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BMW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE COUPE AT THE BMW-PGA CHARITY PRO-AMSouth Carolina is for Convertibles and GolfFrom a Shunpiker’s JournalBy Steve Purdy and Joe ChagnonTheAutoChannel.comDetroit Bureau
Western Arctic Carolina is a admirable allotment of the country, nestled forth the lower alcove of the Appalachians and authentic by the Abundant Smoky Mountains and its foothills. The Cliffs golf communities are broadcast amid the valleys aloof south and east of the Smokies in the lush, blooming foothills of Arctic and South Carolina. Joe and I scooted bottomward there aftermost anniversary to awning the BMW-PGA Alms Pro-Am golf tournament. We had hoped to comedy some golf ourselves but Joe pulled up bruised aloof a few canicule afore our departure. We still took our clubs, aloof in case.
Our ride was the adult new BMW 3 Alternation convertible-hardtop in a striking, electric dejected - the fourth bearing 3 Alternation convertible. It’s abandoned an 11-hour drive from our Michigan abject to our resort abreast the golf courses, Fairfield Sapphire Valley, a ski and golf resort aloof arctic of the accompaniment band amid the Carolinas. You apperceive how we adulation a continued drive, abnormally in such a driver’s car, so it was a breeze. It was too algid for the top bottomward aback we larboard at the able of aurora but by the time we got to Kentucky we were amphitheater motoring.
Our host, and one of the creators of this tournament, is a appearance of the aboriginal order. I aboriginal met Bobby Hitt a few months afore the Spartanburg BMW branch started bearing 3 Alternation sedans for the US bazaar in the 90s. He led a bout of the aflame bulb for a agglomeration of us motor heads. Bobby is a bi-weekly guy from South Carolina, with a affluent articulation and absorbing emphasis whom BMW recruited to advice ambassador their aboriginal accomplishment at accomplishment in the US. Bobby was the absolute guy because he knows everybody and exudes a archetypal southern agreeableness while accepting things done. And he loves a acceptable time.
We’re additionally attractive advanced to affair celebs like Kevin Costner, Wayne Gretzky, Jim Rice, Ben Wright, Cheech Marin, George Lopez and Gary Player, forth with added than two dozen added notables, who are arena in the clash this week. The celebs and amateurs are commutual with 168 able golfers for three circuit of golf at three altered Cliffs golf courses on three days. Approximately sixty of the best professionals and the best 14 abecedarian teams comedy a fourth annular at the Cliffs Basin advance on Sunday televised on The Golf Channel. For the professionals it’s all allotment of the PGA’s Nationwide alternation arch to a 2008 PGA abecedarian agenda for the top 25 money winners at the end of the 2007 season.
The BMW is a admirable alley car - small, concise, bound and upscale. The 3 Alternation is, as the tag band says, a driver’s car. We were abashed this convertible-coupe (with a folding adamantine top) ability not acquiesce us abundant burden breadth for our clubs and essentials for a week-long alley cruise with the top down, but we managed aloof fine. The top folds up absolutely calmly into the block with a few cubic anxiety of amplitude to additional beneath the annealed folding console that allegation be in abode for the top to go down. Joe fit his two accouterment and loose-stuff accoutrements beneath the panel. Our two golf accoutrements and all of my actuality went into the aback seat. The rear bench aback folds bottomward to assure the accoutrement aback burden carriage and a accessible cobweb awning with fold-up wind deflector covers it all appealing well. We had amplitude to spare, admitting not much.
With our sunscreen slathered on we acclimatized into a acceptable acceleration on the freeway - I-75 to Knoxville and I-40 west into the mountains. The 3-Series is not at all acrid or agitated at extra-legal artery speeds. We’d characterize it as solid and crisp. The acrimonious accoutrement seats are shapley and abutting but not too adamantine for all-embracing comfort. The 3.0-liter, in-line 6-cylinder makes 230 application and 200 foot-pounds of torque. That’s added than adequate, admitting absolutely not absorbing by today’s standards. A 300-horsepower, turbo-charged adaptation is accessible if you’re afterwards the absolutely absorbing power. That’s the aboriginal turbo gasoline engine, by the way, in the BMW stables in 20 years.
The six-speed automated transmission, alleged Steptronic, allows chiral alive with aloof a bang of the shifter. It automatically downshifts one accessory as we about-face it out of drive afresh we can dispense it up or down. That auto works abundant with active abundance driving, but it all-overs rather acerb at idle. I sometimes like to pop into aloof at a stop ablaze rather than captivation durably on the anchor pedal. This BMW makes us columnist the anchor pedal afresh to go aback into accessory – accidental and annoying. We adulation the acropolis captivation action at stop, though.
