Florida's First Coast of Golf

     The European Tour’s Danny Denison seems to be channeling Ben Hogan.  Like the all-time great, Denison suffered a career-threatening injury in 2007 when he broke both his legs in a car crash shortly after competing in The 2007 Open Championship.  He spent nearly two years on the sidelines and after rehabilitation returned to competitive golf in 2009.  He has continued his improvement and this year won the ECCO Tour Championship on the European Tour.

     Denison is visting Florida’s First Coast of Golf’s territory this November when he will play in the Second Annual Sam Mills Invitation on Monday, November 14 at the River Ben Golf Links in Green Cove Springs.  Its a two-man scramble with an entry fee of $40 per person. 

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For Immediate Release

Florida’s First Coast of Golf Adds New Partners;
  Offers Visitors One-Stop Shopping for Golf Vacations
 

                Jacksonville, FL (October 12, 2011) — Florida’s First Coast of Golf, the nonprofit travel destination marketing company that serves Northeast Florida, has added several business partners to make vacation planning even more complete.  Joining the FFCG family is the Anne Cain Golf Academy on Amelia Island, FL; One Ocean Resort & Spa in Atlantic Beach, FL; and Palm Harbor Golf Club at Palm Coast, FL.  There are now a total of four golf schools, 18 accommodations and 27 golf courses that are part of the association said David Reese, President of Florida’s First Coast of Golf.

                “We’re pleased to add these members to our team,” said Reese.  “Florida’s First Coast of Golf is the one-stop destination for vacationers looking for any type of golf experience.  We have everything from luxury resorts and condominiums to budget hotels, PGA Tour caliber courses to courses for beginners, and golf schools to help anyone become a better player.”

                The Anne Cain Golf Academy is located at the Golf Club of Amelia Island near the Summer Beach Resort and Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.  Anne began playing golf competitively at age 13, was one of the top three female juniors in the U.S., earned All-American honors at the University of Georgia and turned pro in 1991, winning twice. Her programs are based on golfing fundamentals combined with the instant feedback of unique video technology. 

                Anne Cain has been named one of the Top 20 Teachers under 40 by Golf Digest and one of the Top 100 Teachers in America by Golf Magazine.  She has also been nominated by her peers as LPGA Teacher of the Year three times.

                The One Ocean Resort & Spa on the ocean in Atlantic Beach, FL combines luxury with the unique.  Its 193 rooms and stylish suites feature floor to ceiling views of the Atlantic Ocean.  All guestrooms are outfitted with personalized refreshment cabinets, iPod docking station and 42-inch LCD TVs.

                A personal Docent will greet you by name and escort you to your room.  The Docents can take care of every need from packing to providing insider tips on restaurants and shopping to enrolling children in Sea Turtle Kids Club.

                On-site is Azurea, the One Ocean Resort & Spa signature restaurant.  Located on the beach, it provides an elegant, artfully inspired atmosphere with an ocean view from any seat.

                Finally, after a tough day on the golf course, a visit to the Spa at One Ocean can make your day complete.  The spa offers more than 40 marine-inspired rituals including unique massages styles, body wraps, peels, facials and more.

                Palm Harbor Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 72 golf course located in Palm Coast, FL.  It offers the player sloped fairways, strategic bunkering, natural water features, and generous greens.  The course was completely renovated in 2009 by the Clifton Ezell Clifton Design team.  Beautiful oak trees grace the property and have been preserved to provide natural beauty and charm to the setting.  Palm Harbor is the perfect course for a challenging experience in a lush Florida setting.

                There’s never been a better time to book a vacation through Florida’s First Coast of Golf.  The website lists special offers, unique packages and provides a toll-free number (1-800-530-5248) to talk to a travel agent.  There are plans that fit all types of budgets and levels of golf playing ability.

                To learn more about all the options at Florida’s First Coast of Golf, visit www.florida-golf.org , find us on Facebook (Florida’s First Coast of Golf) or Twitter (fl1stcoastgolf).

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Media Contact:

Amy Rankin

904-380-4292 or 904-334-6574

arankin@smag.com

Young Rory McIlroy certainly wowed the golf world with his record-breaking U.S. Open victory on Sunday.  He’s been playing golf since he was a very young child and certainly had the benefit of good instruction.  There are a lot of “young guns” out on the PGA Tour now - Jason Day and Rickie Fowler - certainly fill that category. 

Youth instruction and competition are important to the game of golf.  Many of our communities are struggling with dollars for sports education and the home of Florida’s First Coast of Golf, Jacksonville, is among them.  This year, because of budget cuts by the state, the Duval County Public Schools are cutting several sports from their high school programs.  Golf is among the ones facing the cut. 

The golf world is a generous one, though, and the North Florida Junior Golf Foundation has promised to raise $70,000 by August 1st to keep golf in the schools.  The North Florida Junior Golf Foundation is hosting the “Fore Our Students” golf tournament at Jacksonville Golf & Country Club on July 18 to help raise some of the funds.

So if you love the game, want to help some young Rory McIlroy reach his potential, and want to play some golf, this is the deal for you.

Florida’s First Coast of Golf (FFCG) is ramping up its international sales efforts by partnering with Elite Golf Experiences (EGE).  EGE will function as a marketing and receptive operator for tour operators in Europe, South America and Asia who wish to arrange golf travel for their clients.  The company is based in Palm Coast, Fl and Graz, Austria. 

EGE will develop specific theme packages for different market segments, preselect and prequalify tour operators with the most potential for FFCG, develop a sales kit for golf tour operators, run online destination training for golf tour operators and produce international marketing materials such as newsletters.

FFCG has already made some inroads in the Chinese market through the help of EGE.  For the past three years, the area has hosted a Chinese travel group that has played THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and stayed in area hotels such as the Marriott at Sawgrass Resort and downtown Crowne Plaza.

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