North Carolina's best golf courses.

Perhaps the greatest attribute of the tournament is the people who have brought it to life. The marriage of Wachovia, Quail Hollow and the PGA Tour has worked well, with the groups enhancing each other. Thompson and Wachovia Senior Vice President Dan Fleischman, along with many others, found a good vehicle to market the bank. The tournament came along just as First Union was completing its acquisition of Wachovia and taking its name. The bank needed a way to push the new brand. What was an unknown name in much of the country is now familiar to millions of golf fans around the world, particularly after Woods' victory last year.

In Harris, Everett and Hougham, the tournament has a threesome of leaders who understand that great golf tournaments are about more than 72 holes of golf and selling beer to fans. They know that the best tournaments have a style that separates them from the routine weekly stops. The tournament organizers are fortunate to have a budget that allows them not only to offer one of the largest purses on the tour schedule but also to spend what they feel is necessary to enhance the championship, whether it's adding a spectator bridge on the 18th hole, reworking the traffic pattern behind the practice range or making sure the barbecue sold on the course is just right.

Everett, a good player who retired from the bank in 2004, has done a good job managing the constituencies involved in the event. Hougham, previously director of the John Deere Classic in Moline, Ill., is well respected within the industry and has the confidence of tour players who rely on him and his staff before and during their stay in Charlotte. Tony Schuster, who directs the construction of the small city that comes to life during the tournament, is good enough to have caught the eye of a titan. When Woods hosted the AT & T National in Washington, D.C., for the first time last summer, he asked Schuster to duplicate his Wachovia Championship role.

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One of the most telling signs of the good feeling surrounding the tournament is that not a single significant member of the organization has left in five years. "We don't change," Harris says. "There will be a point when we'll have some transition, but we haven't yet, and that gives us huge strength."

Attention to detail is one of the tournament's greatest attributes. If you want coffee, you can get Starbucks. If you want something other than a hot dog, you can get a freshly made crepe. Walk around Quail Hollow during tournament week, and you won't be assaulted by advertising and signs. Everything is understated. There are no gimmicky giveaways.

During every tournament week, Harris, Everett and Hougham keep notes on what can be improved. Sometimes they make the changes overnight, sometimes the changes come the next year.

For example, they realized early on that sticking portable toilets in the woods wasn't good enough. Now they have flooring under and pine straw around them so fans won't have to tromp through mud. Nor does the Wachovia Championship just dump its garbage. It separates waste for recycling. "We're always asking, 'Can we do anything better than we did the year before?'" Hougham says.

There will be noticeable changes this year. On the course, a large tree was taken down in the corner of the par-4 eighth fairway, likely altering the players' strategy. The 17th green, a controversial putting surface among the players, was softened in a couple of spots. Behind the 18th green, a massive new pool/solarium complex has been built, where guests can mingle and get a view of the final hole. The building was made possible, Harris says, by the decision to extend the Wachovia Championship through 2014.

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Harris acknowledges some Quail Hollow members would prefer the tournament go someplace else but says an overwhelming majority like hosting the event. A survey found that about 85% support having the tournament, he says.

The tournament's success has not gone unnoticed. Representatives of the PGA of America and the United States Golf Association have indicated interest in holding a major event at Quail Hollow, possibly a PGA Championship or Ryder Cup, an all-star event that pits the U.S. against Europe every other year. PGA Championship sites are set through 2013. Ryder Cup sites are planned though 2016. "We'd expect at some point in the future to have an opportunity to host other events," Harris says. That would be another compliment for the Wachovia Championship and Quail Hollow.

By Ron Green Jr.

Best Par-4s

MOUNTAINS

1. Linville Golf Club, 3rd

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2. Grandfather Golf and Country Club, 18th, Linville

