Brook Valley Country Club Director of Golf, Riley Kinlaw has a wealth of experience overseeing golf courses. Before arriving in Greenville, Kinlaw was a valuable asset to McConnell Golf at both the Sedgefield Dye Course from 1999 to 2009 — where he served as first assistant and later head golf professional — and at The Reserve from 2013 to 2014 as head golf professional.
Like many of the McConnell Golf courses, all three — Brook Valley, Sedgefield Dye, and The Reserve — will test every element of your golf game and every club in your bag.
Kinlaw believes there’s a lot to be said for that. “Brook Valley is a short golf course on the scorecard, so it’s not going to overpower you with length,” he says. “It’s a placement course, an old-school golf course like Raleigh Country Club. You have to put your ball in the right position to score well. Keep the ball in the fairway and get the ball on the green where you know you can two-putt — beneath the hole. If it’s a putting contest, Brook Valley’s going to win every time. Our slope and handicap ratings aren’t astronomically high. If you like designers like Donald Ross and Ellis Maples, you’ll love Brook Valley.”
Kinlaw says his staff is constantly looking for ways to make the playing experience at Brook Valley enjoyable.
“We always want to make sure people are playing the right set of tees,” he says. “People get stuck playing the same tees they’re used to. It’s always tough to convince them to move a tee forward, but when they do it definitely helps. We did some other things this year, like adding a first cut of rough, that have really helped. If people spray it a little they aren’t penalized as much if they hit the ball 20 yards off the fairway. We’ve been getting much better feedback since then.”
Kinlaw runs a very active golf program at Brook Valley with a host of unique offerings. He and his staff fostered a culture of self- improvement at a club that boasts an enthusiastic golf membership.
“Fortunately we have an active practice facility,” says Kinlaw.
“You’re typically going to see a dozen players up [on the range] hitting balls. Our professional staff gets a lot of requests for lessons. We have ladies clinics, junior clinics. But we offer lessons in packages, too, not just singles. That means our members are committed to improving. They aren’t looking at a one-and- done deal thinking it will get them to the Promised Land. They know it’s going to take some work to get better. They sign up in three lesson bunches or five-lesson bunches to really work on it. There’s a commitment on the member’s part, just as there is a commitment on our part to get them where they want to go.”