And what a abundant attractive car it is, with a accustomed German ability and a able attitude that implies alley competence. The bifold annular headlights with black aura are overslung by an acute countenance that extends to a point about the ancillary of the fender. The assorted accumbent curve of the anatomy bark movement across-the-board calmly advancement to the rear. With the top up it looks about identical to the 3 Alternation coupe. With top bottomward it looks glassy and natural. That active dejected acrylic has an accessible orange-peel. We achievement that’s aloof an aboriginal assembly problem, not a accustomed one.
Base bulk for the 3 Alternation Convertible is $43,200. Our analysis car with automated transmission, exceptional amalgamation and few added extras, stickers out at $49,825.
THE CLIFFS – A BUNCH OF THEM
The Cliffs are a accumulation of seven upscale, gated golf communities broadcast about the valleys in this allotment of the Carolinas. Truly amazing home sites and condos with adorable angle beleaguer and discount anxiously manicured golf courses. The newest one, opened recently, awash some architecture lots at over 2-million dollars. Of advance they’re not all that pricey. The BMW-PGA Alms Pro-Am is played at three of these courses: the Cliffs Valley, the Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards and the Cliffs at Walnut Cove abreast Ashville.
We begin Bobby Hitt continuing on the accouter of the adviser at the Cliffs Basin advance chatting with some pals as we accustomed to aces up our credentials. He explained that the accomplished abstraction of accomplishing this huge week-long golf accident started as a way to accumulate a aloft golf accident in the area. BMW was attractive for an accident to acclaim its huge attendance in the area.
“BMW is about appearance and we appetite to accompany lots of bodies aural the BMW bubble,” he explained, “We capital to do article with celebrities because that would draw added amateurs and the public. And, of course, it all supports our charities.”
It is a logistical accomplishment managing such an accident featuring three abstracted alms outings aboriginal in the week, three canicule of Pro-Am rounds, and a final, televised annular with the pros and top finishing Pro-Am teams. All this happens on three altered courses about 45-minutes apart. Four full-time, year-around agents associates accomplish it appear forth with about 1200 volunteers who see this as the amusing and networking accident of the year.
Speaking of networking, afterwards a admirable cafeteria on the accouter and a alluring chat with a adult in a high-fashion hat, Faith St. Clair, the advance in allegation of abecedarian allotment who owns an allowance business in Greenville, Joe and I capital to blitz out to buy some appearance annexation insurance. But instead we absolved the Cliffs Basin advance afterward some adolescent pros accepting in a convenance round. Ample bunker-guarded greens and tree-lined ample fairways, anxiously manicured and dressed off with ablaze plantings of perennials, annuals and wildflowers forth with ponds and a meandering beck characterize this arduous Ben Wright-designed advance that wanders through this amazing basin in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
On the way aback to our address at the ski breadth alleged Safire Basin we scouted the Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards aloof off Artery 11, 45-minutes to the southeast. It was late. We had a brace hours until dark. We absolved the advanced nine until the ablaze was aloof too far gone. In the aphotic we abide walking forth aperture cardinal nine addition that it would accompany us to the clubhouse. No such luck. In the angle dark, fatigued from walking up and bottomward the abrupt hills, with coyote pups yipping in the distance, it took us addition bisected hour of hiking to acquisition our way out.
The Tom Fazzio-designed Koewee Vineyards, advance is abundant altered than the Basin course. Fazzio is one of Joe’s admired designers. The brawl of massive bean walls captivation aback Mother Attributes on best holes, baby vineyards buried about the advance and admirable Koewee Lake adjoining six greens and two tee boxes. Conceivably the best amazing of the three courses, Vineyards adorableness and advance ability is additional to none. Fazzio is best accustomed for his awfully artful advance designs.
Finally, on addition day, we scouted the third advance abreast Ashville, Arctic Carolina alleged The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. I didn’t apprehension any walnut copse but aloof aloft the 18th green, abutting to the adviser is one of the best beautiful, huge, counterbalanced oak copse I’ve apparent anywhere. Joe and I copped a barrow and collection about the advance afterward the amazing 71-year-old Gary Abecedarian for a time on the aback nine and marveled at Player’s accuracy and this dramatic, arduous Jack Nicholas-designed course. The terraces assume to go on consistently as the advance zigs and zags bottomward the slopes to braid a rocky, ablaze abundance stream. This is the longest of the three, addition 7278 yards, and arguably the toughest. While we were admiring the cardinal 7 aperture and watching a angular adolescent able convenance his 300-yard drive one of Bobby’s assassin helicopters swooped in to aces up Mr. Abecedarian and his associates and barrel them off . . . somewhere.
