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GOLF Magazine Names The Ford Field & River Club One of Georgia’s Best Golf Courses

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Pete Dye’s Richmond Hill golf course ranked in the company of Augusta National

In a year when a day of golf has been one of the few safe respites from quarantine, The Ford Field & River Club, home to the golf course Pete Dye proudly proclaimed to be his “finest Southern links,” has been named one of GOLF Magazine’s top courses in Georgia in its 2020 – 2021 bi-annual rankings. Of 416 courses in Georgia, The Ford Field & River Club was ranked the 15th  best course in the state, alongside prestigious companies including the world-famous Augusta National.

Accolades for golfing at The Ford Field & River Club 

In 2014, The Ford Field & River Club Golf Course underwent a $7.5 million renovation with Pete Dye’s direct involvement and has since received numerous accolades and continuous high praise from renowned golf publications and club associations, including the following:

  • “Best Modern Courses (1960–present),” Golfweek
  • “Best Golf Courses in Georgia,” Golf Digest
  • “Top 100 Residential Courses,” Golfweek
  • The Host of the Georgia PGA Open
  • Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 200 Residential Golf Courses in the U.S.

Additionally, The Ford Field & River Club received certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP). This international program is administered by Audubon International and is designed to help landowners preserve and enhance the environmental quality of their property. 

How GOLF ranks the best courses in America

According to GOLF, the ranking process is as follows: For the newly released 2020-21 U.S. list, panelists were provided a list of 489 courses across the country. Next to that list of courses were 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If panelists considered a course to be among the top three in the country, they ticked that box. If they believed the course to be among Nos. 4-10 in the U.S., they checked that box, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and so on. Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot (fewer than a handful of such additions in the U.S. vote).

Points were assigned to each bucket to arrive at an average score for each course. Then, each course’s aggregate score was divided by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses were then ranked accordingly. The process is an intentionally simple and straightforward one. Why? Because it invariably produces results that are widely lauded. Like the game itself, GOLF believes there’s no need to unnecessarily overcomplicate things.

What makes The Ford Field & River Club Golf Course so special?

The Ford Field & River Club Golf Course is well-known for Pete Dye’s signature long, scenic views and flexible play for golfers of all levels. The course was built with member play in mind, making it a joy to play for average and experienced golfers alike. Ladies will appreciate the attention given to the placement of the women’s tees, which typically eliminate the need to carry water or larger hazards. This, too, is often the case with Pete Dye courses, as Mrs. Dye was herself an avid golfer and greatly influenced the way Mr. Dye’s designs played for female players. And best of all, Ford members never need a tee time to hit the links.

This is not to say that The Ford Field & River Club Golf Course is without its challenges. On the contrary, each hole sports seven sets of tees: Black, Gold, Blue, Modified, White, Red, and even Family Tees which can make the course play anywhere from 7,443 yards from the Black to 5,002 yards from the Reds. The placement of each tee box adds both distance and difficulty to each hole, often bringing additional hazards into play.

GOLF is the definitive voice of the sport on and off the course, dedicated to enhancing every golfer’s enjoyment of the game – making this award a true honor for The Ford Field & River Club.

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Uncommon Living Redefined

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What is Uncommon Living?

Life at The Ford Field & River Club is far from ordinary. It is not only the world-class staff, exceptional beauty of the Georgia Lowcountry, top-rated golf course, immaculate real estate, and unrivaled quality of amenities that make our community so special – but the familiar faces and places of The Ford Field & River Club that make life here so unique.

Our majestic waterfront location once captivated automobile magnate Henry Ford’s imagination, so much so that he built a historic winter retreat on this lush property in the 1930s. Today, the property is one of the nation’s leading luxury communities and private sporting clubs, featuring 400 home sites nestled on 1,800 breathtaking acres. In fact, Town & Country magazine has named The Ford Field & River Club one of the top seven safe havens in the country, recognizing enclaves that offer an outstanding quality of life and exceptional amenities.

Uncommon Amenities

Speaking of amenities, this private sporting community features a challenging Pete Dye golf course, on-site day spa, deepwater marina, world-class equestrian center, state-of-the-art fitness center, shooting preserve, swimming pools, and more than 10 miles of scenic horse, biking, and hiking trails.

The property’s one-of-a-kind homes range from cozy two-bedroom cottages to five-bedroom estate homes, many of which were designed by renowned architects. Each lot and home is unique and convenient to club amenities – many within walking or biking distance for a relaxing lifestyle in the temperate Southern climate.

Uncommon Lowcountry Lifestyle

The Ford Field & River Club’s intimate setting in Georgia’s lush Lowcountry provides the kind of coastal living most people only dream of. This breathtaking community is a sportsman’s paradise and outdoor enthusiast’s dream, where memories are made on land, at sea, and right in your backyard. As much a premier sporting club as it is a private residential community, The Ford Field & River Club is located on the Ogeechee River banks, with the Atlantic Ocean a mere 20 miles away.

A private marina affords members convenient access to inshore and offshore fishing opportunities. Guided fishing trips can be easily arranged through the staff guides at Ogeechee Outfitters, the on-property source for fishing boating supplies, as well as a number of popular outdoor apparel brands.

Our diverse calendar of events immerses members in the laid-back Southern lifestyle for the social butterfly that makes our community so unique – creating a sense of community where neighbors are friends and friends are family.

