Bay Creek Nicklaus course #8 "Best Courses You Can Play in Virginia"

Bay Creek boasts two spectacular golf courses designed by two of golf’s legends – Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.  The courses are laid out in a pattern that criss-cross through vibrant landscaping, alongside luxury homes and some holes even offer views of the Chesapeake Bay.  The courses have more than just good looks going for them though.  In 2009 both courses were recognized in Golf Digest’s Best in State rankings.  Nicklaus was ranked 11^th and Palmer ranked 14^th.  Golfweek Magazine named our Nicklaus course #8 in their Best Courses You Can Play in Virginia category.

Whether you come for the day or make a long weekend out of it, our special winter prices are hard to pass up.  Now through the end of February you can play 36 holes for $45 everyday.  There is a deeper discount for seniors, active military and tee times after noon.

Want to stay for a few days?  We’ve got that covered too!  Winter Golf Vacation Packages are a great way to experience both courses, take in the charm of historic Cape Charles and maybe take a peek at some of our luxury real estate. You’ll get a taste of golf course living by staying in a fully furnished vacation home, some of which offer outstanding views of the courses.

So, round up a few of your golfing buddies and come see why the Nicklaus and Palmer courses at Bay Creek have enticed players to return again and again.  The weather is mild, the courses aren’t crowded and winter discounts make it affordable.  What are you waiting for?

Two beautiful and challenging courses – one designed by Arnold Palmer and the other by Jack Nicklaus – on the lovely Eastern Shore of Virginia and set against the backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay ensure a great day with dad regardless of the score.

There’s a Callaway Demo Day on June 20 where you can try all the latest equipment and register for a free club.  You can also enjoy a second round for only $40, including a dozen premium golf balls!

Many that play golf learned from their fathers.  I can think of no better way to spend the day set aside for dads then with their children on the course.

Beautiful views at every turn!

Wachapreague is a historic and charming place to visit, north of the Bay Creek Resort and Club. Surrounded by farmland, woods and water, you will enjoy strolling the streets of a lovely Victorian-era town. Long famous for its sports fishing, it is also is a base for enjoying unspoiled wetlands and barrier islands in the Mid-Atlantic States.

Enjoy an Eco-tour and explore the beauty of the seas. You will visit former life saving stations, light houses, hunting clubs, clam beds, oyster harvesting areas, countless beaches filled with shells and sand dollars spread, too numerous to count, over the sands.

• American Society of Civil Engineers award for “Outstanding Engineering Achievement.”
• Designated “One of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.”

The Bridge-Tunnel is four-lane 20-mile-long and consists of a series of low-level trestles interrupted by two one-mile-long tunnels beneath Thimble Shoals and Chesapeake navigation channels. The manmade islands, each a five acres in size, are located at each end of the two tunnels. There are high level bridges over two other navigation channels: North Channel Bridge and Fisherman Inlet Bridge. Between North Channel and Fisherman Inlet, the bridge crosses at-grade over Fisherman Island, a barrier island which includes the Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge administered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bay Creek’s own fine dining restaurant, Aqua, catered a sophisticated and delicious banquet while a silent auction of over 160 enticing items was a thrilling shopping experience for many.

The unpiloted test is part of an effort to design a system for safely propelling future spacecraft and crews away from hazards on the launch pad or during the climb to orbit. 

The system was developed as an alternative to the launch abort system chosen for NASA’s Orion crew capsule. Orion, part of a new spacecraft system being developed by NASA’s Constellation Program, is undergoing design reviews in preparation for flying humans to the International Space Station in 2015 and, later, to the moon.

The Max Launch Abort System is being tested to provide experience in flight testing a spacecraft to NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center, which leads the project from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton. 

The 33-foot-high launch vehicle will travel to an altitude of approximately one mile to simulate an emergency on the launch pad. A full-scale mockup of the crew module will separate from the launch vehicle and parachute into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Wallops Flight Facility is only about an hour and twenty minutes from Bay Creek Resort & Club.  Check out our Discovery Visits and schedule a trip to experience all that we have to offer and witness the Max Launch Abort System.

CAPE CHARLES — It was just about a month ago that Berkley Rayfield appeared before the Cape Charles Town Council to ask for a work session to explore locating an independent Christian school in the town-owned former high school.

Today, the local pharmacist and a cadre of supporters are set to open their doors on Sept. 8.

It won’t be at the high school location at first –Rayfield and others never anticipated such early occupancy of the long-unused building in need of a major overhaul.

Instead, classes likely will be held in space at Cape Charles Baptist and Trinity United Methodist churches with hopes that a deal with the town over the use of the school will soon be struck and renovation work started.

If all goes according to plan, and so far it has, classes would begin in the fall of 2010 in the rehabilitated school that anchors the revitalized Central Park, once again filling the high-ceilinged halls with the sounds of children.

