Tee Times August 2021

August 2021 Keeping Golfers Connected in TN, KY, MS, AL, NC

August 2021

On board with the captain Sarah Ingram ready to guide U.S. Women’s Curtis Cup team Pages 2-4

Inside!! time: Stephen Jaeger, 4 Tour David Skinns headed to PGA Tour trophies: Gordonsville’s Sophie 12 Sophie’s Linder wraps up memorable summer memoriam: Remembering 24 InDanny Gibson

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Sarah Ingram returns to the Curtis Cup as captain of the U.S. team. As a player, Ingram was a member of three Curtis Cup teams. Photo courtesy of USGA.

Captain of the ship

It’s showtime for Curtis Cup captain Sarah Ingram, U.S. team

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor For U.S. Curtis Cup captain Sarah Ingram, the wait is just about over.

Perhaps the longest tenured captain in Curtis Cup history, as of this writing it’s been two years and 150 days since she was named, Ingram is making a return to the matches that pit a team of top U.S. women’s amateur players against a team from Great Britain and Ireland.

The matches, postponed by a year from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, are Aug. 26-28 at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales. The delay extended Ingram’s tenure as captain by more than a year, but she said that’s OK by her.

“It’s been really fun, for most part,” Ingram said in a recent phone interview. “It was definitely disappointing last year when we got the news that they were postponing the event. It was tough for the girls who were in contention and trying to make decisions whether to play an extra year in college and take the NCAA’s extra year or go ahead and turn pro. That was what was hard for me – feeling for the girls whose golf progressions had been disrupted.”

Despite a recent surge in the Delta variant of Covid-19, the matches are on schedule. The U.S. team was finalized two days after the conclusion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

No stranger to Curtis Cup

Ingram, who forged an outstanding amateur career, is no stranger to Curtis Cup play. She was a fixture on the U.S. team in 1992, 1994 and 1996, where she compiled a 2-1 singles record. However, the GB&I team took home the Curtis Cup in all three of her appearances. That’s something she would like to change.

“I would love to win, but if you look at my Curtis Cup past it’s not good. I hope I am not going to be giving them any bad mojo,” she said, laughing. “It would be nice to win and finally get the Cup in my hands. But the girls have to play. They are the players. They are all really good players and very strong players. Hopefully we have a great week.”

Win or lose, though, Ingram is comfortable that her legacy in amateur golf – one that she continues to build on after returning to competitive golf – is secure.

“This is a huge honor for me to be captain and it’s a huge honor for each of the players to be on the team and play for their country. I know everybody is going to give it their very, very best,” she said.

“Whatever happens, happens.”

According to Julia Pine of the USGA, Ingram was a natural choice to captain the U.S. team given her “USGA resume and especially her Curtis Cup resume.”

“She was at the top of our list for Curtis Cup consideration,” said Pine, who is the senior manager of women’s championship communications. “We love people who have been lifelong career amateurs

Sarah Ingram displays her LNGA Senior Amateur Championship trophy

and she’s done that.”

Her Curtis Cup experience also played a role in her selection, Pine said.

“She is kind of perfect in that way,” Pine noted.

A selection committee makes the final decision on captains.

Pine offered a story about one of the qualities that made her a natural for the job.

“When we were down at the U.S. Women’s Am and her club was hosting, Sarah heard about a player that went to Duke and was one of the top amateurs in her own right, was going through some struggles both on the course and off,” Pine said. “She took it upon herself as a Duke alum and an accomplished ama-

teur to reach out to that player to let her know if she wanted to talk that she was around and there to help. I think that speaks to who Sarah is. She never wants to necessarily be in the spotlight, but she wants to lend support and share her own experience. That’s really the quality off the course that makes her perfect for a captain role.”

What captain’s role entails

Ingram expects her role as captain, in addition to making decisions about pairings and which players to sit out in the early matches, to include part confidant for her players.

“My first concern when asked to be the

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Sarah Ingram was 2-1 in singles play during her three stints on the U.S. Curtis Cup team said.

There were two practice sessions – one in 2019 and another this past January with 12 players. In those sessions, Ingram mixed and matched players in mostly alternate-shot formats so players would begin to feel comfortable in that setting.

Ingram’s playing career

Curtis Cup captain was how I was going to deal with college and teenage girls,” said Ingram, who has two sons. “I only know college and teenage boys. So, I was a little intimidated by the idea, but the girls are really fun and really cute and that’s really been the best part of the whole thing.”

Ingram doesn’t expect to be a mother to her players, though.

“I’m not quite sure we are on that level,” she said. “Maybe once get through that week we’ll be closer to that and definitely have a closer relationship. But they have asked my opinion and I have given them advice on not necessarily so much golf – boyfriends and life stuff.”

Because Ingram is 25 years removed from playing on the Curtis Cup team and took a lengthy break from competitive golf, Ingram said there probably was some curiosity from the players about just who she was.

“Once I was named captain, I think they were pretty aware,” she said. “It has been so much fun to get to know them and it’s been lots of fun playing in some

tournaments against them, getting to know some girls from some other countries.”

Laura Nochta of the USGA is the team manager, but unlike the Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup competitions, Ingram has no co-captains. The U.S. team was chosen by a USGA selection committee with input from Ingram. It’s in the days leading up to the matches that Ingram’s role begins to peak.

Early in her captaincy, Ingram reached out to several past captains to get their input. She also contacted U.S. Walker Cup captain Nathaniel Crosby for advice.

“I sort of have been at arm’s length the past two years and now it is a reality,” she said. “I asked what to expect, about how to pair people together and things like that.”

A survey was sent to prospective players seeking information about topics like how far they hit each club, comfort level with food, pairings, what they think of their strengths and weaknesses.

“I will use all that information to help make the best pairings I can,” Ingram

Ingram started playing golf when she was 10, but it wasn’t always her first love. She enjoyed all sports and also was an accomplished tennis player. It wasn’t until she was 12 that golf became the primary focus of her athletic career.

Her decision came after the tennis and golf pros approached Ingram’s parents.

In that conversation, the pros told Ingram’s parents their daughter had a chance to excel in those sports, but to be exemplary she needed to choose one.

After taking tennis lessons in the winter and golf lessons in the summer, Ingram chose golf.

“I loved the challenge of the sport,” she said. “You’ve got to be skillful. To be really good at golf you have to be athletic, you have to be pretty determined. I think you have to be a bit of a loner to be good at golf and I didn’t mind being alone. I was the only girl who played at my club and I played a lot of rounds by myself, and whenever you are practicing you are alone. I really love practicing and getting better and seeing improvement. That’s the most fun part of golf and sports in general.”

Ingram’s successful amateur career came to an abrupt stop when she was 30. After having her first son, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Another son followed and her competitive golf was put on hiatus for two decades.

“For two years I couldn’t bend four fingers, so I got out of golf,” she said. “I was ready to take a step back from golf.

I had done what I wanted to do. I wanted to do for my children what my parents did for me and that was just to be there and introduce them to other sports or whatever they wanted to do. It turns out my oldest son is a great musician.”

However, she stayed active in the USGA and served on the nominating committee for USGA‘s executive committee for three years, which she enjoyed.

“That kind of started getting me back in the golf world,” she said.

Shortly after, her home club of the Golf Club of Tennessee, hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur of which she served as co-chair.

Being involved in that event and around the players created new interest in playing again.

“I got some new clubs in 2018 and thought these clubs hit is pretty well,” Ingram said. “This is fun. Golf was fun again.”

Since returning to playing, Ingram won the 2020 Tennessee Senior Amateur Championship and the Ladies National Golf Association Senior Championship.

She qualified and recently played in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. And, she was invited to be one of the first three women members at iconic Pine Valley.

Now, though, her full attention is helping the U.S. win the Curtis Cup. She admits she’ll probably be more nervous as a captain than when she was playing in the matches.

“I’m the one who is pairing them together and the one who is deciding who has to sit out,” she said. “I have to take some responsibility. That will make it a little more nerve wracking. When I was playing, I was just doing what I was told.”

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Golf notebook: Jaeger, Skinns earn PGA Tour cards; Sargent named player of the year Tee Times Report It was a mere formality, but former Tennessee-Chattanooga standout Stephan Jaeger received his PGA Tour card for the upcoming season after the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.

Jaeger, along with 24 other players, earned their way onto the PGA Tour by virtue of their play this season. Jaeger led the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour points standings to easily advance to the next level.

Jaeger just missed a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour. Any player that wins three times in one season automatically moves on. Jaeger won twice – the 2020 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron and the 2021 Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin. He also posted three runner-up finishes.

Jaeger, who plays out of Chattanooga, is making his third trip to the PGA Tour..

“I’m super excited,” he said. “It’s been a long year. A lot of tournaments, a lot of hard work. Ready to get back out there and compete.”

Ex-Vol Skinns wins, earns Tour card

Former Tennessee golfer David Skinns recorded a one-stroke victory at the Pinnacle Bank Championship in Omaha, Neb., earning his PGA TOUR card for the 202122 season.

Skinns entered the regular season finale ranking in 46th place in the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour points standings, needing to win the Pinnacle Bank Championship to move into the top 25 and earn his first PGA TOUR card.

The 17-year pro shot 14-under for the weekend overall, winning Omaha’s Pinnacle Bank Championship for the second time (2018).

“It’s been a lot of years coming,” Skinns said. “That’s all I can say and I’m so happy it’s finally here. It’s taken a lot of years; it’s taken a lot of effort and this is just a little surreal right now.

