Golf News

As the Club completes its 17th year and many great events have happened on these grounds, 2022 was a sea change in the growth and health of our Club. Tournament participation, member engagement and guest activity sponsored by Members were at levels not seen prior. Thank you for your support of our Professional Staff during an epic year, and we look forward to 2023 being more of the same.

As we moved into the “winter” phase of the golf calendar, we hosted some events that put an emphasis on fun and camaraderie, mixed in with a little competition. In November, the 5th Annual CR Cup was held. This popular event pits two teams of 36 players against each other in a Ryder Cup-style format; the “Overs” (50+) versus the “Unders” (49 and under)! Bragging rights are always on the line, and this year’s event was no different. In the end, the Unders retained the cup with a strong 40-32 victory. The Overs will be looking to get the Cup back in November of ’23.

The Club event calendar then pivoted to some of our most popular events here during the holiday season. The Club hosts the Turkey Shootout the day after Thanksgiving and the Nightmare before Christmas which falls on the Saturday before Christmas.

The Turkey Shoot-out is unique because it is played on a different golf course. Yes, the course is here at Champions Retreat but we take the Buff and Island nines, shuffle a few things around and you have a cross-country course. This nine-hole event featured a mix of tees and greens from each nine which also had a par 6 and a few diabolical tee shots. The team that could navigate this trickery the best would come out as champion. This past November, the Gross title, with a score of 34, went to the team of Phillip Tussey, Chris Newsome, Aaron Cozart and Will Rogers. The Net title, with a score of 29, went to Greg Honeymichael, Jonathan Lilly, Graham Wyman, and Grey Meybohm.

Shortly thereafter, the aptly named Nightmare before Christmas was hosted in December. As the name suggests, you better prepare for some 3-putts (and the occas ional 4-putt!).

The “scary” pin positions definitely kept all players on their toes. The scramble format adds an element of fun to offset the “nightmare." There was some exceptional play and none better than the team of Ryan Mitchell, Chris Blackburn, Chris Rud and Russell Fiveash. They fired an unbelievable score of 59 to capture the Gross title. The Net champions of father-s on duo Richard and Jackson Marshall, along with Ryan Marshall and Michael Downes fired a similarly sterling round of net 59.

Before you know it, we are kicking off the 2023 season with the Ice Breaker Par 3 Tournament. Stay tuned for all the exciting details!

Don’t forget to get “logoed up” here at the Golf Shop. Whether at the game, in the neighborhood or at work, there are many ways to show off the CR pride. This fall, we had our custom CR Dormie Workshop headcovers with the Island #4 scene and Smathers & Branson CR belts which had the logo of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player paired with the CR logo. The Golf House hopes to be your one-stop shop for the latest trends in golf fashion, accessories and equipment. Let one of the Professionals know how best we can assist you in your fashion or your game.

Mike Rymer | Director of Golf