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A Man Standing In A Room With Food On The Shelves

Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club’s Southern Hospitality Career Fair kicks off major hiring initiative

With ambitious plans to hire nearly 100 new employees in 2021, the luxury Durham hotel is offering a taste of the property’s incredible ambiance and warm hospitality 

DURHAM, N.C., June  17,  2021  –  Washington  Duke Inn  & Golf  Club, the  AAA Four  Diamond  luxury inn  and  golf c lub  located on t he campus of Duke University,  is  hosting a Southern  Hospitality Career  Fair on  Thursday, June 24, 2021, from  10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  on  the property’s  scenic Te rrace  on the Green. The event kicks off  a major  hiring initiative  for  the Washington Duke Inn,  JB  Duke Hotel  and  The  Lodge at  Duke Medical Center, who  anticipate  hiring upwards of  100  new  team members by the  end  of  the  year.  

Career fair attendees will enjoy a selection of complimentary “bites” and beverages from the award-winning Fairview Dining Room, as well as try their luck in a putting contest alongside many of the outstanding PGA professionals at the Duke University Golf Club and Top 100 Teacher and PGA Master Professional Ed Ibarguen. 

“To understand how special it is to work here, you have to come and experience it for yourself,” said Deana Merrell, area director of human resources, Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. “The historic ambiance and breathtaking grounds make this is a wonderful place to start or continue a career in hospitality, but our long-time employees will tell you that the supportive, family feel nurtured by our team is what truly sets this place apart.” 

At the career fair, potential new team members will have opportunities to speak candidly with long-time employees and interview for a variety of flexible part-and full-time positions in housekeeping, maintenance, and food and beverage. The Washington Duke Inn, JB Duke Hotel and The Lodge at Duke Medical Center will extend offers to qualified applicants on the spot. 

“When  I first  came here, I felt like I was at  home,”  said  housekeeper  Angela Baker, who started  working at  the  Washington  Duke Inn  six  years ago. “I love  the atmosphere, the comfort, the  environment, the  fresh  flowers and  the special gatherings.  It  is the best  place in  the world  to  work  because this  place  is all about family. We  welcome people  with  an  open  heart  and  make you  feel at  home.”  

“If anyone wants to leave their employment at the end of the day, and feel that they made the world a little bit better and a little bit warmer, this is the place to do that,” added server Bryan Castellucci, who started working at the Washington Duke Inn nearly 16 years ago. “I have appreciated t he  freedom  to  grow  and  learn,  while  gaining  a wealth  of knowledge,  insights,  experience and  relationships.” 

The Washington Duke Inn recently raised starting pay for hourly employees to $15 per hour, with perks including a free meal during each shift, generous benefits, a lucrative employee referral program and free parking. To review all career opportunities, please visit www.washingtondukeinn.com/careers. 

The Washington Duke Inn  & Golf  Club  has reintroduced  many  of its amenities, and  outfitted  a  brand  new game  room  for  children,  while keeping  safety measures  in  place  as the  top  priority for  guests  and  employees.   The  Fairview  Dining Room, which  has come to define Durham fine dining  with  its  regional American  specialties  and  impeccable service, is open  for  breakfast, lunch,  dinner  and  a  traditional  Afternoon  Tea  (reservations required).  Visitors can  enjoy fresh, thoughtfully crafted f ood  and  drinks in  the  dining room  or  outside  on the  property’s  expansive patio,  with  views  of the Duke University Golf  Course and  Duke Forest.   

The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club has also reopened its heated indoor swimming pool and fitness center, which hotel guests can access during their stay. All overnight guests at the Inn enjoy access to the Duke Faculty Club for a small fee. To book a stay, please call 919.490.0999 or book online. 

About Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is a AAA Four Diamond hotel located on the campus of Duke University, only 20 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and ten minutes from Research Triangle Park. Nestled on 300 acres filled with tall pines and hardwoods, the Inn is known for its delicious cuisine in the Fairview Dining Room, winner of the AAA Four Diamond Restaurant Award and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Favorite amenities include the Bull Durham Bar and the Robert Trent Jones-designed 18-hole championship Duke University golf course. Named one of U.S. News’ Top 15 Best Hotels in North Carolina, the Inn is set apart from other area hotels and conference centers by unparalleled service, a gracious staff and attention to detail. 