“I knew I had to win and I knew I could win. The fact that it’s happened is just, it’s a little surreal right now. But yeah, I’m just really proud of the way I stayed with it one shot by one shot, didn’t get ahead of

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Stephan Jaeger

Gordon Sargent

myself. Every time I went into the future, I just pulled myself right back again and that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

A two-time All-American at Tennessee, Skinns played for the Vols from 2001-05.

Skinns is one of two Vols in program history to be named All-SEC for four consecutive years and also won the SEC individual title as a senior in 2005. Skinns was also named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2002.

Vanderbilt freshman earns national honor

Vanderbilt incoming freshman Gordon Sargent was named the USA TODAY Male Golfer of the Year recently.

Sargent finished his prep career with both individual and team state championships and defended his title while claiming victory as the Alabama State Amateur Champion with a 17-under-par 267. Sargent, who signed with Vandy in November, recently finished as runner-up at the Western Amateur.

A graduate of Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Sargent was the No. 1-ranked player in the state of Alabama and No. 2-ranked golfer in the recruiting class of 2021. He is a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and ranked 36th – and No. 1 junior golfer – in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Vanderbilt signee Jackson Van Paris was also a finalist for the award.

Former Vandy star competed in Olympics

Vanderbilt’s Matthias Schwab officially became an Olympian last month when the former Commodore star competed in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Competing for his native Austria, Schwab shot a four-day total of 275 (-9) to finish tied for 27th overall. Schwab saved his best round for last by shooting a 4-underpar 67.

Schwab, from Rohrmoos, Austria, was a three-time All-America selection from 2014-17 for Vandy. He was also named All-SEC three times and made the 2014 SEC All-Freshman team. He turned pro in 2017, is ranked 126th in the official world golf ranking and is currently competing on

David Skinns

Greg Odom Jr. the European Tour.

Memphis crowns city champions

Greg Odom Jr. and Kellye Chrestman won Memphis City Championships recently.

Odom shot rounds of 65-62-71 to take a two-shot win in the men’s championship. He trailed Ben Fisher by one shot after shooting 65 in the first round, but then took control with a blistering 62 in the second round. Odom’s 198 total was 13-under par for the 54-hole tournament.

Winburne Hughes started the final round six shots off the lead and in third place, but closed with a 67 to finish sec-

Kellye Chrestman ond at 200. Matt Cooper also shot 67 in the final round to finish third at 203. Fisher, the first-round leader slipped to 74 in the final round and finished fourth at 205.

Daniel Roberts finished fifth at 206.

Chrestman cruised to a five-shot win in the women’s championship on the strength of rounds of 65-64. Her 129 total was five shots clear of Kenna Hughes, who also broke 70 both days (68-66) and finished with a 134 total.

Rachel Stephens grabbed third place at 145, while Carla kay Hickam finished fourth at 146. Joan Placetino was fifth at 150.

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From tHE Editor

By Gregg Dewalt

In Memphis, junior golfers play for free

T

here are so many great junior golf initiatives in Tennessee, it’s hard to keep up sometimes.

From the national Youth on Course program to the Sneds Tour to Scott Stallings’ Kids Play Free Program, along with the First Tee of Tennessee, junior golfers have no shortage of access to the game. And with willing professionals eager to provide instruction and guidance, it’s no wonder junior golf is alive and well in the state, but that it is thriving.

It’s due to those types of programs that Tennessee is always well represented at national events.

You can also count Memphis as another part of the state that encourages junior play.

The city-run golf courses are available free of charge to junior players.

“One of the big things our administration has been behind us is our junior golf initiative,” Mickey Barker, who oversees city golf in Memphis, said recently. “We don’t charge junior golfers to play golf on our golf courses. If they want to come out during the week, with exception of Galloway - because there are so many people playing Galloway - the other six courses juniors under the age of 18 do not pay a greens fee Monday through Friday and after 12 on weekends. They can walk 100 holes a day if they want – it won’t cost them a penny.”

Barker credited PGA Tour pro Ben Crane, who won the St. Jude FedEx Classic in 2014, with providing part of the impetus for the city moving forward for free junior golf.

“Several years ago I heard an interview with Ben Crane, who was the defending champion of the St. Jude FedEx Classic,” Barker said. “He said one thing he wanted was to try to get rid of the barriers for junior

PUBLISHER Joe Hall pgegolf@bellsouth.net

EDITOR Gregg Dewalt teetimesgregg@gmail.com

The approach to the green on the par 5 second hole at Ross Creek Landing in Clifton

golf, especially the financial barrier where golf courses charged so much for juniors to play. I said that’s a good idea, and I took it to the parks administration and the city administration, and asked if we could remove that barrier.”

Obviously, the idea did not fall on deaf ears.

“They said, ‘That’s great. Let’s go with it,’” Barker said. “Ever since then, we have been able to keep that greens fee away.”

Has free junior golf cost the city revenue?

Barker said no.

“We’re in our sixth year of doing it and our revenues have not decreased because of it,” he said. “If anything, our revenues have increased over the last six years.”

The program also is providing a future customer base for the courses, so it is a winwin situation for the kids and the city.

Looking for a day trip? There are a couple of out-of-the-way courses that should be on you radar.

Ross Creek Landing, the former Bear Trace

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SENIOR EDITOR David Widener widecard@aol.com

offering in Clifton that reopened last fall, is rounding into great shape.

Fred Gillham Jr., one of the course’s owners, said business has been good since the relaunch. He said play picks up mid-week and improves significantly on the weekends.

Gillham, co-owner Tommy Tinin, and David Chasteen, who took over what is now called Chickasaw Golf Course, did a fine job restoring the original routing at Ross Creek after being closed for so long. Long considered the crown jewel of the Bear Trace courses, Ross Creek is pretty close to being back to what it once was.

Plagued by a cool, wet spring, the Bermuda grass tees, fairways and greens are popping.

The rough is typical Bermuda rough – it’s not overly high but the ball sinks straight to the bottom.

Chasteen did a nice job clearing some trees that needed removing, especially around the 12th green that was in a highly-shaded area. There are a few bunkers that could still use some TLC, but overall it’s easily worth the $41 rate.

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Carol Hall teetimescarol@bellsouth.net GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jon Hamilton jrhdesign@att.net

TECHNICAL ADVISOR Jimmy Phillips

As a refresher, Ross Creek Landing has plenty of challenging holes to test even the best players. Jack Nicklaus made sure he was going to give players a tough test on the closing holes of each nine.

No. 8 is a challenging par 5 that stretches from 530 yards (White tees) to 556 yards (Blue tees) with water running along the left and a narrow fairway guarded by bunkers. The ninth hole is a solid gentle uphill 418-yard (White tees) par 4.

The closing stretch from No. 15 through No. 18 offers four excellent finishing holes – 2 par 4s, a long par 3 and a par 5. The finishing par 4 is 432 yards from the White tees and a man-sized 477 from the Gold tees.

For more information, go to rosscreeklandinggolfclub.com or call 931-6763174.

A little further south and west, golfers will encounter the Pickwick Landing State Park golf course, a part of the Tennessee Golf Trail and operated by the state parks department. While Ross Creek Landing is more open and inviting off the tee, Pickwick as it is known to the locals, was carved and routed through pine trees.

It also features Bermuda grass tees, fairways, rough and greens and always is in immaculate shape. Pickwick opened in 1973, and while not long at 6,483 yards from the tips, it’s plenty challenging for players of all skill level.

Three of the par 5s are accessible in two shots, including the twin par 5s that close each nine.

For more information about Pickwick Landing, go to tnstateparks.com/golf/ course/pickwick-landing or call 731-6893149.

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Opinion

By David Widener

Member Golf Writers Association of America

Golf belongs in Olympics I

t took 112 years, but it finally appears the sport of golf has found a permanent home in the Olympics.

What took so long? Perhaps the international growth in the sport swayed the committee members who voted in 2009 to reinstate golf for the 2016 Olympics.

Personally, I’ve been an advocate of such throughout my long journalism career as well as bringing back the sports of baseball and softball, which returned this year for the first time since 2008.

Golf made its Olympics debut at Paris in 1900. USA’s Charles Sands won the Gold with scores of 82 and 85 (that’s not a misprint) and Margaret Abbott, an American visiting Paris, was the women’s champion although she believed the event was the Ladies’ Championship of Paris. Canadian George Lyon captured the Gold Medal at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. Seeking a repeat, he traveled to London for the 1908 Olympic Games but disagreement over the format cancelled the event. As the sole competitor he was offered a second gold medal but declined.

Then came the long dry spell. Reinstated the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro saw the USA win just one medal in golf with that coming when Matt Kuchar finished third to take home the Bronze. Justin Rose of Great Britain won the Gold.

In women’s competition, Inbee Park of South Korea captured the Gold. COVID-19 postponed the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo until this year, but the virus (vaccines were not required for those participating) might have played a role in just six of the top 20 in the World Ranking choosing to play. One who did, USA’s Xander Schauffale, won the Gold Medal by shooting 18-under-par. Nelly Korda made it a sweep for USA by winning the women’s Gold with 17-under-par.

