Cedarbrook Golf Course

Great Golf, Good Wine and Thelma Lou

Some places are closer to heaven than others.

Take the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina, for instance. Throw in a few wineries, some great restaurants and three terrific golf courses, and you’ve got nights and days to remember.

And being able to spend a couple of hours with Thelma Lou is just icing on the cake.

For a first-time visitor to the area, it’s a revelation. Located in Surry County, just a few miles from Winston-Salem and near the Virginia border, the scenery is breathtaking, the golf is memorable, and the wine and food are tantalizing.

That’s why Chris Knopf, tourism director for Surry County, has dubbed a new promotional package to the area “Fairways and Chardonnays.”

For golfers, there are three top-notch experiences in the package. Cedarbrook Country Club is an Ellis Maples design that delights and challenges both the serious and the recreational golfer. Pilot Knob Park, located near the base of Pilot Mountain, has recently undergone a renovation that includes switching its greens from bent to zoysia and offers views to kill for. And Cross Creek, a layout designed by Carolinas Hall of Fame architect Gene Hamm, provides a tenacious and tantalizing experience that leaves golfers wanting more.

Our package opened with a visit to Cedarbrook, where head professional Zim Zimmerman is rightfully proud of the Maples tradition his course features.

“This is a great layout,” Zimmerman said, “a true championship layout that doesn’t have a lot of houses on it. This course is still a thing of beauty and that’s the way we want to keep it. We’re fortunate to have an Ellis Maples course here and that he gave the greens some of the characteristics of his mentor, Donald Ross.”

Many of the greens are elevated and slope downward from back to front, Ross-style

Pilot Knob is a par-70 course that plays to only 6,225 yards from the back tees, but it’s a challenge, although it offers generous landing areas for tee shots.

“Our course is always in great condition,” said director of golf Tom Gibson, who points out that nearby Pilot Mountain is a visual selling point for his course. “When people come for a visit, the knob catches their eye.”

Cross Creek has benefited greatly from the Spence renovation and can also be a bear from the back tees, which play to 6,900 yards. Golfers beware if you’re coming into the closing holes hoping to protect a good score.

Bulletin Board: Midget FB registration begins Saturday | YourPlum.com

Gateway Midget Football and Cheerleading Association 2011 registration will be Saturday and June 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, at the Monroeville Municipal Building, 2700 Monroeville Blvd.

Registration fees for ages 12 and 13 are $110 for a first-year player or $65 for a second consecutive year.

The registration fee for ages 7 to 11 is $155, while the fee for ages 5 and 6 is $125.

Each registration fee includes the $65 mandatory Lucky Lotto fundraising fee.

For more information, visit www.gmfca.com .

Golf tournaments

Keystone's Premier Golf Association junior golf tournaments are in their 20th year.  

The tournaments are open to boys and girls from ages 12 to 21. There are three age divisions — 12-14, 15-17, and 18-21.  

The local tournaments will be played at Buffalo Golf Course, Butler's Golf Course, Cedarbrook Golf Course, Murrysville Golf Club, Glengarry Golf Links, Pittsburgh North Golf Course and Cherry Creek Golf Course. The cost is $25. 

Tournament play begins Tuesday at Buffalo Golf Course in Sarver. 

For more information, call 724-468-8850 or visit www.kpga.com .

Golf outing

A golf outing, with proceeds to benefit Gateway hockey, will be Saturday at Murrysville Golf Course.

The event is set to begin at 9 a.m.

The cost is $75 per person or $300 per foursome, and the day includes 18 holes of golf with cart, food, beverages and prizes.

For more information or to register, contact Steve Biancaniello at 412-901-8191 or sbiancaniello@comcast.net or Chris Masters at 412-400-6160 or c hris3824@msn.com .

Hockey signups

The Gateway Hockey Club continues to take registrations for the upcoming 2011-12 season.  

Student-athletes entering sixth through 12th grades are eligible to play.  

Anyone interested in playing for Gateway this season or needing more information regarding the development programs should email Stewart Hamilton at shamilton@arrow.

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