Golf Course 4

In Norse mythology, the souls of Viking warriors feasted with the gods in the great hall of Valhalla. In the spirit of this legend, the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky was built to be a world-class golf course meant for hosting major golf championships. In 1981 Dwight Gahm, a Louisville entrepreneur and golf lover, along with his three sons Walt, Gordy and Phil, commissioned golf champion and course designer Jack Nicklaus to design and build a private golf facility on 489 acres 20 miles east of Louisville. Nicklaus agreed and Valhalla Golf Club opened its doors in 1986. The club was named one of the top three new private golf courses in the United States

in 1987 and twenty years later continues to be a number one ranked golf course in Kentucky and is considered one of “America s 100 Greatest Courses” according to Golf Digest.

The Vision of Jack Nicklaus: The Golden Bear

Jack Nicklaus has left his mark on the sport of golf in many ways. Between 1962 and 1986 Nicklaus amassed 18 professional majors during his PGA Tour career. Then between 1990 and 1996 Nicklaus won eight of the Champions Tour majors. He has also written golf instruction books, oversees the Memorial Tournament and has been the architect of over 200 gold courses. The Valhalla golf course was a creative vision unlike any other for Nicklaus. A wide variety of

terrain, vegetation and water gave way to wide, tree lined fairways and incredible holes. The first nine holes at Valhalla offer a Scottish-links ambiance. The wide fairways fit the natural lay of the land in a beautiful open valley and are framed perfectly with Kentucky bluegrass. There are 42 sand bunkers throughout the course and the tiers of greens create challenging hole locations. Valhalla par is 72 and players and spectators alike enjoy 7,195 yards of golf from the longest gold tees. The Valhalla Golf Club includes a 17,500 square foot clubhouse designed in the traditional Louisville style, a mixture of Midwestern and Southern accents. Visitors will also find a 45-foot Rolex clock and a veranda overlooking the 18th green.

Valhalla s PGA History

The Valhalla Golf Club has been the home to many unforgettable golf championships and is currently owned by the PGA of America. Since 1986 Valhalla has continued to evolve in order to attract golf s best players to its 18 holes. The following timeline outlines the relationship between Valhalla Golf Club and the PGA of America.

1993-PGA agrees to purchase 25% of Valhalla Golf Club

1996-Valhalla is the site for the 1996 PGA Championship

1996-PGA assumes 50% ownership of Valhalla and plans for 2000 PGA Championship

2000-Valhalla is the host of the 200 PGA Championship

2000-The PGA purchases the remaining interest in Valhalla Golf Club

2002-The PGA Club Professional Championship played at Valhalla

2004-The Senior PGA Championship is

played at Valhalla

2008-The 37th Ryder Cup Championship will be hosted by Valhalla

Valhalla and the 2008 Ryder Cup Competition

In preparation for the upcoming 2008 Ryder Cup Championship scheduled for September 19-21, 2008, the PGA of America and course architect Jack Nicklaus are partnering to make modifications at the Valhalla Golf Club near Louisville. The planned modifications will enhance the experience of club members and make the course even more challenging to American and European team members. According to an article posted on August 23, 2006 on the Nicklaus Design firm s web site, http://www.nicklaus.com, Jack Nicklaus states, “For me personally, Valhalla is going to be a big part of my legacy to the game and to players for generations

after I am gone. I take great pride in Valhalla and want it to be the best it can be.” The Valhalla Golf Club will have numerous renovations done before the 2008 Ryder Cup, including green reconstruction, bunker additions, foliage removal and refurbishment of the clubhouse.

Jim Ward is president of Premier Golf, the official travel company of the PGA of America since 1988 and the official distributor of Ryder Cup travel packages in North America. The company offers all-inclusive packages including hotel accommodations, round trip transportation from the hotel to the event and the all event Ryder Cup ticket.

For more information visit http://www.PremierGolf.com