Schauffale wanted to win for his father, Stefan, who once was an Olympic hopeful for Germany in the decathlon before hit by a drunk driver and losing vision in one of his eyes. The 27-year-old from San Diego has four PGA Tour victories including the 2017 Tour Championship when he won by one stroke over Justin Thomas. That helped him win the Tour’s Rookie of the Year award. His resume also includes second place ties in the 2018 Open Championship and 2019 Masters where he lost by one stroke to Tiger Woods, and a tie for third in the 2019 U.S. Open.

Korda won the PGA Championship and Olympics in a span of 42 days. The 23-yearold Florida resident was a member of the 2019 Solheim Cup team and has six victories on the LPGA Tour since joining in 2017.

With the current Olympics success, look for

Xander Schauffale

Nelly Korda

more of the Tour players to consider participating in future Games. Golf is on the agenda for 2024 Paris, 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Australia so the future looks bright. Team Medal competition that has been missing is optimistic for 2028 Olympics.

There is some skepticism. Adam Scott, one of three players who twice turned down spots for the Olympics, doesn’t like the 72hole stroke play format which is the same as used in golf’s four majors and says the Olympics spot should go to some other sport. However, Rory McIlroy, who turned down a spot in 2016 had a change of heart and showed up in Tokyo this year and was in the hunt for the Gold Medal.

“I was wrong about golf in the Olympics five years ago,” he said. “I need to give things a chance and shouldn’t be so skeptical. It’s sort of a trait of mine. I’m happy to be proven wrong.”

Justin Thomas went to Tokyo and despite not winning a medal is glad he did.

“It’s so different and cooler than I thought it was,” he said. “I’m more proud of being here than I thought it would be” Looks like golf has a bright future in the Olympics. It doesn’t get any better than representing your country and winning a medal regardless of the sport.

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Around Nashville Fairways Wayne Evans

Superintendent of Sports/ Golf Clubhouse Operations

Remembering an old friend

Summer is here in full force and I generally have great things to say about what is going on with our Metro Golf Courses. Instead, I lead off with sad news for those who knew, admired, and loved Danny Gibson, PGA and a 36-year employee of Metro Parks Golf Courses. Danny died August 8. He was strong to the end after years of declining health.

I knew Danny going back to around 1977 when I was a skinny 14-yearold kid who attended a Metro Parks junior clinic at the Riverview Golf Course (now Vinny Links) that Danny put together and hosted.

Years later, I was very fortunate to have worked for him at Metro Parks.

He was widely known as an outstanding golfer and a knowledgeable PGA Golf Professional, but even more so, a true gentleman. He was one of the kindest, caring, and humble individuals you would ever meet. He was known by thousands of people and I don’t know of one person that has an unkind word to say about him.

Let me share a “Danny” story. Last year during the Metro Parks COVID-19 closures, Danny talked his granddaughter, Christine Baxter, into taking him to McCabe Park. Now, mind you, Danny was still recovering from a 2017 stroke and was a cancer survivor to boot, but he pushed to get out on the course. He was checking because he had heard that the greens were being worked on. To his dismay

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Danny Gibson the course was closed.

Luckily, Lynn Ray came to the rescue and got Danny out on the course, putting his mind at ease and reassuring him that it was just time to rework the greens. For more coverage about Danny, go to page 24.

Danny enjoying McCabe GC after inspecting greens

Our 2021 MUNI champion, Phillip Lee was set on winning yet another James H. Fyke Municipal Cham- Kevin Forte, PGA & GM, Harpeth Hills GC, presents Phillip Lee, 2021 MUNI Champ with his trophy pionship and he came through, notching his fourth title (2015, peth Hills GC presented Phillip Lee 2018, 2020, and 2021). with the Danny Gibson Trophy after Phillip also was named to the 2020 his win. Before his death, Jim Fyke Tennessee Golf Association’s TGA wanted this trophy to bear Danny’s Men’s Player of the Year. Congrats to name to honor him for years of serthis great amateur and champion. vice to Metro Parks.

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Memphian Rachel Heck heads U.S. Curtis Cup team

By USGA staff The United States Golf Association has finalized the eight-player roster for the USA Curtis Cup Team, as five women were selected to join the three previously named selections. The 41st Curtis Cup Match will be held Aug. 26-28 at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales.

The players are: Jensen Castle, 20, of West Columbia, S.C. Gina Kim, 21, of Durham, N.C. Rachel Kuehn, 20, of Asheville, N.C. Brooke Matthews, 22, of Rogers, Ark. Emilia Migliaccio, 22, of Cary, N.C. They join Rose Zhang, 18, of Irvine, Calif.; Rachel Heck, 19, of Memphis, Tenn.; and Allisen Corpuz, 23, of Kapolei, Hawaii, who were named to the team as automatic selections on July 26 as the top three Americans in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking ®/WAGR. “This is an incredibly talented group, and we know that under the leadership of Captain Sarah Ingram, they will represent the USA with the competitive spirit and camaraderie that have become staples of the Curtis Cup Match,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Cham-

Rachel Heck will lead the U.S. team against Great Britain and Ireland in the upcoming Curtis Cup matches. Photo courtesy USGA.

pionships.

Ingram is a two-time U.S. Women’s MidAmateur champion and a member of the 1992, 1994, and 1996 USA Curtis Cup Teams.

“I couldn’t be more excited to finally have the team in place,” said Ingram. “Over the

last two years, I’ve gotten to know many of these young ladies, and have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for them as golfers and people. We’re going to work hard over the next few weeks with the goal of bringing the trophy back to the United States.”

Seven of the eight players are currently ranked inside the top 40 in WAGR. The alternates for the USA Team are, in order of ranking: Megan Schofill, 20, of Monticello, Fla., and Megha Ganne, 17, of Holmdel, N.J. Due to current health and safety guidelines, the alternates will travel with the team to Wales.

The Curtis Cup Match is a biennial international women’s amateur golf competition between eight-player teams from the United States of America and Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I). It consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition.

The USGA’s International Team Selection (ITS) Working Group selects the USA Team, while The R&A selects the GB&I Team.

Notable past USA Curtis Cup Team members include U.S. Women’s Open champions JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Patty Sheehan, Hollis Stacy and Michelle Wie, as well as past and present LPGA stars such as Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Beth Daniel, Jessica Korda, Nancy Lopez and Dottie Pepper.

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Johnson laps field in record-setting Tennessee Amateur win

Tennessee Golf Association CHATTANOOGA – Someone asked on social media if Tyler Johnson was playing on videogame mode.

It sure seemed that way as the University of Tennessee senior won the 106th Tennessee Amateur Championship and completely obliterated the history books in the process.

Johnson turned in a four-day total of 261, a mind-boggling 27-under on the 7,000-yard layout at Council Fire Golf Club. Equally impressive was that he cruised to the title by a whopping 14 strokes over Vol teammate Cade Russell.

“I was just in a zone,” Johnson said after receiving the Martin Condon Trophy. “I was locked in all week. Just repeating the process over and over again. It kept working and I didn’t let off the gas.”

“It’s special to win this tournament … pretty unbelievable week.”

Johnson turned in a four-day card of 69-6564-63. Here are the tournament records he broke in the process: • Lowest score 72 holes, 261 (previous 269, Peyton Sliger 2015, Thomas Smith 2006) • Lowest score 72 holes relative to par, -27 (-19, Thomas Smith 2006) • Lowest score 18 holes relative to par, -9 (-8, 11 other golfers) • Lowest score final 36 holes, 127 (132, Bob Wolcott 1983; Craig Smith, 2012)

TS GC

• Lowest score final 36 holes relative to par -17 (-11, Danny Green 1998; Casey Wittenberg 2003) • Lowest score first 54 holes 198 (199, Wes Gosslin 2016) • Lowest score first 54 holes relative to par, -18 (-17, Wes Gosslin 2016) • Lowest score last 54 holes, 192 (199, Jonathan Fly 2010) • Lowest score last 54 holes relative to par -24 (-15, Joe David 2008) • Lowest 18-hole final round by winner 63 (65, Bob Wolcott 1983; Andrew Pratt 2004; Tim Jackson 2005; Thomas Smith 2006) • Biggest winning margin 14 (12, Wes Gosselin 2016; Andrew Pratt 2004) Johnson was only in a tie for ninth with a 3-under 69 as 28 players broke par on the first day, including leader Ryan Terry, the 2018 Tennessee Mid-Am champ, who shot a then-tournament record 64.

Johnson took the lead with four birdies in the first eight holes and never gave it up.

Vol teammate Jake Hall briefly tied Johnson in the third round with birdies on his first three holes. 17-year-old Cameron Tankersley, a recent Ole Miss commitment, kept his name near the top of the leaderboard with a third-round 64 and entered the final day two strokes back of Johnson.

The final round began as a two-man race with the next closest competitor to Johnson

Tyler Johnson and Tankersley being Lance Simpson, who was seven strokes out of the lead.

Johnson made sure it stayed that way as he birdied four of his first five holes to pull away.

A stretch of three straight birdies from 13-15 increased his cushion to double digits, and he added another birdie on 18 to set the singleround record.

“It was really fun,” said Johnson, who only missed seven greens in 72 rounds of golf. His four-day total included just two bogeys.

“Every once in a while you’ll get a few holes where you’ll be swinging it like that, but not for four rounds.”

Johnson celebrated on the 18th green with his parents, who surprised him by driving in from Knoxville for the final round. He didn’t know either of them were going to be able to make it.

Russell finished second at -13 (72-64-72-67275), while Matthew Copeland and Jake Hall tied for third at 277.

