Photo credit: Rod Dent Aerial Photography at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
The four-year deal starts with the Sun Belt Conference men’s college golf championships on April 17-21, 2015. The subsequent conference championships will be held each April through 2018.
“The Raven Golf Club is one of the best golf courses on the Gulf Coast, and hosting the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golf Championship there is a great way to showcase both the course and the talent of our student-athletes. We are excited to host our championship at this great venue and great resort,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Sun Belt Conference men’s golf championship for the next four years,” said Rick Hileman, director of golf at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. “From hosting the PGA Champions Tour to staging multiple collegiate events over the years, this simply adds to our history of producing quality and competitive golf events at Sandestin. The Raven course will be a great challenge for the players and the team that claims the title will certainly deserve it.”
The Raven Golf Club is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed layout carved through the marshes and tall pine trees of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The 6,900-yard, par 71 course is no stranger to hosting major golf events. In the past, the Raven has hosted the Boeing Championship, a stop on the PGA Champions Tour, in 2006 and 2007. It has also played host to the 2013 NCAA Division III National Golf Championship. Voted “Best new Course in Florida,” in 2000, the Raven has garnered numerous golf awards over the years from major national golf publications like Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. It is currently listed as one of the “Best Courses You Can Play” by Golfweek.
The 2015 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Golf Championship will feature 55 players from 11 men’s teams who compete over three-days and 54 holes at the award-winning Raven Golf Club. The team champion will earn the conference’s automatic selection into the NCAA Championship.
