Hitting the Links at Foxfire Golf Club On the courses recognized as one the finest public golf facilities in central Ohio, participants of the 1998 U.S. Transplant Games tested their skills and durability. Sun, heat and light winds along with slow play added to the difficulty of the courses. Foxfire has been rated as the most difficult public course in central Ohio. The course consists of bentgrass fairways and incorporates large mounds, tree lined fairways, four lakes and the longest sand bunker in the Midwest. At 7,100 yards, the Players Club combines traditional American golf with a links style layout.
The Players Club and the Foxfire courses combined to challenge the skills of the 1998 Games participants. With individuals from throughout the country, the design layout and different grasses made for a interesting day. Gary Pontius, Team Oklahoma, indicated that the course was challenging, but fair. Gary, hampered by recent tendon surgery to his right hand, was 4 over par 12 holes into the round. A gold medalist at the 1997 World Games in Sydney, Pontius had a heart transplant in 1994. The bluegrass roughs proved to be tough for Ed Meyerhoeffer, Team North Carolina. Used to playing the championship courses around Hillsboro, NC, Ed had some problems with the fairway-to-immediate roughs. A lung recipient of 3 ½ years, Meyerhoeffer is participating in his second games.
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