Raleigh, N.C.-based McConnell Golf has acquired Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn, its first course in outside of the Carolinas. McConnell Golf purchased the course from the members, closing the deal on Dec. 31, 2015. An acquisition price was not disclosed.
Holston Hills, which features a 1927 Donald Ross-designed golf course, is the 11th golf club in McConnell Golf’s portfolio.
“Holston Hills is the fourth McConnell Golf course designed by Donald Ross,” McConnell Golf Chief Operating Officer Christian Anastasiadis said. “We are particularly excited to be part of the Knoxville community. We look forward to offering in Tennessee what we have provided at some of the finest private clubs in the Carolinas.”
Located just east of Knoxville, the course is near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains on 180 open acres of rolling old farmland near the Holston River. Holston Hills has hosted many events and tournaments including a PGA Tour event, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, the NCAA Championship in 1955 and 1965, three Tennessee State Opens and eight Tennessee State Amateur Championships.
Ross’s layout is a broad, fan-shaped course with both nines returning to the clubhouse that sits on an upslope along the north side of the property. Holston Hills features more than 100 bunkers, with very few houses or other visual distractions taking away from the links-style playing experience.
Founded in 2003, McConnell Golf’s portfolio of clubs in North Carolina includes Raleigh Country Club and TPC at Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, Sedgefield Country Club Ross Course and Dye Course in Greensboro, Old North State Club in New London, Treyburn Country Club in Durham, Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville and The Country Club of Asheville.
In South Carolina, McConnell Golf owns The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island and Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton. McConnell Golf also manages the Grande Dunes Members Course and Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach.
The McConnell Golf portfolio incudes courses designed by famed golf architects including Ross, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Ellis Maples, Greg Norman and Hale Irwin.
McConnell Golf has recently added two new national memberships to its attractive menu of affordable, cutting-edge offerings.
“McConnell Golf is focused on bringing value back to the private club experience,”Anastasiadis said. “We pride ourselves on being the market’s best private club value.”