Rounding out the top 12 were: Ryan Terry 278, Lance Simpson 278, Cameron Tankersley 278, Michael Shears 279, Jack Smith 280, Blades Brown 280, Chase Roswall 280 and Blain Turner 280.

TWELVE STONES GOLF CLUB

PRO SHOP: 615-239-8945 • www.twelvestonesgolfclub.com

Chase McGowin, General Manager Chris Weilandt, Head Golf Professional Bill Riley, Superintendent Avery Sprehe, Assistant Superintendent

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Powell captures Legacy club championship The Legacy Club Championship was completed recently and there were a lot of good scores in every flight.

The championship came down to a playoff between two players who shot 9-under-par for the two-day tournament. After Tyler Williamson lipped out his birdie attempt, Patrick Powell rolled in his sixfooter for birdie to win.

First flight winner Michael Moore shot his career-best 66 in the second round to win the flight.

Tony Cobb, our Senior Champion, shot a 71 on day two to win the senior flight.

Burl White played consistent golf for two days with a 72 and 73 to win the Super Senior flight.

Next up on the MGA schedule is a Fourball event in late August.

Legacy Club Championship

Championship Flight – Blue Tees Champion: Patrick Powell 67-68=135 (Note: Won on the first playoff hole with a birdie) Runnerup: Tyler Williamson 66-69=135 Third place: Kyle Binkley 72-68=140 First Flight – White Tees Champion - Michael Moore 76-66=142 Runnerup - Darryl Maupin 77-68=145

Third place - Zach Crabtree 76-71=147

Senior Flight – Gold Tees Champion – Tony Cobb 81-71=152 Runnerup tie – Greg Johnson 7784=161; Joe Mac Traughber 80-81=161 Super Senior Flight – Red Tees Champion – Burl White 72-73=145 Runnerup – Danny Gentry 68-78=146

Bunker project completed

We have recently completed the bunker renovation and all of the bunkers now have the Better Billy Bunker system and filled with new sand. The cart path on No. 10 has been dug up, re-routed for player convenience and replaced from tee to green with new concrete.

We hope all of the players enjoy the improvements and we will continue make improvements on other areas of the golf course and cart paths in the future.

Play more golf this year and come and play the Legacy.

Thank you, Kevin Holler, PGA Director of Golf The Legacy Golf Course

Tony Cobb was the senior club champion at The Legacy

The top three finishers in the championship flight were Patrick Powell, Tyler Williamson and Kyle Binkley

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Sneds Tour 2021 Players of the Year

Aces Legacy of Springfield David Batson aced No. 17, a 115-yard par 3, with a pitching wedge on June 29. Witnesses were Phillip Smith and Chuck Gregory.

McCabe Golf Course

Linda Green aced No. 8, a 102-yard par 3, with a 7-iron on July 7. Witnesses were Vickie Stanfill and Elaine Saltsman.

Two Rivers Golf Course

Loyd Smith aced No. 8, a 158-yard par 3, with a 6-iron on July 13. Witnesses were John Adams, Johnny Norton and Chris White.

Mike Patterson aced the par 3 No. 8 from 165 with a 6-iron on July 15. Witnesses were Venson Cauther, Andre Southall and Robert Hall.

Even the Golden Bear reads Tee Times!

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Gordonsville’s Sophie Linder watches a tee shot at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Photo courtesy USGA.

A Star in the Making

At 17, Sophie Linder is redefining what it means to be a teenage phenom

By Justin Onslow Tee Times Associate Editor Sophie Linder is advanced beyond her years.

At 17 and as a junior at Gordonsville High School in Gordonsville, Linder is far more accomplished as a golfer than most any of her peers. She’s also more proficient, more mature and more wellequipped to deal with the weight of the descriptors often thrown her way – words like “prodigy” and “phenom.”

In order to be as talented as Linder is at golf, especially at such a young age, one has to be willing to dedicate countless hours to the craft. Those are hours spent not doing many of the things her friends and classmates are doing. They’re hours working on the present and toward the future – one that likely promises success and certainly includes a lot more golf.

A 2023 commit to Ole Miss where she’ll continue her education and golfing career, Linder still has plenty to do and, somehow, nothing to prove in her final two years as perhaps the best high school golfer in the state of Tennessee.

Chasing the Dream

Linder started playing golf when she was seven, thanks to her father, Eddie, who managed to get Sophie interested

in the game with some help from a now-closed golf course in Riddleton, Tennessee, where the Linder family lived at the time, and where she and Eddie would walk out onto the course and hit balls after it closed. That Sophie starting playing at seven isn’t all that remarkable – many a golfing journey began around that age – but considering that’s just 10 years of golfing between the inception and the present, there’s a lot to unpack in that decade.

Consider: Linder first picked up a golf club in 2011. In 2021, she became the first golfer ever to win both the Tennessee Girls’ Junior Amateur and the Tennessee Women’s Open, and she did so in a span of a few weeks in July.

Impressive? Undoubtedly. Surprising?

That might just depend on who you ask.

At 14, before ever hitting a single shot as a high school golfer, Linder was already competing with golfers nearly 10 years her senior, finishing second at the Women’s Amateur Championship in 2019. The winner, Hanley Long, had just graduated from Middle Tennessee State University.

In the two years between that remarkable second-place finish and her perhaps even more remarkable month of July in 2021 was a pair of high school state championships.

Tempering Expectations

“I wasn’t expecting to play the Open and had no expectations at all,” Linder says of her most impressive win to date.

“And then I won that and that’s a really big tournament. I’ve played it the last three years and I love that tournament because the fans are always there, the community is always great. That one really meant a lot to me.”

A week removed from her Tennessee Junior Amateur win, Linder seriously considered not playing in the Open – she felt like she needed a break ahead of the PGA Girls’ Junior Championship at Valhalla, in which she went on to finish tied for 37th – but Stonehenge Golf Club happened to set up similarly to what she expected to face at Valhalla and wanted to use the Open as a practice round in anticipation.

“Every tournament my dad always says, ‘play like you practice,’” Linder says. “For me, thinking that way helped me out, just not stressing out as much about it. That mindset probably really did help me that week.”

The results speak for themselves.

Linder shot a 7-under 209 to edge out Tennessee Women’s Amateur champion Alyssa Montgomery of Virginia Tech by five strokes – setting the record as the

youngest Tennessee Women’s Open champion and tying the record for margin of victory in the tournament.

Prodigy indeed.

Looking Ahead

In every sport, those who attain and maintain dominance tend to have short memories. Bad shots don’t linger in the mind, nor do great tournaments and dominant wins. Linder doesn’t dwell on her success or her failures – there’s always another tournament to be contested, more records to be broken, though she’s not one to think in such terms.

After all, Linder is still a 17-year-old high school student with classes to attend, friends to spend time with and a teenager’s life to live.

“I’m busy during the summer. Days I have off, I’ll go do something,” Linder says. “I won’t practice that day. I’ll go hang out with my friends. When school starts, I’m a basketball manager for the team – my brother Luke plays basketball – I always have that to do. It’s hard to balance, but once you get used to it, you find ways to make time.”

She may not realize it, but that mentality is rare in young athletes who possess her level of skill. “Burning out” happens all too often when there’s not a

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healthy balance to even things out.

“When I get a break, I take advantage of that break,” she adds. “I’ve just gotten so used to playing all the time that, to me, that’s just how it is now. I don’t mind it anymore. It’s just what I do, and I’ve gotten used to it.”

The Next Step

Linder found herself six strokes back on the final day of competition at the Tennessee Junior Amateur – a tournament at which she yoked herself with lofty expectations, unlike her proceeding victory in the Open.

“I was going into (the Junior Amateur) thinking I had to win it because if you win that tournament, you play in the Tennessee Junior Cup, and that’s always a goal of mine,” she says. “I get there, and I didn’t play great the first two days – I was six back going into the last day thinking I didn’t have a shot at this. That was a really big win for me.”

The goal of qualifying for the Tennessee Junior Cup achieved, Linder now also sets her sights on playing in the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup in September (just days before the Tennessee Junior Cup).

“The U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team is only six girls and six guys,” she explains.

“That’s probably the most prestigious event … the most exciting and biggest event I’m going to be a part of.”

Perhaps lost in the shuffle is the fact that Linder has a chance to become a four-time TSSAA state champion if she’s able to repeat the success she enjoyed as both a freshman and sophomore.

As if pursuing that goal isn’t enough, there’s always more for Linder in the next step of a long-term plan to one day play on the LPGA Tour.

“My senior year my goal is to be on the All-American First Rolex team,” she says.

“To be top 10-ranked in AJGA rankings.”

At the time of publication, Linder is currently ranked 59th, with 37 golfers ahead of her in the rankings graduating in 2021 or 2022.

Helping Hands

When considering the best golf instructors in the state of Tennessee, Joe Hallett’s name is nearly always atop

Sophie Linder poses with her mother, Kaylan and father, Eddie after winning the Tennessee Women’s Open championship. any list. The Director of Instruction at Vanderbilt Legends Club is widely regarded as one of the premier teachers in the country, especially when it comes to LPGA touring pros like 2012 Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis, whom Hallett coaches. Simply put, someone like Linder could do far, far worse than to work with Hallett and his 25-plus years of coaching experience.

As it happens, Linder has been working with Hallett for the last two years and credits him for being one of the primary driving forces in her success to this point.

