Frank Ratcliffe's name may not be the first that comes to mind when people talk about the leaders through the years in the Charlotte golf community but he had a significant impact on the game and the people who play it here.
In celebration of what would have been Ratcliffe's 100th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the opening of the now-gone Paradise Valley golf course, a ceremony will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Paradise Valley Par-3 course to rename the short course in Ratcliffe's honor. The course is located off Highway 29 near UNC Charlotte.
Frank Ratcliffe built the original Paradise Valley golf course -- nine regulation holes and nine pitch and putt holes -- as a place where golfers of all skill levels could come and enjoy the game. It was a place where beginners could come and learn to play and where regulars could gather to play 18 holes and socialize.
The original course closed nearly 20 years ago but a par-3 course sits on a portion of that property and is operated by Ratcliffe Golf Services run his Frank's son, Del, who has been very active in promoting affordable golf.
The ceremony is open to the public.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Paradise Valley Par-3 To Honor Ratcliffe
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3 comments:
Wow I had almost forgotten about Paradise Valley! That was my first exposure to a round of golf when I was a kid. I still remember the first tee. You had to time your tee shot when there was no traffic because if you sprayed it right, it was headed right into 29 traffic.
Would love to have one more round of golf and beer at a PV, Eastwood, or Sharon.
What a great tribute. As a high school golfer in the 60's our team tried to play as many public courses as possible. Paradise Valley was a challenge. I remember a real long par 5 which we never hit in 2 shots. This is a great honor for Mr. Ratcliffe.
Nice story Ron. There's a lot of us out there who have to play 'affordable golf.' I've heard Revolution is nice after the renovation; looking forward to checking it out. Or I guess it's been renamed also recently, which I read about in the Observer. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to your writing on the Masters.
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