FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — When two of Canada's most acclaimed golf and travel writers visited North Carolina recently, there were a few golf courses they obviously had to play and a few places they had to visit: the No. 2 course at the fabled Pinehurst Resort, the new Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University in Raleigh, and Finley Golf Course at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to name a few at the top of the list.

Yet, when it came time to list the best golf experience of their Tar Heel excursion, the Canadian scribes selected Anderson Creek near Fayetteville, N.C. And little wonder why. Anderson Creek is Davis Love III's first signature course in his native North Carolina, and Love's outstanding design was the winner of the "Best New Course in North Carolina" award for 2001 - edging out the Arnold Palmer-designed Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh. This traditional layout reflects all that is great about golf in the renowned Sandhills - rolling emerald fairways lined with longleaf pines, natural areas highlighted with love grass and perfectly manicured course conditions. The greens feature large roll-off areas and significant undulations that offer a glimpse into the classic Donald Ross architecture seen throughout the region.

Anderson Creek was selected recently as one of a trio of Fayetteville golf courses named among "America's Best" by Golf World magazine readers, an assessment of the overall golf experience: Its final considerations exploring 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.

Also on the Golf World list was Bayonet at Puppy Creek, a Willard Byrd design sculpted through the rolling hills surrounding Puppy Creek. With five sets of tees, this championship course has been created for golfers of all skill levels. Bayonet also offers the region's largest and best conditioned practice area, including a 20-acre golf practice facility featuring 10 target greens and a short-game area.

Fayetteville also boasts the original home to the Floyd family (the brother and sister tandem of Raymond and Marlene) called Cypress Lakes, which challenges and delights the most avid golfers with championship-caliber greens and prime playing conditions nurtured over the past decade. Stretching from 5,800 to 7,000 yards, Cypress Lakes is an extremely fair course to play with no blind shots to the greens.

Meanwhile, just down I-95 in nearby Lumberton, Pinecrest Country Club is a 1940 Donald Ross design that has stood the test of time, featuring 6,578 yards of superb golf from the longest tees for a par of 72.

Anderson Creek readies itself for Fayetteville-area influx

The Department of Defense's BRAC realignment plan may not make everyone happy, but it has translated into a real estate boon around Fayetteville, home of Fort Bragg, one of the U.S. Army's largest bases. As proud home of the 82nd Airborne, Fayetteville is America's first name in defense. This is truly a city that knows what it means to be ready at a moment's notice.

No development has benefited more from the military realignment than Anderson Creek, a cutting-edge golf and real estate development located 10 minutes north of Fort Bragg. Last March, the Anderson Creek development team completed the first of four buildings that will comprise the "Inn at Anderson Creek," designed to accommodate not only residents and their guests, but also guests of the golf course.

The quartet of buildings that will eventually comprise the Inn at Anderson Creek features a total of 48 suite units, and will be managed by the same team that manages renowned Jekyll Island (Ga.).

The BRAC 2005 process (BRAC is an acronym for "base realignment and closure") is intended by the Department of Defense to help find innovative ways to consolidate, realign, or find alternative uses for current facilities to ensure that the United States continues to field the best-prepared and best-equipped military in the world.