Eighteen Holes Now Open At The Georgia Tech Club Atlanta, GA. October, 2006 – The private Georgia Tech Club, located within the gated Echelon community, now has all eighteen holes open for play. The new Rees Jones’ design upon opening can legitimately claim to be one of the most challenging anywhere: the course rating as assessed by the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) is 77.8 and the slope rating is 154 from the Championship Tees.  Only seven courses in the U.S. have a higher slope rating than the Georgia Tech Club, among them Pine Valley in New Jersey and the Ocean Course at Kiaweh in South Carolina, which are at 155. In May, 2006 over 200 club members, Echelon home owners, and guests enjoyed a Memorial Day Sunset Grille at the community celebrating the opening of the first nine holes of the course. On October 6 another celebration will be hosted at the club for the Founder Members and guests to preview the full eighteen holes. The Georgia Tech Club will comprise an 18-hole, 7,558-yard Rees Jones’ championship golf course, and a clubhouse with a golf pro shop, dining area, club lounge, fitness and wellness area and locker rooms. Echelon consists of 230 estate homesites, each over one acre in size on approximately 610 acres located in Atlanta’s northern quadrant. Rees Jones by the consensus opinion of all in the golf industry is one of the best golf course designers working today. Several of his course designs in the Southeast have received recognition as among the best. Jones’ design for the Golf Club at Briars Creek in South Carolina was named Best New Private Course 2003 by Golf Digest. In Georgia, Reynolds Plantation (Oconee Course), placed eighth on the list of Best New Upscale Public Courses for 2002, and Ocean Forest Golf Club at Sea Island was Runner-up, Best New Private Course 1996. Ocean Forest hosted the Walker Cup in 2001. Joey and Kelly Dixon, formerly of Roswell, became the first residents at Echelon in February, 2006. Joey was a member of the Georgia Tech golf team in 1985 through 1987. The 5,500-sq.-ft. Dixon home was built by Tom Campbell of Campbell Homes, Inc.   The Georgia Tech Club has an affiliation with Georgia Tech through a license agreement with the Alumni and Athletic Associations that entitles direct marketing access to alumni, boosters, supporters and friends. Georgia Tech will receive royalties from the sale of memberships and operating income. The Club will be managed by Troon Golf of Scottsdale, Arizona. Troon Golf is one of several Strategic Partners on the University Clubs by Melrose team, and the country’s most respected golf management company. Troon Golf facilities have become synonymous with extraordinary golf worldwide.  The developer of Echelon and the Georgia Tech Club is University Clubs by Melrose, an affiliate company of The Melrose Company. A recreational community and club development company, The Melrose Company has active projects in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia, Indiana and Texas.