“The first time I went to see him, we worked on everything,” she says. “Since then, we’ve worked on a lot of swing stuff and lately we’ve been working on short game. He’s done a lot for me. He gives me simple ideas, simple drills, not too overly complicated, and I appreciate that because I don’t like to overcomplicate things.”

In addition to Hallett’s tutelage, Linder credits her father for helping a lot with the mental aspects of the game.

“My dad has helped me a lot mentally,” she says. “He knows about golf and the swing and stuff like that, but for my

mind and everything, he helps calm it down with positive thoughts.”

Linder has a strong support system and some brilliant minds working with her swing – her own included – and there’s very little doubt what the end result will eventually be.

“My number one goal is professional golf after [college], but if that doesn’t work, I’ve always wanted to go into dermatology,” Linder says. “I’m not 100 percent sure about that, though.”

Considering what she’s done to this point – the development, the wins, the people around her – it’s hard to imagine a future in which Linder ends up needing to rely on her fallback plan.

A Matter of Perspective

For all the success Linder has achieved at such a young age, you’d never even suspect a hint of ego or cockiness – in fact, until recently, it may have been quite the opposite.

“To me, it’s just you go out there and play your game,” she says. “I used to think about [opponents] being older than me and it got to me. Now I’m like ‘it’s just another person.’ I’m one of the older ones now. That doesn’t bother

Linder talks with her caddie, Dad Eddie, at the U.S. Women’s Amateur

Sophie Linder plays a bunker shot at Westchester Country Club in New York during the U.S. Women’s Amateur

me.”

Still, it’s easy to let success alter who you are, especially at that age. Not Linder. For her, it’s more about the game and the experiences that come with it.

“I’ve gotten to play TPC Sawgrass, which is an awesome place, and recently I got to play Valhalla – that was pretty cool,” she says. “I’ve been to New York twice this summer and I’d never been to New York in my life before then “I’m blessed to even be able to play those (courses).”

Linder lives to play golf. She points to Louis Oosthuizen’s swing as “nearly perfect” and says her short game, particularly putting, is where she most needs to improve. Her list of goals doesn’t necessarily always involve winning – just being able to participate in prestigious events at world-class courses. Getting to watch the Ryder Cup opening ceremony at Whistling Straits in September is something she’s most looking forward to.

For all her talent, Linder’s biggest strength is perspective. The game is never too big for her and she’s never too big for the game.

That, above all the success, is what Linder can always hang her hat on.

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The Course at Sewanee will provide an interesting challenge for players in the Tennessee Cup matches

Tennessee Cup matches set for The Course at Sewanee Tee Times Report FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Tennessee Challenge Cup is set for its 54th installment. The Challenge Cup, which annually pits the top 16 amateur golfers in the state against the top 16 PGA professionals, is scheduled for Nov. 1-2 at The Course at Sewanee in Sewanee.

Officials from both the Tennessee Golf Association, which selects the amateur team, and the Tennessee Section PGA, which chooses the professional team, are excited about this year’s battle for the John Deal Cup trophy.

“The Cup matches continually prove to be the most exciting event on our calendar,” said Clayton Hromadka, executive director of the Tennessee Section PGA. “The camaraderie that each of the participants experiences is tough to match in any other event.”

“While the camaraderie is certainly enjoyable, that doesn’t eliminate the intense competition that goes on once they tee off,” Hromadka continued. “I always enjoy watching the matches unfold as the players on each side give everything they have for their respective teams.”

Chad Anderson, the executive director for the Tennessee Golf As-

sociation, added, “The Course at Sewanee will be a great setting for this special event. Not only does it give our players the chance to compete on an outstanding golf course, but it is also great for hosting social functions for the event in their clubhouse. It will be a lot of fun for those who qualify.”

The Challenge Cup dates back to 1968, when the Amateurs edged out a 45.5-44.5 victory over the Professionals at Old Hickory Country Club.

The event came to fruition thanks to the efforts of Old Hickory amateur John Deal, Cookeville amateur Bobby Greenwood, and Cookeville professional Hubie Smith, who was president of the Tennessee Section PGA at the time.

Since then, the professional team has built a 30-22 advantage in the overall series, though the amateurs have won seven of the last 10 meetings. The event went to its current format in 1975, with one round each of four-ball, foursomes and singles matches played over the two-day tournament. The amateurs won last year’s showdown at Hillwood Country Club.

“Amateurs in Tennessee play in our championships and local invitationals throughout the year to make this team,” Anderson said. “There is a

lot of pride amongst our amateurs and they love competing against the wonderful PGA professionals in our state.”

Each team is comprised of 16 players, six of which are seniors. The professional team is selected using the Tennessee Section PGA’s seasonending Professional and senior Professional Player of the Year rankings.

The amateur team is chosen based on the Tennessee Golf Association’s season-ending amateur and Senior Amateur Player of the Year rankings.

Cookeville professional Bobby Nichols holds the record for most Challenge Cup appearances as he played in 37 of the first 40 installments. Knoxville native Jeff Golliher has made the most appearances for the Amateur Team, having competed in the Challenge Cup 36 times.

The Course at Sewanee is a unique 9-hole layout that opened in 1915 on the Cumberland Plateau on the campus of The University of the South.

The course underwent a major renovation in 2013 under the direction of renowned architect Gil Hanse.

The Course at Sewanee has hosted two TGA state championships since the redesign – the 2016 Tennessee Girls’ Junior and the 2018 Tennessee Women’s Senior Amateur and Mid-Amateur.

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Billy Graham and The Five Fundamentals of Golf/Life

By Bobby Greenwood, PGA It was 1969 and my first year on the PGA Tour. Playing in the Pro-Am, Billy Graham had made a hole-in-one. He had just finished his round and I met him as I was walking to the practice range.

I said, “Hey Billy, did you take unfair advantage when you made that holein-one?” He laughed and seemed to enjoy my reference to God’s help.

Rev. Billy Graham is considered to be one of the most influential men of the 20th century. Playing in the 1969 Atlanta Golf Classic Pro-Am, he had the opportunity to speak to the tour players. Usually, the crowds he spoke to numbered between 50,000 to 100,000 people in football stadiums. As I walked into the large banquet room at the Atlanta Country Club, there were seated about a dozen golfers and their wives and Billy Graham. It was probably the

smallest group he had spoken to.

Almost immediately, you could sense that this man truly loved God and had a deep appreciation for what God had done for him.

Ben Hogan wrote what many believe to be the Bible of golf instruction. The name of the book was “The Five Fundamentals of Golf.”

Billy Graham that night told us his five fundamentals of faith. I have often wished that everyone could have heard him that night.

Here is part of what he said: “The professional golfers have become superstars and champions at the most enjoyable, the most frustrating, the most exasperating, the most humiliating game in the world. Some people think that golf is mentioned in the Bible, because probably the best golf course in Israel is in Caesarea where Apostle Paul spent at least two years, and because it may have been in Caesarea that he wrote, ‘I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course..”

Now, let’s look at Hogan’s Five Fundamentals of Golf and applying them to life.

No. 1 - THE PROPER STANCE

In a more serious vein, I would like to list a few of the problems that I have faced as an amateur golfer and apply them to our lives, and to the world in which we live. First, there is the question of a proper stance; it is as varied as golfers are.

And I am convinced that in many areas of life today, we are going to have to take a stance – a stand for what we believe in; otherwise, the world we know may disappear in our generation.

I have been at some of the tournaments, and I have watched the pros

give it all they’ve got. I have watched men go out after a hard, grueling tournament round and practice until night, if they thought they did not do well that day. There is a dedication to golf.

It is that way with Christ.

No. 2 – THE GRIP

There is the problem of the proper grip. I know there are many different kinds of grips. I was cross-handed in golf for many years and switched over, but after today, the way I putted, I’m thinking about switching back. The question I’d like to ask you is, ‘Do you have a grip on your life?’ I know that most of you have a controlled backswing, but is there a control downswing inside?

No. 3 – INSIDE OUT

A third problem I face in golf is hitting the ball from the inside out. More than one pro has told me that somehow, I have to get that club on the inside of the line of flight.

We all have minds and bodies, and we develop them and try to keep them fit. But each of us also has a spirit, and many people totally neglect it. The reSee Memories on page 16

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Memories...

Continued from page 15

sult is that they search for something all their lives; they reach the pinnacle of their profession but they are still restless. Some people turn to alcohol.

When I came to Christ, I didn’t have any emotion at all. I didn’t shed a tear. I had no feeling except that I was scared; but I knew that something had happened down inside, and it changed the direction of my life and brought about a peace I wouldn’t trade for anything else in the world.

No. 4 – EYE ON THE BALL

The fourth problem I face in golf is keeping my eye on the ball and keeping your head in the game. That is a rule of every sport, whether it’s baseball, football, hockey, tennis or golf.

The New Testament speaks of ‘looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.’

The head of a London mental institution has said, ‘Half of my patients would be released if they could know they were forgiven.’

No. 5 – FOLLOWING THROUGH

A fifth problem I have is following through. That is true in following Christ as well. Golfers play by rules. Christians also live by rules. Some rules in golf seem unfair to us amateurs; but if we break them, we have to pay the penalty.

God has laid down some rules in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. They may seem rough, but they were made for our benefit.

God says if we live by them, you will find fulfillment and hope and relaxation and serenity even though the world crumbles around you.

