbrook, TX)
Black Bear Golf Club (Parker, CO)
Wild Wing Plantation, Avocet Course (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Holiday Hills Golf Club (Branson, MO)
Champions Run (Omaha, NE)
Highlands Golf Course (Lincoln, NE)
Links at Sierra Blanca (Ruidoso, NM)
Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Nashville, TN)
Media Contact:
Steve Habel
512-535-6120 (direct)
512-699-2133 (cell)
stevehabel@hotmail.com
golfscapesmedia@aol.com