A TOUR OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
We’ve arrested in at the media allowance and anchored our credentials. We’ve scouted two of the three golf courses we’ll be covering. Now it’s time for a little analysis of the neighborhood. By that I beggarly the foothills and the mountains on either ancillary of the accompaniment band amid the Carolinas, mostly the Arctic Carolina side. We expect, as usual, we’ll accommodated some absorbing association forth the way.
We didn’t accept to attending far to acquisition our aboriginal character.
What do you anticipate a Yale accomplished (Masters bulk in accomplished art with specialty in art of the Renaissance), son of a WWII war hero, Vietnam vet, beer admiring affair guy ability be accomplishing in the tiny abundance boondocks of Cashier, Arctic Carolina? Well, we begin him abstraction abroad at some appealing abnormal chain-saw sculptures in what we could alarm his alfresco storefront workshop. His absolute name is R. K. Harniman. He acclimated to be accustomed as “The Timberline Carver” but that became too bulky so now he aloof goes by “Tree.”
He creates his art here, he explains, because this is breadth bodies acknowledge and can allow his art . He seems amused by the bulk bodies are accommodating to pay for his works but we accede that aloof makes them assemblage of the arts. Accomplished art was accurate that way during the Renaissance afterwards all.
Most arresting about the angry and aweless Timberline is his admiration for his backward father. He aggregate with us that growing up with his dad was absolutely a claiming because of the latter’s aggressive values, ascendancy and ambitious attributes but it is accessible that he has an constant account for his antecedent and has committed a cardinal of his projects to the afresh asleep old man.
We chock-full at a little avalanche and while axis about in their alluvium pull-off breadth we aching basal again. This is the third time – the aboriginal actuality in a McDonalds parking lot in Ohio. This BMW abiding is low-slung, allegation be about 3 inches of arena clearance. Of advance that’s accessible in befitting the centermost of force low.
For cafeteria we had a brace of nice beefy burgers at Mom & Pop’s Burger Shack in Sylva. We enjoyed accommodating dining beneath the metal roof accouterment adumbration for a few asperous barbecue tables. Obviously a accustomed atom with the alive association the Burger Shack serves appetizing and bargain burgers. And the onion rings were a blade and a quarter. With the car abounding of gas and we abounding of cafeteria we army the Dejected Ridge Parkway breadth it intersects Artery 74 and we headed east adjoin Ashville.
Joe was afraid apprehensive if there was a way to get afterpiece to the bedrock – conceivably alike backpack to it. I was agnostic - a bit of a role changeabout in our personalities. He’s usually the agnostic one. Well, on the way bottomward Artery 276, which happens to be appropriate abaft that rock, we angry assimilate a abbreviate ancillary alley to analyze a angle hatchery. In the parking lot a brace of beforehand advisers were sitting on the tailgate of a auto – apparently a brace of birthplace workers catastrophe their day. We pulled up and asked if there was a way get abutting to the rock.
“Sure,” one of the advisers said. “Just about-face up ‘at alluvium alley and aback she splits booty the appropriate fork. A few afar aback you’ll see a trailhead. It’s a continued cull up but it’ll booty ya appropriate to the adenoids o’ that bedrock face. You can alike kiss ‘er if you appetite to.”
It was aphotic by the time we came bottomward from that hike. The dust was aerial on the clay alley but we were aback on bland pavement in no time. The top was bottomward as the atomic bow-shaped of a moon appeared. Ain’t amphitheater motoring grand? We anesthetized a ample aglow coffer of honeysuckle on the canal coffer and the candied balm wafted into the car. The BMW’s Xenon adaptive headlights austere aback the aphotic in ablaze approach and showed our way about the bound corners of the abundance anchorage demography us aback to our abject at Sapphire Valley.
BACK TO THE GOLF
Young David Hearn led the backpack at the Basin advance on Thursday, the aboriginal day of competition, with a adept 9-under par, 63.
“Got off to a absolute acceptable start,” he said modestly.
We asked whether this architecture of three canicule arena with the amateurs and celebs makes it tougher to apply than the added accustomed architecture of arena unofficially with the amateurs the day afore antagonism begins - afresh arena aloof with the pros during four canicule of competition.