So far, local families have signed up 35 children. The first year offers instruction to ages pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, with plans to add at least one grade every year through 12th grade.

Longtime Kiptopeke Elementary Principal Gwyn Coghill will sign on in the same role at the new school. She announced her retirement earlier this year.

Andrea Price, also a former Northampton Public School administrator and middle school principal, will serve as principal for grades six through eight, while Coghill focuses on the younger grades.

Three certified teachers and an aide have also been hired. Carrie Cabello will teach pre-kindergarten through first grade; Leslie Savage, second and third grades; and Kate Tayloe, fourth and fifth. Victor Abrahamian has joined as a general teacher’s aide.

School enthusiasm
Rayfield and Kate Brown, an enthusiastic supporter, walked the property Friday. The sense of the school-to-be was palpable despite peeling paint, falling ceilings and windows and asbestos floor tiles in need of replacement.

“We’ll get it all fixed up,” she said. “I’m not worried about that.”

Brown, the mother of two future students aged 3 and 1 moved to the Shore a few years ago from Dallas, but her mother is a Cheriton native and grew up with Rayfield’s mother.

“We are trying to teach or address the whole child,” Brown said, “not just academics but the body, spirit and social consciousness.

“We are really trying to be an extension of a really strong church and family, rather than a replacement for them.”

The mission is to prepare students for the world, not to protect them from it.

Class sizes are expected to range from eight to 10 students with clustered grade levels that will facilitate independent learning and teaching.

The enthusiasm for the school is reflected in the sign-ups and the interest of faculty and administrators, most if not all working at reduced compensation rates from the public school system, where teachers routinely speak out about low wages.

Coghill, Rayfield said, offered to work the first year without pay.

“All the teachers are taking a cut to do this,” he said. “They are so excited.”

“One said it is a teacher’s dream to start a new school,” Brown said.

Rayfield is counting on the enthusiasm of the local community. He’s still determined that his original fundraising plan to find 2,000 sponsors to pledge $500 each will pay for the needed $1 million in improvements to the former high school.

Local Realtor Linda Buskey is organizing corporate sponsorships and support, some of which may help establish scholarships and financial aid. She hopes to match the local $1 million contribution through corporate gifts.

There will be a big emphasis on parental and community involvement. Brown and Rayfield plan to bring in people from the community — from builders to local artists –to add to the learning environment.

All teachers are certified in their subject areas and Rayfield said the school is already working toward accreditation, a two-year process.

Diverse curriculum
The curriculum will have a greater emphasis on literature, with more local environmental, ecological and historical study, too.

Overall, core subjects include English, math, science and social studies, with special areas of study in Bible, health and physical education, library and computer, the visual and performing arts and community service.

The former school provides a natural spot for sports, too, with adjacent town tennis courts and the open fields of central park in front.

A crew team is in the works, and other sports will likely include basketball, track, cross country, soccer, volleyball and others.

Teachers — two of those already on board are Sunday school teachers — will use the Bible to teach values and will work with local pastors.

“Obviously it is a Christian school,” Brown said of the new non-denominational option. “We are not going to gloss over that.”

The application for 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit status is in process and in the next few weeks Rayfield plans to roll out a promotional DVD to help with fundraising and community support.

Local churches can pool parishioner support to sponsor a child’s education.

“Part of the preparing, not protecting, is having diversity,” Brown said of the school’s mission. “We don’t want just one segment of the county’s demographic. We want a mix.”

Tuition for the first year is $4,500, but some discounts may apply. Families can save $500 on the first child and $1,500 on the second child by signing up by June 8.

The organizers are forming a board of trustees and seeking nominations. Contact the school at 757-331-1717 or www.questions@capecharleschristian.org for more information or to make a nomination. Follow the school’s progress at www.capecharleschristian.org.

Bay Creek is women friendly and supports the desires of all who want to learn the game and enjoy its many benefits.  This year’s Ladies Invitational is Thursday, June 25.  Because it is as much a social event as a competition, the theme is Tee Garden and the format is two person teams, one better ball net.  A light breakfast and lunch are included. 

Whether it’s a formal event or just getting together with friends or family, golf is a perfect activity to facilitate new friendships, rekindle old friendships and spend time with those near and dear to us.  So make some calls and get a group together.  Make it a day for ladies to enjoy in a beautiful setting and take a “daycation” from the rigors of your daily activities.

While people recognize that housing prices have been falling and the housing market is in a slump, they are far more optimistic about the future with three out of four homeowners believing that their homes’ prices will increase or remain flat over the next 6 months.  Homeowners are also eager to get back into the market with 30% saying they would be likely to put their house up for sale at the first sign of a market rebound. 

This is great news for anyone looking for Eastern Shore real estate.  Bay Creek Resort & Club has great incentives for buyers of Cape Charles real estate, but these incentives won’t last long.  Right now is the best time to buy a new home.