Golf Club of Georgia

A little publicity for my club...

Oct. 24, 2006

MATTESON’S GREAT PLAY ENHANCES GOLF CLUB OF
GEORGIA REPUTATION

Established 1990

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- The Golf Club of Georgia is known for its two Arthur Hills-designed championship courses, impeccable conditioning and first-class service. These days, however, the Club is gathering attention for its quality of golf and the golfers who play there.

Understandably, it’s a great source of pride for the members who call The Golf Club of Georgia their home. The latest evidence comes from PGA Tour rookie Troy Matteson, one of The Golf Club of Georgia’s Invitational Members and a former NCAA champion from Georgia Tech. Clearly, Matteson has been the hottest player on the PGA Tour over the past month, winning at Las Vegas in the Frys.com Open Oct. 15, then tying for second Sunday in the Funai Classic at Disney World to stand 42nd on the PGA Tour money list with $1,630,197.

A month ago, before a swing session with long-time teacher Jeff Paton, The Golf Club of Georgia’s Director of Golf, Matteson was struggling to keep his PGA Tour card. Now he’s two spots on the money list from an invitation to the 2007 Masters.

“It was life-changing, life-altering,” Matteson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "You play good and you start to believe you belong. The PGA Tour is a tough place when you’re a young guy. There are so many great players out here, so many great winners. When you win, you start to feel a little bit like you fit in.”

Paton also teaches former U.S. Amateur Champion Matt Kuchar, a 2006 Nationwide Tour winner in position to return to the PGA Tour in 2007. Additionally, The Golf Club of Georgia’s competitive history was enhanced this past April with the inaugural United States Collegiate Championship, which already is being called “the Masters of college golf” and will feature 15 teams in a 54-hole tournament April 9-11, 2007.

Since 1996 The Golf Club of Georgia has served as the home course for the Georgia Tech, which was named in 2005 by Golf World magazine as the nation’s top college golf program.

The Golf Club of Georgia’s competitive history began in the mid-1990’s with five years of hosting the Senior Tour’s Nationwide Championship, won twice by Hale Irwin. It grew in 1998 with the first Georgia Cup Match between the reigning United States and British Amateur champions, as Kuchar defeated Craig Watson of England. Georgia Cup Champions in later years have included David Gossett, Sergio Garcia and Ryan Moore. On March 28, 2007, the Club will host its 10th Anniversary Georgia Cup Match between U.S. Amateur Champion Richie Ramsay of Scotland and British Amateur Champion Julien Guerrier of France.

The Amateur Champions spend the week as guests of The Golf Club of Georgia and become honorary lifetime members. The Golf Club of Georgia’s course conditions are so superb that last spring both Brian McElhinney of Ireland, the British Amateur Champion, and U.S., Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari of Italy felt the greens were even faster than at Augusta National during the Masters. “The courses are fabulous,” McElhinney said. “It’s just a fabulous place to play golf.”

Among The Golf Club of Georgia’s notable members are Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz, former NBA star Brad Daugherty and former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro guard Bill Fralic, who served three terms as club president.

The Golf Club of Georgia was selected in 1991 by Golf Digest as “Best New Private Course in America.”

For more information, contact:
Glenn Sheeley
Director of Communications; Business Development
The Golf Club of Georgia
One Golf Club Drive
Alpharetta, Ga. 30005

O-770-772-8167
C-404-281-4152
e-mail to: gsheeley@golfclubofgeorgia.com