For more information and reservations call (919) 490-0999 or (800) 443-3853 and visit washingtondukeinn.com. Follow Washington Duke Inn on Facebook at facebook.com/WashingtonDukeInn, Twitter at twitter.com/WashingtonDuke and Instagram at instagram.com/WashingtonDukeInn. 

Hole 1 Par 4

Welcome. Our classic layout begins with a sweeping right to left dogleg that narrows the further you play into it. There is plenty of room to the right but too much in that direction will adversely affect your yardage to the hole. Swing your way just short of the neck of the fairway where your successful positioning should leave approximately 160 yards to the middle of the green for a nice two putt par opener.

Hole 2 Par 4

From the tee, our second dogleg is sharper and immediately suggests an advantage for those cutting the corner. Don't believe your eyes! Play straight away toward the group of tall pines. Rees Jones has given you a long green as a target but it is well protected with formidable right side bunkers. Any shots that are hit long will roll down a steep embankment leaving a very difficult pitch. Consider playing safely toward the left side and take your chances putting.

Hole 3 Par 4

What a golf hole! Thanks, Rees. This is an exacting par four which calls for a chess move off the tee. A straight approach to the throat of this small, shielded green is possible if you are willing to flirt with the right side fairway bunker on your drive. The left side is the safer route but it will leave you with a line that requires playing between bunkers short and water long. Either choice is challenging on this blue-ribbon hole. Good luck.

Hole 4 Par 3

Rees Jones has proven that great three pars don't have to be long. This jewel is framed by gallery mounds behind the green and is fronted beautifully by Dumpy's Creek. The short yardage invites a promising birdie opportunity if you can safely negotiate the bunkers front left and back right. Don't forget to factor the two tier green into you club selection.

Hole 5 Par 4

Duke's design starts your round with four position holes. Now its time for a power hole! You can clearly see the large right fairway bunker but there is plenty of room to the left. Just stretch back and let the big dog eat. Your long drive pays dividends in shortening your second shot since this green is flanked by bunkers on three sides.

Hole 6 Par 4

Location location location...the fairway sand line blends in visually with the green sand line to create an effect of bunkers everywhere. Let your opponents play out of the ninety three yards of fairway bunkers on the right. Your position in the short grass will be especially appreciated because it's all carry into another well protected, strategically contoured green.

Hole 7 Par 5

Here's your shot at our first par five but don't celebrate too early, its a brute. A prodigious driving hole where your best 300 yard drive can fly over the right side fairway bunkers leaving you a mere 272 into the green! For most of us, choices on the second are limited due to creek cutting only seven yards from the front of the green. Good news, if you can carry the green there's plenty of room long. Bad news, the real challenge is in putting this unique sculptured green that slopes strongly from back to front. Shots that end up above the hole will require the deft touch of one of our Duke Medical Center surgeons.

Hole 8 Par 3

Another great par three. Take a second look. The shot requirement is all carry over a monstrous fronting bunker...and uphill all the way to this three level green. Although you may not feel any wind on the tee, you would be wise to check the wind direction on the tree tops along the right side.

Hole 9 Par 5

Rees brings the front side to a close with a reachable par five that could yield a feathered vertebrate. The drive is straight away but will surely benefit from a right to left ball flight. The Washington Duke Inn provides a dramatic backdrop with lots of gallery locations to accommodate the fans who have come to watch you play. We know you're a crowd pleaser as you stand ready to rip your second shot into the center of this sizable green BUT, be sure to understand the errant shots missing this green will face difficult recoveries. A lay up short of the green must be played with care to improve your chances of leaving this hole with a one putt birdie.

Hole 10 Par 4

Congratulations. You've just completed the Jones' front nine and we hope you are headed toward your personal best at Duke Golf Club. This tee box is surrounded by gallery mounds but simply concentrate on your game instead of the crowd noise. The hole opens with a generous landing area and prefers a left to right tee shot moving away from the fairway bunker. The green is receptive and could yield birdie opportunities to balls landing in the right center of the target. Shots played defiantly left must fly the bunker knowing that anything long will be caught in a hollow behind the green.

