CLUB HAPPENINGS

Treyburn families enjoyed a serene sleigh ride pulled by beautiful Percheron horses, led by Santa Claus! Professional photographs were taken of families and children meeting Santa; the club served hot cocoa, cider and other treats around the fire pit. This annual event provides fun for all as it brings the spirit of the holidays to life.

Brook Valley raised over $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Fundraising efforts included a putting contest between Golf Pro Riley Kinlaw and F&B Manager Sophia Karanikas. Members purchased 50/50 raffle tickets to bet on the golfer they thought would win and the winner’s name was drawn from a fishbowl. Kinlaw had handicaps thrown at him throughout the 18 holes: he wore a blindfold while putting, and putted left-handed and backwards. The golf guys set up a puttputt course on the main warm-up putting green and members came to watch.

2020 was a challenging year, to say the least. However, participation in events at Musgrove Mill was fantastic, with golf providing an escape from the reality of the daily grind. A Match Play event hosted 64 players over three days of competition. The 2020 Overall Championship Match was played between Nathan Franks (a rising freshman at the University of South Carolina) and Harry Reynolds (a sophomore at Indiana University). Both players shot under par for the round and the match went into a playoff. The winner of the 2020 championship was Nathan Franks – he won the 21st Hole!

Holston Hills held a skins game made up of four local PGA Tour players to raise money for junior golf programs. Scott Stallings, Peter Malnati, Wes Roach and Eric Axley played 18 holes in front of a gallery of members, raising in excess of $5,000 for the Tennessee Golf Foundation, Kid’s Play Free of Knoxville, First Tee – Greater Knoxville and the Holston Hills Junior Golf Program. It was an exciting day full of great golf for a tremendous cause.

The Club Ballroom was transformed into a Winter Wonderland and members enjoyed down-home cooking with a buffet of comfort food, including a variety of freshly-baked bread, salads, beef tenderloin, bacon-wrapped pork loin and a banana fosters station, to name a few. The dessert station was a hit as the bananas were mixed with vanilla ice cream and sauce consisting of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur. Beyond the delicious assortment of food, there was also a lot of dancing with music from DJ Butch.

Members look forward to the Family Gingerbread Decorating Party each year. In 2020, however, members were a little leery about coming to the club. Everyone was cautious and wore a mask any time they were not sitting at their family table eating and drinking. The children take their time placing each piece of candy in its rightful place. They love working on their gingerbread houses and seeing the final product. This annual event brings the families and staff a lot of heartfelt pleasure.