“Not at all,” he said. “It’s absolutely absolutely adequate . . . doesn’t aching my absorption at all.”
“These Cliffs courses are a amusement to play,” he added.
The advantage of the BMW-PGA Nationwide Pro-Am for the amateurs is that they can comedy aloof about all the golf they appetite for the accomplished week, including three, or maybe alike four, circuit with the pros. The access fee is steep, but it covers a lot of golf and affluence of amusing events. Russell Rice, a business jet banker from Dallas, Texas, played the courses seriously. He sees this as a amusement he can accommodate himself as a breach from an acute business life. His appealing wife aloof enjoyed her airing afterward him around, chatting with the added assemblage and assimilation up the ambiance of this high-zoot event.
The advantage for the pros is that they can win a absolutely big purse - $117,000 – and the keys to a cast new BMW X5 crossover SUV account abutting to 50-grand. We’re not talking about a charter here. The champ gets the car. A absolute purse of over $600,000 is advance amid the leaders and the top 25 money winners of the Nationwide Bout will beautomatically able to attempt in the PGA Tour, the big league.
REVIEW AND CONCLUSIONS
As you may accept aggregate we were amorous with this allotment of the Carolinas - the ambagious roads, the amazing vistas, the absorbing people, the appropriately absorbing towns, the flora and the fauna. My appealing albino and I will be bottomward there afresh in a brace of weeks and I’ll appearance her about the abundant spots Joe and I . She’ll adulation it too.
Bobby Hitt told me beforehand in the anniversary that the ambition of the BMW-PGA Alms Pro-Am was to accomplish it the best accident of its affectionate in the country - the best of the PGA’s Nationwide Bout contest and the best association accident anytime to adroitness this allotment of the Carolinas. I asked if he feels like that ambition has been met. “I abiding do,” he offered afterwards hesitation. I absolutely wouldn’t agnosticism that assessment.
The car, as well, is advised by BMW to be the best of its kind. It’s tight, agile, good-looking, chic and boss functional, decidedly appropriate for us active enthusiasts. Performance is all we expected, and our expectations were high. Afterwards all, it is the newest 3 Series, the ambition best makers of baby action sedans shoot for. EPA estimates are for 20 to 30 miles/gallon and we consistently managed 25 alike with our active abundance active and amphitheater aerodynamics. And, we got added actuality into it than we could accept expected.
Sunday afternoon, afterwards a continued anniversary of contest and a abutting antagonism Bobby Hitt presented the sparkling cut-glass bays and the keys to the new BMW X5 in advanced of The Golf Channel cameras to the adolescent Australian Nick Flanagan from New South Wales. Obviously not in his aspect in advanced of the camera, Flanagan about accustomed the keys and the bays graciously. His easygoing appearance was endearing. He came in at 15 stokes beneath par in this 72-hole clash assault the abutting abutting challenger, Nicholas Thompson, by abandoned one stroke.
Janet Jones-Gretzky and her pro partner, Darren Angel won the Pro-Am/Pro-Celeb allocation of the clash altruistic their $10,000 accomplishment to one of the accommodating charities.
Just about 42,000 admirers showed up to watch the clash this year and hundreds of thousand of dollars were generated for bounded charities. But best of all, Joe and I got to run about the Carolina bottom hills in this abundant BMW 3 Alternation convertible - with the top bottomward best of the time. And no one got a sunburn.
Sunday afternoon, afterwards a continued anniversary of contest and a abutting competition, Bobby Hitt presented the sparkling cut-glass bays and the keys to the new BMW X5 in advanced of The Golf Channel cameras to the adolescent Australian Nick Flanagan from New South Wales. Flanagan says he has never endemic a car. Afterwards birdies on 6 of the aftermost 8 holes Flanagan came in at 15 stokes beneath par in this 72-hole clash assault the abutting abutting challenger, Nicholas Thompson, by abandoned one achievement in an amazing come-from-behind allegation for the win.
For all the capacity on the BMW-PGA golf tourney analysis out their high-content Website: www.bmwcharitygolf.com. You ability appetite to comedy abutting year.
Check out the accommodating golf active at: www.cliffscommunities.com. Homesites starting in the $300,000s.
Sorry to report, our new acquaintance “Tree Carver” doesn’t accept a Web presence. But watch for him in the news. He’s consistently accomplishing article account worthy.
© Steve Purdy, Shunpiker Productions All Rights Reserved
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