The Rock Named Best New Canadian Course by Golf Digest

Press Release

Posted 2005-03-12

Marriott Golf's first offering in Canada, The Rock, was recently awarded one of the industry's most prestigious awards and was named the Best New Canadian Course by Golf Digest in the January 2005 issue.

The Rock, known as a course with a beautiful natural landscape, was praised for its unique layout and a design that places a premium on shot- making and course management. A course that will test every club in the bag, The Rock doesn't appear daunting when considering its yardage, but several elevation changes and natural elements come into play (including several granite outcroppings), making this course something to remember. Golf Digest highlighted several holes, including the course's signature hole #12, where dramatic elevation changes make accuracy off of the tee a necessity.

"For The Rock to be named Best New Canadian Course is a tremendous honor and something we take great pride in," noted Claye Atcheson, vice president of golf operations, Marriott Golf. "For anybody looking to try a course with dramatic scenery and a true test of a shot maker's ability -- then The Rock is for them."

The Rock is the first phase of The Red Leaves Resort, located in the popular Muskoka region of Ontario. In addition to The Rock, Marriott International plans to open the first JW Marriott Resort in Canada, scheduled to debut in 2007.

The largest resort golf operator in the United States, Marriott Golf currently manages 49 golf courses at 39 facilities offering more than 800 holes of championship golf in Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Marriott has been managing golf operations since 1970, providing golf management services to a variety of operational environments including resort, private club, daily fee, golf school and franchise properties.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with over 2,600 lodging properties in the United States and 65 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 133,000 employees. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by Fortune(R) magazine. In fiscal year 2004, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com.