3. Elk River Club, 14th, Banner Elk

4. Bright's Creek Golf Club, 11th, Mill Spring

5. Elk River Club, 17th, Banner Elk

CHARLOTTE METRO

1. Quail Hollow Club, 18th, Charlotte

2. Charlotte Country Club, 10th, Charlotte

3. The Club at Longview, 18th, Weddington

4. Quail Hollow Club, 16th, Charlotte

5. Charlotte Country Club, 6th, Charlotte

PIEDMONT TRIAD

1. Old North State Club, 16th, New London

2. Rock Barn Golf & Spa (Jones), 11th, Conover

3. Old North State Club, 9th, New London

4. Old Town Club, 9th, Winston-Salem

5. Rock Barn Golf & Spa (Jones), 6th, Conover

TRIANGLE

1. Treyburn Country Club, 18th, Durham

2. Raleigh Country Club, 18th (pictured above)

3. Duke University Golf Club, 18th, Durham

4. Finley Golf Course, 15th, Chapel Hill

5. MacGregor Downs Country Club, 18th, Cary

SANDHILLS

1. Pinehurst No. 2, 5th, Pinehurst

2. Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, 18th, Southern Pines

3. The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood), 14th, Pinehurst

4. Pinehurst No. 2, 18th, Pinehurst

5. Pinehurst No. 8, 18th, Pinehurst

EASTERN

1. River Landing (River), 18th, Wallace

2. River Landing (Landing), 9th, Wallace

3. Wilson Country Club, 18th

4. Benvenue Country Club, 7th, Rocky Mount

5. Walnut Creek Country Club, 16th, Goldsboro

COASTAL

1. Cape Fear Country Club, 4th, Wilmington

2. Eagle Point Golf Club, 9th, Wilmington

3. Tiger's Eye Golf Links, 9th, Sunset Beach

4. Leopard's Chase, 18th, Sunset Beach

5. Porter's Neck Country Club, 18th, Wilmington

Best Practice Facilities

MOUNTAINS

1. Elk River Club, Banner Elk

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2. The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Arden

3. Bright's Creek Golf Club, Mill Spring

4. Linville Ridge Golf Course

5. Biltmore Forest CC, Asheville

CHARLOTTE METRO

1. Charlotte Country Club

2. Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte

3. The Golf Club at Ballantyne Resort, Charlotte

4. The Club at Longview, Weddington

5. River Run Country Club, Davidson

PIEDMONT TRIAD

1. Grandover Resort & Conference Center, Greensboro

2. Rock Barn Golf & Spa, Conover

3. Old North State Club, New London

4. Cardinal Golf & Country Club, Greensboro

5. Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro

TRIANGLE

1. Raleigh Country Club

2. Duke University Golf Club, Durham

3. Finley Golf Course, Chapel Hill

4. Governors Club, Chapel Hill

5. TPC at Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh

SANDHILLS

1. Pinehurst Resort, Maniac Hill, Pinehurst

2. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Southern Pines (pictured above)

3. Forest Creek Golf Club, Pinehurst

4. The Country Club of North Carolina, Pinehurst

5. Pinehurst No. 8, Pinehurst

EASTERN

1. River Landing, Wallace

2. Keith Hills Country Club, Buies Creek

3. Walnut Creek Country Club, Goldsboro

4. Wilson Country Club

5. Bradford Creek Golf Course, Greenville

COASTAL

1. Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington

2. Country Club of Landfall, Wilmington

3. St. James Plantation, Southport

4. Ocean Ridge Plantation, Sunset Beach

5. Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington

Hidden Gems

MOUNTAINS

1. Maggie Valley Club, Maggie Valley (pictured above)

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2. Jefferson Landing Golf Course, Jefferson

3. Mount Mitchell Golf Club, Burnsville

4. Boone Golf Club

5. High Meadows Golf and Country Club, Roaring Gap

CHARLOTTE METRO

1. Rolling Hills Country Club, Monroe

2. Birkdale Golf Club, Huntersville

3. NorthStone Country Club, Huntersville

4. Skybrook Golf Club, Huntersville

5. Cedarwood Country Club, Charlotte

PIEDMONT TRIAD

1. Pinewood Country Club, Asheboro

2. Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center (Players), Browns Summit

3. Country Club of Salisbury

4. Oak Valley Golf Club, Advance

5. Greensboro Country Club (Farm)

TRIANGLE

1. The Neuse Golf Club, Clayton

2. The Preserve at Jordan Lake, Pittsboro

3. Eagle Ridge Golf Club, Raleigh

4. Crooked Creek Golf Club, Fuquay-Varina

5. Devil's Ridge Golf Club, Holly Springs

SANDHILLS

1. Southern Pines Country Club (Elks)

2. Talamore Golf Club, Southern Pines

3. Carolina Trace Country Club (Lake), Sanford

4. Pinehurst No. 1, Pinehurst

5. Seven Lakes Country Club

EASTERN / COASTAL

1. Wilmington Municipal Golf Course

2. Currituck Club, Corolla

3. Farmstead Golf Links, Calabash

4. Oyster Bay Golf Links, Sunset Beach

4. Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links (Maples), Sunset Beach

5. Oak Island Golf Club, Caswell Beach

Best by Region

MOUNTAINS