Uncommon Accolades

At The Ford Field & River Club, we’re no stranger to accolades. The Platinum Clubs of America award ranks The Ford Field & River Club among the top five percent of all clubs in the United States and the top 150 clubs. The Distinguished Club Elite award, another feather in The Ford Field & River Club’s cap, is the only merit-based award program that recognizes private clubs and their management for outstanding delivery of exceptional member experience. Both awards recognize the world-class experience members enjoy every day.

Creating the Platinum Clubs of America experience goes far beyond excellence in amenities and the property’s beauty. Achieving this milestone is the result of an intensive planning process and the execution of a long-range strategy by The Ford Field & River Club management staff and board of directors to recruit world-class talent, invest in infrastructure, increase conservation efforts, adapt to changing times, and take the steps necessary to ensure the legacy of the property for future members.

As defined by Distinguished Clubs, “member experience” is that special combination of qualities that a private club provides its members. It is not just the quality of service, the facilities, or the product provided; it is also the staff’s quality and the management and the overall club governance they deliver.

“These awards reinforce what we already know: Ford enriches the lives of members and their families by fostering enduring friendships and providing a competitively superior variety of first-class amenities,” said Club Board President Jeff Fusile. “These awards are a wonderful validation and much-deserved recognition of everyone’s efforts.”

Uncommon Golf

Included in The Ford Field & River Club‘s member experience is Pete Dye’s signature golf course, which he proclaimed to be his “finest Southern links.” In 2014, The Ford Field & River Club Golf Course underwent a $7.5 million renovation with Pete Dye’s direct involvement and had since received numerous accolades and continuous high praise from renowned golf publications, including Golf Digest “Best Golf Courses in Georgia,” Golfweek’s “Top 100 Best Residential Courses,” and Host for the Georgia PGA Open.

This year, Ford was named one of GOLF Magazine’s top courses in Georgia in its 2020 – 2021 rankings. Of 416 courses in Georgia, The Ford Field & River Club was ranked the 15th best course in the state, alongside such prestigious company as the world-famous Augusta National. In 2016, The Ford Field & River Club received certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP).

Our version of laid-back luxury living celebrates all the great outdoors has to offer, traditions steeped in Southern charm, and a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. This is Uncommon Living at The Ford Field & River Club.

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Make 2021 healthy and happy with The Ford 100 

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Make 2021 healthy and happy with The Ford 100 

Each New Year at The Ford Field & River Club, we have a tradition to motivate and inspire our members to stay healthy – and this year, it is more important than ever. Spending time outdoors, enjoying nature, and doing something active are all proven methods to reduce stress, improve mental health, immunity, and sleep, lower blood pressure and increase life satisfaction – in other words, keep you healthy and happy. 

To kick the year off right, we’re dedicating the first 100 days of the year to improving your health and fitness with The Ford 100. Starting New Year’s Day 2021, Ford members are encouraged to complete at least 100 miles of walking, biking, swimming, and/or running in the first 100 days of the year. And, we’ve got nutrition covered, too!

A message from Fitness Director John Lindsey: Eating well comes naturally with the Whole30 diet.

For January, I am challenging those participating in The Ford 100 to complete the Whole30 diet program. I finished the diet last year and loved the way I felt. For those who are not familiar, the diet’s premise is to eliminate foods that people are commonly intolerant to and/or foods that tend to affect human performance negatively. After the 30 days, you slowly put the restricted things back into your diet to see how it’s affected. If you are looking to lose weight, sleep better, feel sharper cognitively, and have sustained energy throughout the day, I highly recommend joining me! You can read the full list of approved foods and rules here, but here’s a sneak peek of what the diet entails:

Foods to be avoided: 

  • Added sugar – includes natural things like maple syrup and honey. 
  • Alcohol* 
  • Grains – all of them! You’ll want to check the list. 
  • Legumes – sadly include peanut butter. 
  • Dairy (Ghee is allowed) 
  • Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites 
  • Baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “unapproved” ingredients – it’s not in the diet’s spirit to be indulging in these things.

*If giving up alcohol is too much of a challenge, I’ll still give you credit if you can eliminate ALL other items.

Here’s what an average weekday of meals will look like for me:

  • Breakfast: Veggies roasted or sautéed in olive oil and scrambled eggs 
  • Lunch: Diced potatoes (sweet, white sweet, red, Yukon, etc.) and a protein 
  • Snack: Apple with almond, pecan, or cashew butter 
  • Dinner: Salad + protein – Greens, diced veggies, lean protein, olives, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and a balsamic dressing
  • Occasional “treat”: Date with almond butter (so, so good!)

This is a great way to start the year off right with an easy-to-follow diet that eliminates foods that can be potentially harming your health. If you join The Ford 100, you’ll get regular updates from me regarding your health and nutrition and staying on track with Whole30. 

Track your progress for tremendous success

To inspire some competition (whether it’s with yourself or other members), you can accumulate “miles” for workouts, sports, and nutrition. And, to make it fun and easy to get involved, we’ll be offering group bike rides, group walks, speakers from various health professions, and health-related group discussions to keep you on track. Plus, all participants will receive a Ford 100 t-shirt!

Here’s how you can earn points:

  • Each mile of walking, jogging, biking, kayaking, etc. = 1 mile
  • 1 hour workout/sports played = 4 miles
  • Completing the Whole30 diet in January = 25 miles

We hope you’ll join us in The Ford 100 and jump start your health and fitness routine for the New Year! 

[REGISTER NOW]

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