Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort to Host Sun Belt Golf Championships

Raven Course to Host Men's Conference Titles Through 2018

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL, Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - In an agreement between Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and the Sun Belt Conference, the prestigious Raven Golf Club will be the league's host site for the men's golf championships for the next four years, resort and conference officials announced today. The four-year deal starts with the Sun Belt Conference men's 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. "The Raven will prove to be a tremendous test of golf for our men's golfers as they ready for the NCAA Regional Championships."

"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.

For more information on the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin and the three other courses at the #1 Resort on Florida's Emerald Coast, visit Sandestin.com, or call 1-866-91-BEACH.

About Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is a major destination for all seasons and all ages, and was named the #1 resort on Florida's Emerald Coast. The resort invites guests to a world of 2,400 acres and 30 charming neighborhoods featuring more than 1,250 Destin vacation rentals, condominiums, villas, town homes and the best in Destin hotel accommodations. As a member of Visit South Walton and Visit Florida, the resort features more than seven miles of beaches and pristine bay front, four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 113-slip marina, a fitness center and spa, meeting space and The Village of Baytowne Wharf, a charming pedestrian village with events, shopping, dining and nightlife. People are invited to download Sandestin's APP for iPhone and Android devices, or become a Facebook Fan or Twitter follower for the latest events and news.

About the Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference mantra "Together We Rise" exemplifies what has quickly become America's most up-and-coming collegiate athletics conference.

Founded in 1976, the Sun Belt has adapted and evolved in its nearly 40 year existence.  The league was originally formed as a home for some of the nation's premier mid-major basketball teams and it wasn't until a number of changes and the demand for a higher national profile that the league began sponsoring football in 2001.  Because of this decision to move the league in to the group of football playing conferences, the Sun Belt Conference has a permanent seat on the NCAA's 18-member Board of Directors. As a result, the conference has a crucial voice on some of the most pressing issues in college athletics.

The Sun Belt Conference's membership consists of 11 football members for 2014 - Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy.  UALR and UT Arlington compete in all-sports as non-football members while Idaho and New Mexico State are football only members.

For more information on the Sun Belt Conference, visit www.sunbeltsports.org.

SOURCE Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

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