Shearon Golf Garners Awards

Pennsylvania-based Shearon Golf has received several awards this year. The all-inclusive golf course design, construction and maintenance company is led by golf architect Ed Shearon.

Shearon, who designed three courses in the Greater Philadelphia area and opened them in 2003, '04 and '05, has gained a reputation for his minimalist designs. In 2003 he opened RiverWinds on the Delaware River directly across from Philadelphia International Airport. In 2004, he debuted The Vineyards at Renault Winery, just outside Atlantic City. In 2005, he opened Raven's Claw in the rolling Pennsylvania hills of Limerick. All three courses were listed among the top-50 daily-fee courses in the Northeast.

His design philosophy has obviously struck a chord with both golfers and golf course raters, as the most recent Golfweek statewide ratings listed Raven's Claw among the top-10 daily-fee courses in Pennsylvania, while The Vineyards cracked the top-10 daily-fee list in New Jersey.

In Northeast Golf magazine's Reader's Choice Awards, Shearon Golf swept a number of categories. In the individual categories, Shearon's work received the highest commendations. Raven's Claw was selected among the top-10 New Courses in the region for 2006. It also was honored among the Top 10 Golf Communities. The Vineyards also snatched two more awards. It was selected among the top-10 Resort Courses in the region, as well as being named among the top-10 Conditioned Courses.

"It's very gratifying to see that all three courses are being appreciated by the critics and the general public alike," said Shearon. "We worked hard to produce the best possible courses at affordable prices. All three courses are distinct. Although they are all minimalistic, we let the site dictate the style. Also, the style comes from listening to the client."

RiverWinds is an open, windy site that was built on a brownfield along the Delaware River. Because the ground did not percolate well, major attention was paid to drainage. Also, to allow for the wind, wide corridors were created for each hole and the routing is a series of triangles, so that the golfer is dealing with the wind from constantly changing directions.

The Vineyards is a resort course that needed to appeal to two different categories of golfers. For competitive golf and for the discerning traveler, it needed to challenge the better golfer. From the back tees, The Vineyards carries the second-highest rating (74.9) in New Jersey. For the resort golfer, it needed to be playable from the forward tees, provide a faster pace of play and allow golfers to find their balls easily.

Raven's Claw utilized the best variety of terrain of all three sites - with flowing streams, rolling hills and large hardwood trees. The goal was to create a classic golf course that followed the strategic style of the legendary architects of the Philadelphia area. "If golfers go to all three courses, they wouldn't think the same person designed them," explained Shearon.

For more information, contact Shearon Golf at 610/828-9488 or TL Golf Services at 610/279-9220.