Many great athletes are showing that it can be done, and they are out golfing, playing football and baseball, but living the Gospel. My prayer is that sometime, somewhere, many golf professionals and their wives will receive Christ and find a new dimension to living. You can tune in and plug in to God, and when you do, you will come to know the greatest Pro of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Registration deadline nears for Red Shoe tournament

The annual Red Shoe Golf Tournament is set for Sept. 29 at Oak Hills Golf Course in Greenbrier.

Cost for the two-lady scramble is $70 per player or $140 per team. Entry fee includes 18 holes of golf with cart, prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive, straightest drive, one mulligan and one toss per person, plus breakfast and lunch. There will be a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Deadline for registration or cancellation is Sept. 24. No refunds will be made after this date. The field limited to the first 40 paid teams and will be held rain or shine.

For information, call 615-419-6891.

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Baggarly wins inaugural Woosley-Reed rallies Tennessee Women’s for Junior Am title Match Play crown in Memphis Tennessee Golf Association

BRENTWOOD – Having grown up playing in countless Tennessee Junior Golf and Tennessee Golf Association tournaments, Addie Baggarly values having her name on a state championship trophy.

Recently, she not only captured a TGA title, but made history in the process.

Baggarly defeated McKinley Cunningham 2&1 in the final match to claim the inaugural Tennessee Women’s Match Play championship at Brentwood Country Club.

“I’ve been competing in TGA championships since 2011, I believe,” said Baggarly, who recently finished up her playing career at the University of Florida. “I’ve come close to winning time and time again. It feels great to get a win, especially in an inaugural event.”

Baggarly helped lead Science Hill High School to a state championship in 2013 before finishing her prep career at Tennessee High in Bristol. At Florida, she was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2018 and received All-SEC honors in 2020. She also was a member of Team USA in the Arnold Palmer Cup that year.

The championship match saw stellar play from both Baggarly and Cunningham, who was a part of Ole Miss’s national championship squad as a freshman this past season.

The final match was close throughout, with Baggarly holding a 2-up lead after 13 holes. Cunningham was 1-down before Baggarly birdied the par-3 16th hole with an excellent tee shot to go 2-up. She

Addie Baggarly closed out the match with a par on No. 17.

“I get a little more aggressive in match play, which I should probably put into my stroke play game,” Baggarly said.

“You’re playing your competitor and not necessarily the golf course. I think the match play format brings out the best in a lot of players” The inaugural field featured 24 players divided into six pools. The four players in each pool played round-robin matches with the top points getter in each advancing to a six-player championship bracket.

Baggarly and two-time Tennessee Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Jesse Lawley, the winner of Pool 1 and Pool 6 respectively, both received a bye into the bracket semifinals.

Caroline Caudill defeated Kendall Maynard 2-up in one of the first-round matches while Cunningham bested Lily Bloodworth 4&3 in the other.

Baggarly defeated Caudill 4&3 in the semifinals, while Cunningham beat Lawley 7&6.

MEMPHIS – Evan Woosley-Reed wasn’t feeling the most confident in his game entering the 2021 Tennessee Junior Amateur Championship.

But a little advice from his future college coach was just what he needed to get in the right mindset.

University of Tennessee head coach Brennan Webb told his 2022 commitment to “trust the process, not the results.” Woosley-Reed went on to win the state’s most prestigious junior title by rallying from a four-stroke deficit on the final day at Memphis Country Club.

“I just wanted to take it one shot at a time and not get ahead of myself,” Woosley-Reed said. “My game was iffy here and there before this week, and I decided to just commit to it and trust it. I believed in myself and committed to everything and it paid off.”

Woosley-Reed stormed back by turning in the low round of the tournament on the final day, a 5-under, 65 that gave him a 209 total (-1) for the three-day event.

There was only a total of nine rounds under par all week.

“This means a lot,” Woosley-Reed said of the win. “It’s been a lot of hard work. Memphis Country Club was in great condition and it gave us a great test.”

I’m just going to go back to work and keep on pushing to get better, like I had never won anything at all.”

Cameron Tankersley of Dickson and

Evan Woosley-Reed Patton Samuels of Clarksville tied for the runner-up spot at 212.

Following them at 214 were Michael Hake of Brentwood, J.J. Zimmer of Humbolt and Sheldon McKnight of Ooltewah.

A host of golfers tied for seventh place at 215, including: Riley Grindstaff of Thompsons Station, Kaleb Wilson of Knoxville, Aiden Coolier of Greenville, Haden Maxwell of Soddy Daisy and Christian Pardue of Arlington.

Woosley-Reed, a Shelbyville native who has been committed to the University of Tennessee since his 8th grade, turned in the only bogey-free round of the tournament in the final round.

His rally started with back-to-back birdies on 3 and 4. He was just getting warmed up, though, as he birdied three of four holes in the 9-12 stretch to move into a tie at the top of the leaderboard.

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Loren Personett, Josh Bevell, Walt Chapman and Casey Flenniken qualified for the 2022 PGA Professional Championship

Personett completes trifecta with 3rd Tennessee PGA Professional victory Tee Times Report

JACKSON – Loren Personett had some work to do in the final round In order to win his third Tennessee PGA Professional championship.

A two-time winner of the tournament, Personett trailed by one shot heading into the final round of the 53rd Tennessee PGA Professional Championship at the alwaystough Jackson Country Club. Although the deficit was small, Personett was chasing a tough competitor in Josh Bevell of Profectus Golf.

It took a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to cap a 68 that was good enough for a one-shot win over Bevell, who shot 70 in

the final round.

Personett, who works at McCabe Golf Course, finished the tournament at 11-under 205. Bevell finished at 206.

Personett cashed the first-place check of $7,000 while playing through heat indexes that reached into triple digits. The entire purse was $41,000. Walt Chapman, PGA of Fairways and Greens finished third after posting rounds of 68-70-70 to finish 8-under par overall.

Tanasi Golf Course Professional Casey Flenniken tied the low round of the day posting a 68 (-4) to finish in fourth at 7-under par overall.

Personett, Bevell, Chapman, and Flenniken will represent the section at

the 2022 PGA Professional Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas next April 17-22.

While Chapman was on the fringe of contention, Personett and Bevell turned it into a two-man race on the final nine.

Personett shot 31 on the front nine with five birdies, including four in a row at one stretch, to take a two-shot lead.

He stumbled with bogeys at Nos. 10-11 that allowed Bevell to move into a tie with four holes to play. Personett’s birdie at No. 15 turned out to be the difference as

he and Bevell played the last three holes with a par, bogey and birdie.

Womble breaks through for 1st TGA victory

Tennessee Golf Association

MEMPHIS - A grueling week of golf in the Memphis heat proved to be no contest for a seasoned veteran.

Travis Womble won a total of seven matches in a four-day span to claim his first Tennessee Golf Association state title at the Men’s Match Play Championship at Colonial Country Club.

The 46-year-old Womble, a former Lipscomb University golfer, defeated Middle Tennessee State University sophomore Steven Haremski 3&2 in the finals.

“Words can’t explain how much it means to me to have my name on a TGA trophy,” Womble said. “It just means everything.”

Making it even more special was the fact that Tim Jackson, the 2005 tournament champion and for whom the trophy is named after, was there to award it to Womble.

“Tim has become a good friend of mine,” Wimble noted.

“For me to accomplish something that Tim Jackson has accomplished just makes me feel incredible.”

Womble, who resides in Nashville, never trailed against Haremski, and took a 2-up lead after winning holes 5 and 6.

Travis Womble Haremski got it back to 1-up on a couple of occasions but each time Womble answered. Womble won hole 14 to go back in front 2-up as rain showers started to pass through the area. He closed out the match by rolling in a 30-footer to win 16.

The Tennessee Match Play Championship started with 16 pools of four players each, with each player playing 18-hole matches against the other three players in their pool. The player with the most points in each pool then advanced to the 16-player championship bracket.

Womble defeated Rob Garland (2&1), Blain Turner (2&1) and Coleman Jones (4&3) on his path through the bracket.

August 2021

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19

Annual Lightning Bug tournament set for Sept. 11 Tee Times Report The 17th Lightning Bug Golf Course tournament will be Sept. 11 with shotgun starts at 8:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. at the course.

The annual tournament at the nine-hole course in College Grove, benefits the Jesse Frank Junior Golf Scholarship Fund.

During the past 16 years, the Lightning Bug Golf Course tournament has raised more than $215,000 that has allowed more than 225 children to attend The Tennessee Junior PGA Golf Academy at Golf House Tennessee and Vanderbilt Legends Club.

The Lightning Bug course is the brainchild of Bill Blackburn. It began as a five-hole course to honor his friend and longtime Lipscomb Elementary School icon Jesse Frank and to give his daughter, Ann Catherine, an opportunity of making new friends while learning and growing the game of golf.

“While being an educator and

elementary school principal for well over thirty years, Jesse, with his solid values, beliefs, and ethics, positively influenced countless children and families through the decades,” Blackburn said.

“At Lipscomb Elementary, he knew every child by name and pulled more teeth than did most dentists. Each child’s selfesteem was of highest personal and professional concern. Those same philosophies and core values that Jesse believed in pertain directly to the game of golf.”

The first five holes opened on July 31, 2004 that included a celebration of friends, family, donors and supporters. The final four holes were completed in the fall of 2009.