Hole 11 Par 5

A truly strategic five par featuring a unique green design that is shaped into an "S" and literally painted into its surrounding landscape. A player's attitude and psyche will be molded by this critical turning point hole. This is the beginning of Duke's own "Amen Corner". A good score here can open up the entire back side but....This hole is reachable in two by smashing your drive long and left near the fairway bunker. Before you play your second and as you view your options from the top of the hill, take a moment to experience one of those delicious moments of truth that golfers relish. Any choice must factor in the cunning design of this green. Tom's Creek, protected by a bunker on each side which will require precision into the correct location. Regardless of your result, this hole is a golfer's delight. Enjoy this moment, its what golf is all about.

Hole 12 Par 3

Playing further into the 'Corner,' we arrive at one of Duke's photographic gems. You'll love this showpiece three par from any tee position. If you're playing the back tees, Rees has provided you with a peninsula green that provides challenge as well as aesthetics. It is a singular opportunity to prove your mettle. This hole confirms the fact that water has an uncanny ability to collect all those shots hit with hope rather than confidence.

Hole 13 Par 4

This short four par is simply outstanding. The Tee shot requires a premium on direction due to the trees and lateral hazards on both sides but allows an advantage to toy with the pond fronting the fairway. The ability to shorten the approach to the green even by one club might make the difference in hitting this diagonally designed green. Aim at the hollowed area in the middle of the green and forget the fooling with hold locations that lie next to hazard of every variety. Stead...play away please.

Hole 14 Par 4

This five par offers an opportunity to let the shaft out for all those playing the shorter tees. A back tee player is provided a slight left to right feeling on the drive and should play off the left side of the fairway. This hole seems like the calm in the middle of the "Corner" storm as it plays generously through our tree lined North Carolina landscape...until you are hitting for the green. Stay left in positioning your approach for two distinct benefits; you will be playing into the full length of the green and you might be able to use the built in ramp on the left side of the green to your advantage. This is our largest green and offers some tricky putts for all those who fail to land close to the hole.

Hole 15 Par 3

Just one more challenge before you finish Rees' "Corner". To compound your problems, this is the favorite location of tournament galleries because they can view the action on three holes at once. You are facing a slightly uphill, slightly long, slightly difficult three par where the wind can play a major role in your club selection. Swing with confidence, the green was built to hold a shot from a long club and includes a chipping bail out area to the left of the green.

Hole 16 Par 4

The inviting four par allows you a moment to enjoy the visual beauty and panorama from the Devil tee which is located on the highest point of the golf course. Any of the elevated tee boxes will give your drive extra carry as you try to land far enough into the dogleg to see the green. The short grass is lined with hanging hardwoods on the right and a series of fairway bunkers left and long. Your uphill second is played to a wide green divided by a slight ridge. Care should be given to the visual effect of short yardage created by the placement of the front bunker into the hillside.

Hole 17 Par 4

Through sixteen holes, the truly great classic golf course designs all seem to effortlessly take a player through every club in the bag and every corner of the mind. Then, with two holes left to play, the course demands a little extra to complete an experience found no where else in sport. Rees has continued in this classic tradition with his design of the seventeenth at Duke. A taxing driving hole, straight away but more, asking for both length and accuracy. Any tee shot other than long and straight will leave you with a real test for your long iron ability. Greenside bunkering creates additional hardship making this the most difficult hole on the course. Par is a good score.

Hole 18 Par 4

The eighteenth is one of the most challenging finishing holes anywhere. Sixteen yards longer than the mammoth seventeenth, it will also call for two very long and accurate shots to hit the green in regulation. The fairway slopes right to left so plan to land your drive on the right side for a clear second shot into this pear shaped green. Just imagine that you're about to finish the final round of the U.S. Open in front of a gallery of thousands. Your shot soars toward the green and lands next to the hole for a tap in birdie!