Vincent Publishing - Index

Vincent Publishing - 2008 Wachovia Championship - Index

,
Hunters plodded along behind bird dogs
in the valley where there is now a big
man-made lake and up on the hillsides
where mansions of the rich now look
down.
Today, almost half a century later, it is Quail Hollow
Club, one of the Carolinas’ most highly regarded golf
and social facilities and site of the annual Wachovia
Championship, one of the PGA TOUR’s featured
tournaments.
Most of the world’s best golfers have played here in
the past 38 years, ranging from Arnold Palmer to
Tiger Woods, this year’s defending champion. And it
all began because Jimmy Harris, who owned the farm
land along with wife Angelia, didn’t like having to
scramble for a tee time.
Harris was a member at Charlotte Country Club but
with the membership rolls always jammed full, that
didn’t guarantee him a tee time. He saw a need for
another club, not only for his personal convenience
but also because Charlotte was growing in population
and newcomers were having difficulty finding a club
they could join.
Harris tried to coax Charlotte Country Club members
to purchase enough of his land to build two new
courses while keeping the course they had, but
Charlotte members couldn’t agree. Harris withdrew
the offer and said to his friend and attorney Irvin
Boyle, “Let’s build our own golf course.”
Thought was given to making it a course for men
only but Angelia Harris dissuaded Jimmy of that
idea.
For the first few years, Quail Hollow was, as the late
former mayor John Belk once put it, “an open field
and a golf course.” Eventually, a tree-planting program
took root. The original clubhouse was so modest,
it was little more than a place to change your
shoes. People brought their own alcohol and sometimes
sat out under the trees to drink their cocktails.
2008 Wachovia Championship Official Event Program 89