These days, Blackburn’s mother-inlaw, Ann Frank, plays a vital role in the success and upkeep of Lightning Bug. “Often you will find her planting, pruning, or weeding the flower beds on each hole,” Blackburn said. “While we continue to miss Jesse, we are

Jesse Frank was an iconic educator at Lipscomb Elementary School

extremely grateful that Ann remains in great health and continues to promote the development of a place for “kids to be kids.”

The goal of the inaugural tournament was to raise enough money to provide three scholarships to attend The Tennessee Junior PGA Golf Academy.

This year’s tournament will consist of five-person teams in a shotgun start. The format is Team Select Drive

on even-numbered holes with three low scores counting. Two low-balls will count on odd-numbered holes with no team select drive.

Cost is $50 per player or $250 per team. All fees collected will be placed in the Jesse Frank Junior Golf Scholarship Fund. Donations are also accepted.

For more information, contact Blackburn at 615-603-8746.

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August 2021

Breakthrough Golf introduces Stability Carbon putter shaft Stability Carbon is another product innovation from Breakthrough Golf’s premium putter assortment.

“There’s a reason why the #1 PGA putter in the world plays Stability and it’s simply because our technology works,” said Barney Adams, CEO of Breakthrough Golf states.

“Stability Carbon is just another superb offering and gives all golfers a choice in their putter shafts.”

Highlights of the shaft technology include: • Exclusive, Advanced Materials Integration™; patented technology that delivers the face square at impact and is available only from BGT. • Carbon weave for playability refinement and improved feel.

• Change your Loft, Lie, Length, Balance, Grip…even the site lines.

• Customize your shaft with 4 connector options and 2 tip finishes.

• Fits virtually all putters, regardless of brand or bend profile- straight, single or double bends and it’s easy to install.

• 1 degree of torque, so your putter face remains square at impact to deliver consistent, accurate putts that roll straight every time.

• 99% of golfers who play Stability prefer it over steel.

Discover why golfers of all abilities have switched to the patterned technology of Stability. Stability Carbon is available at golf shops now and will retail for $179.9. Each shaft is evadible with custom features that golfers can choice from.

The Stability Tour shaft is the result of feedback from the best golfers and coaches in the world and offers state of the art performance with a slim profile and crisp, responsive sound and control preferred by better players. https://breakthroughgolftech.com/ stabilitycarbon/

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August 2021

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21

Honma unveils versatile, innovative TW-W21 wedge line Iconic Japanese equipment brand Honma Golf, the leader in holisticallycrafted premium golf clubs, is proud to release the new T//World W21 (TWW21) Wedge line. Showcasing precisely engineered center of gravity (CG) locations for optimal distance and spin control on shots around the green, this highly-anticipated wedge line delivers responsive and consistent performance through seven strategic loft options.

Building on the performance benefits of the award-winning TW-W4 model, MyGolfSpy.com’s “2019 Most Wanted Wedge,” the TW-W21 Wedge introduces newly-engineered design features across a strong array of sole and bounce options to fit a wide range of golfers.

“As much as our previous wedge line set high standards in performance and economic use of weight distribution, the new TW-W21 wedge line continues that tradition while giving golfers innovative, personalized loft, lie and grind characteristics that empower them to play full shots and shots around the green with confidence and control,” said Janeann Lanning, COO of Honma, North America.

“Honma’s newest and most versatile

wedge line puts improved short game creativity and reliable spin and distance control in the hands of discerning golfers.”

Expertly crafted performance

The classic club face made in mild soft steel with a satin, half-mirror finish, incorporates the premium brand’s proprietary CNC milling process to ensure unrivalled control is achieved. The milling pattern on the face provides exceptional levels of spin and stopping action on finesse shots around the green, while aluminum back inserts have replaced steel to allow discretionary weight to optimize the CG location.

The reverse taper blade design in the 56°, 58° and 60° lofts of the TW-W21 Wedge delivers a high CG that gradually increases in thickness from bottom-to-top, and laterally, from heel-to-toe, to ensure the ball grips to the club face longer, especially on high face strikes.

A flat blade design in the 48°, 50°, 52° and 54° lofted wedges creates a consistent thickness throughout for a mid-low

SHOULDER TURN

83º

SHOULDER TILT

35º

LOVETHE RESULTS HIP TURN

38º

CG, optimal spin and precise distance control on full shots. Three grinds deliver versatility for golfers seeking a wedge that performs at the highest level in varying turf conditions and angles of attack into the ball.

Innovations in sole grind design

The I-Sole in the 48°, 50°, 52° and 54° lofts feature a slight trailing edge relief across the back of the blade for full sole performance with improved turf interaction at impact.

The C-Sole grind in the 56°, 58° and 60° lofts deliver aggressive heel and toe trailing edge relief with a flat bounce surface for shot making versatility. This grind suits those golfers who like to open the club face and use their skill and creativity around the green.

The S-Sole is available in the 58° and 60° higher-lofted wedges and features fourway relief for shot making with added forgiveness. Wider, fuller soles ensure this grind is effective across a variety of turf conditions, particularly from bunkers.

Holistically engineered with the TW-W21 club head in Sakata, Japan, the VIZARD IB-105 WEDGE graphite shaft delivers faster dynamic face closure for a low launch at impact, as well as increased contact time between the ball and the club face for more spin.

For golfers who prefer the trusted feel of a steel shaft, the Nippon N.S. PRO MODUS3 115 WEDGE shaft is also available as a stock offering.

Visit www.honmagolf.com for more details on the TW-W21 Wedge line now available for purchase, $149.99, and Honma’s other families of beautifully crafted, luxury performance equipment.

Visit https://us.honmagolf. com

The facts, the coaching, the results.

With the use of our new optical motion capture system OptiMotionSM, you’ll learn exactly where your swing needs improvement. And with the help of your GOLFTEC Coach, there will be a lot more to love about your game.

Love Your Game

LESSONS • CLUB FITTING • golftec.com

NASHVILLE LOCATIONS: GOLFTEC Birmingham - 205-991-1762 GOLFTEC Cool Springs - 615-472-9175 GOLFTEC Nashville West - 615-696-6690

BOOK A LESSON

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Birmingham 205.991.1762

Cool Springs 615.472.9175

Nashville West 615.696.6690

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Learn more at golftec.com

GOLFTEC Birmingham’s Massey is great player, teacher You don’t have to be a great golfer to be a great golf instructor, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. At GOLFTEC’s Birmingham, Alabama location, Center Manager and Director of Instruction Nick Massey can lay claim to both descriptors.

Massey, a 28-year-old former college standout at Huntingdon College, has a career-low round of 59 to his name. By all measurable standards, Massey is great at golf.

In his five-plus years at GOLFTEC – a job he started before even graduating from college in 2017 – Massey has taught almost 6,500 lessons to over 450 unique golfers. By those very measurable standards, he’s also a great golf instructor.

Those two things aren’t necessarily linked.

Even the best players in the world may not have the desire to help others improve at the game. For Massey, though, it’s all one and the same.

“Really, I just enjoy playing golf just as much I love teaching golf,” he says. “I just love golf in general and that just drives me to help other people enjoy the game as much as I do.”

And the best way to help others enjoy the sport that much? Marked, measurable improvement.

“It’s making sure we’re getting players hitting the ball in a consistent direction and adding extra distance along the way,” he adds.

The way Massey and his team at GOLFTEC do that is simultaneously simple and complex. For golfers who take lessons at GOLFTEC, instructors make it simple: See your swing using all the impressive technology GOLFTEC has to offer, then leave the complicated stuff to the knowledgeable instructors who help golfers get to where they need to be.

“I like to be more fact-based, and GOLFTEC gives us the opportunity to do that,” Massey says. “Using the new OptiMotion technology, we can see how the body is positioned through the swing and we can deliver more fact-based diagnosis. We know what good players do and what maybe not-so-good players do and what everybody in between does. We can move players from where they are to where they would like to be based on that.”

That approach requires flexibility and talent on the part of GOLTEC instructors – a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works when it comes to the golf swing. And with so many hundreds of students walking through the doors of the Birmingham location, Massey and his team make it a point to tailor analysis and instruction to fit each individual swing.

BI R M I N G H A M “It makes it tough because, obviously, some people are visual learners, some people are feel learners, some are repetition learners,” he says. “It’s really just testing with that student – especially in the evaluation – feeling out why they learn and how they learn and making sure you deliver the material for them in that way.”

Between the technology GOLTEC offers (from launch monitors or cameras) and the knowledge of the company’s instruction team, that’s a simpler task than Massey may make it seem, made even easier by the fact that Massey simply loves golf and understands what it takes to be a successful golfer.

Again, the complex is up to the instructors at GOLFTEC, all with the goal of improvement coming easier to their students.

“It’s trying to help the student understand why we’re making the changes,” Massey says. “Not just telling them, ‘This is the change you need to make.’

Them understanding why we’re doing it is a big part of them being able to do it, and then just trying to find what’s best for each individual.”

Still, the numbers and stats and data points aren’t Massey’s final measuring stick. Ultimately, it comes down to making golf more enjoyable for his students.

“Everything I do is centered around helping people play better golf,” he says. “Hearing about the careerlow round or somebody making a hole-in-one and seeing them light up when they’re able to do that lets me know I’m doing the right thing.”

Nick Massey

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August 2021

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Apparel, equipment sales strong; Rounds played could be peaking Tee Times Report Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent market research firm for retail sales, consumer and trade trends, recently unveiled the 2021 Mid-Year U.S. Golf Retail Performance & Rounds Played Report, analyzing retail sales of golf equipment, golf apparel, and rounds played over the first six-months of 2021.

Due to the impacts of the pandemic on normal economic activity, making comparisons to 2020 doesn’t tell the whole story, so Golf Datatech’s analysis also compares the performance of the first six-months of 2021 with the same period in 2019, which was the last “normal” year prior to the worldwide impacts of COVID-19.

Highlighting the report, Golf Datatech analysis indicates rounds played thru June 2021 were up nearly 23% vs. 2020 and high single digits vs. 2019. During the same timeframe, golf equipment sales (balls, clubs, shoes, bags, gloves, distance devices) were up 78% compared to 2020 and 41% vs. 2019, while golf apparel is rebounding after a challenging 2020, up 68% vs. 2020 and 10% vs. 2019, reversing the negative trend it followed during the depths COVID-19.

“The question everyone was asking coming into 2021 was whether golf could continue to sustain its upward trajectory as the U.S. economy heated up and golfers had access to alternative activities,” said John Krzynowek, Partner at Golf Datatech.

“However, through the first sixmonths of 2021 the results are very encouraging, as all segments of the golf economy continue to prosper, even in the face of supply issues, particularly for products made abroad. While manufacturers of golf balls, clubs, shoes, bags, have all struggled to meet demand and replenish drained product pipelines, much of the industry still remains in a hand-to-mouth struggle to ship product in a timely manner.”

Krzynowek added, “Golf equipment sales had never reached $400 million in any single month prior to April of 2021, when retail sell-through totaled over $425 million, and now in June we’ve had the third consecutive month with sales above $400 million, so significant momentum continues in the equipment sector.”

In regard to apparel, COVID-19 was particularly hard on golf clothing manufacturers in 2020, as many Green Grass golf shops closed for extended periods of time, and once opened to the public they urged golfers not to linger, while dressing rooms were frequently closed, return policies were tightened (or not allowed at all), and people were encouraged not to touch/feel the merchandise. Additionally, many large resorts lost significant traffic from European and Asian visitors, and these customers would typically spend significantly on apparel.

As a result, coming off that difficult period, the bounce back in golf apparel sales through the first six months of the year has been particularly welcome news to battered apparel brands. After being mired in a negative position, the golf apparel category finally turned the

corner during the first half of 2021, and the $552 million first half is the largest since Golf Datatech started tracking golf apparel sales, beating the previous high of $536 million from 2015.

Adds Krzynowek, “Combining equipment and apparel sales thru the on and off-course channels, total consumer demand in dollars for golf products were 66% higher than last year for the first six-months of 2021 and compared to 2019 sales are up 23%. At some point consumer demand for new products will have to slow down, however thus far it has held up very well to the pressures of the pandemic.”

2021 Mid-Year Rounds Played Analysis In 1998, Golf Datatech undertook the task of creating the golf industry’s first monthly projections of rounds

Golf equipment sales were up 78 percent in the first six months of 2021 as compared to 2020

played by state and region around the country. The Company’s objective from day one was to provide accurate estimates of the health of golf by tracking rounds, which are the engine that drives almost every other aspect of the business. The company also receives support from the NGF (delivering course data) and WeatherTrends (weather data) in an effort to provide the industry with granular detail at the market level.

According to data compiled directly from golf course owners and operators, rounds of golf played through the first six-months of 2021, at public, private and resort courses nationwide, were up 23%, and compared to 2019 they remain up in the high single digits. However, June 2021 data showed a very small improvement (+0.4%) in rounds vs. the same month last year, suggesting the tsunami in rounds might finally be slowing, and comparisons to 2020 will become increasingly hard to beat. Tee time capacity at golf courses has not increased significantly, if at all, from a year ago, and 2020 was a summer of excellent weather with minimal precipitation and relatively mild temperatures across much of the nation, making for difficult comps.

“It will prove difficult for rounds to stay on pace with last year over the last six months of the year, but if we can stay within a few percentage points of the 2020 levels it would be a big win for the industry,” said Krzynowek.

For more information on Golf Datatech, call 888-944-4116 or visit www.golfdatatech.com.

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TSSAA 1958 Team Champions and Individual Champion (Medalist) - East High School: (L-R)Danny Gibson, Medalist, Billy Butler, Buddy McEwen, and David Johnson

For Dan Gibson, it was a life well-lived

Tee Times Report

Dan Gibson’s life is easily celebrated, but there aren’t enough adjectives to adequately describe what he meant to his family, coworkers and friends.

Gibson, who died in early August, was an avid sportsman and golf was his game. He was the consummate professional and was a PGA professional for 48 years with the Tennessee Section. He retired from Metro Parks in 2002 after 36 years in different capacities.

We met Danny soon after acquiring Tee Times from Joey Smith in 2002. Greg Poag profiled Danny for our first cover story in April 2002. Having known and loved Danny these many years, we felt that it was fitting that we give him the back page to honor his life well-lived.

Here is a sampling of quotes from those that knew him best: “I have to think Danny and I go back close to 70 of our 79 years or a little more. We began at Lockland Elementary and went through East High School. If the Bible were written today, Danny Gibson would be in it.”

- David Satterfield - Retired Springfield High School Teacher & Coach

“Danny and I began as little kids at Lockland, continued at East Junior and then East Senior High. We lived on No. 2 at Shelby Park and the golf course was our playground. The time Danny was away at Memphis State and then the Navy, didn’t matter, we picked right up and continued our friendship, playing golf locally and taking buddy trips. Danny was the real deal, always.”

- John Dahlgren Retired from Video Equipment Services

“I met Danny on No. 1 on the tee box at Colonial Country Club, a great practice facility for Memphis State. His grin and good demeanor were contagious, but I was only interested in golf at Memphis State and then making the tour. How could I know that this new teammate would end up being my best friend for life? I was different, a loner, a maverick if you will. Danny didn’t seem to mind. We even joined the Navy together and I followed him to Nashville after the service, working several courses as an assistant professional. I returned to Memphis to work courses there. We remained close, talking daily when possible, and playing golf together when we could. Losing Danny devastated me.”

- Ray Clark - Retired from golf industry / last retired from Delta Airlines

“I am an Alabama native, who was given a scholarship to Memphis State and found myself on a team of guys whose passion for golf equaled mine. Our claim to fame is that we came close to winning the SEC/SIC (Southern Independent Collegiate Association) losing by one shot. That was great when you consider us being pitted against the strong teams of the SEC. Our coach was Ray Moore, SR. Our team was Ken Lindsey, Ray Clark, Buddy McEwen, John Schlee, Larry Campbell, Mike Malarkey, and Danny Gibson. Danny Gibson was the glue, the constant on the team.”

- Larry Campbell Retiring from 46 years in the Insurance Business this year “I was a teammate of Danny Gibson, perhaps the youngest to come aboard the Memphis

State team and they took me under their wings, especially Danny. Not because I was a fellow Tennessean, but because Danny was so kind, so thoughtful and was determined to look after the freshman from Chattanooga.

After our college years, Danny continued to make sure even though we were both PGA professionals with busy careers that we stayed in touch, and that included the entire team.

He was the most honest human being I ever met.”

- Mike Malarkey, PGA - Retired from Knoxville’s Dead Horse Lake

“I worked for six years in golf course management and in 1996 I joined the administrative staff as the Golf Operations Manager working under Danny as Superintendent of Golf Operations. I felt blessed to be able to work for Danny. In 2002, Danny retired from Parks and Recreation after 36 plus years of service. I was able to succeed him as Superintendent of Golf for Metro Parks.

I will always remember him, for his love of God, his sense of humor, and his love for the game of golf.”

- Sally Davis - Retired Metro Parks “Danny Gibson was a great influence in my personal and professional life for as long as I can remember. In the early 70’s I became a student in his free golf clinics for juniors in Shelby Park. My grip wasn’t right and my backswing too quick (still is) but Danny in his patient way began to work on “my fundamentals.” Soon after that Danny hired me to work at Shelby Park Golf by washing carts, working in the pro shop and snack bar.

Later he introduced me to the turf care side of the industry, changing my professional career forever. For most of my life, Danny was a mentor. In his wise, kind, Christian way he influenced countless others in the same way.”

- Lynn Ray - Golf Management Group “I met Danny Gibson in 1972 when I moved into a house on the grounds of Shelby Golf Course which he managed. By 1980, when I became the Assistant Director for Revenue Producing Facilities, Danny was in charge of the golf operations for all of the Parks’ golf courses, and began reporting to me at that time. We worked in tandem until he retired in 2002. Over the years, I found Danny to be extremely loyal to his East Nashville heritage and his East High buddies. Danny was a gentle man who loved his faith, his family and his community. He served them all well.”

- Tommy Lynch Retired Director of Parks & Recreation “Danny Gibson was my hero at first, and then one of my very best friends for life—and still my hero. He was the State High School golf champion when I met him, and he and Ray Eaton at Shelby were best friends, and they let me hang with them at the course.

I was 13 and caddying and watching them play, so it was natural that I picked it up as well. A young kid could learn some real life lessons at Shelby golf course in the early sixties so having them protect me a bit was a serendipitous occasion for me. There hasn’t been a better human being put on this planet than Hooter and I will miss him terribly.”

- Mike Nixon - Director of Golf Operations, Tennessee Golf Trail

Dan H. Gibson January 28,1942- August 8, 2021

Quotes compiled by Joe and Carol Hall, Tee Times Publishers