Tee Times July 2016 by Joe Hall

July 2016 Keeping Golfers Connected in TN, KY, MS, AL, NC

July 2016

I nstruction:

Gaylord Springs Golf Links New Priority Pages 2-3 Hole No. 14 & 15

James Paschal, Rita Reasons, Brian Lackey, Nancy Quarcelino, and Harry Taylor

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Instruction: Gaylord Springs Golf Links New Priority Tee Times report Gaylord Springs Golf Links and its professional staff read like the Who’s Who of PGA and LPGA Professionals, not only for this region but nationally. The credentials and awards for the staff of five gracing our cover would fill pages and pages. It is hard to believe that this region now will have three highly qualified, award winning teaching professionals under one roof, and two head golf professionals who oversee operations and act as general managers of the resort facility. Overseeing the group will be PGA Professional Harry Taylor and PGA Professional James Paschal. The duo is a “tag team” who work hard to make their facility a top rated public course with a private feel. The head pros are great friends, who work in tandem. They have combined their expertise in different areas and implemented changes that will enhance and be beneficial for the course, the employees and patrons of Gaylord Spring Golf Links and their teaching facility, The Golf Institute.

Taylor

also is a club designer of note and fitted clubs to golfers such as Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins, Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo, Jeff Sluman, Bob Tway, Billy Andrade and Luke Don-

Gaylord Springs Golf Links Clubhouse

ald. Taylor is recognized as one of the premier golf club designers. Teaming with Taylor Made Golf Company founder Gary Adams, he became the “Taylor’’ of Taylor Made clubs. “My golf game has opened every door for me throughout my career,” Taylor says. “Golf paid for my education at UT, and my play allowed me to qualify for the PGA Tour. While on tour I met and we started a great business relationship with not only Taylor Made but Founders Club Golf Company as well.” Taylor says his work as a golf club designer and golf marketing at the previous companies lead Global Mizumo Golf Company to offer him a position to lead its golf club design efforts as well as manage its PGA Tour promotions.”

Paschal, a native of Memphis,

loves the game and what it has offered him. He knew as a college senior that golf was the career he would pursue. “Being a sound player has given me the experience to know what golfers of all skill levels would enjoy,” he says. “After playing competitively at some of the top golf facilities in the world, I gained insight for what outstanding customer service can be and for what great golf playing should be.”

(L-R) James Paschal, Rita Reasons, Brian Lackey, Nancy Quarcelino, and Harry Taylor stand at The Golf Institute near the driving range.

Says Taylor: “James’s experience is largely from the home club professional sector, while my background is more corporate and on the PGA Tour side of the business. But we both want the same result, a top notch golf course with outstanding service, the best teaching facility around, and golfers who consider us a ‘must play’ course.” PGA Professional

Lackey

Brian

is lead instructor for The Golf Institute and has 6 years experience at Gaylord Springs Golf Links and the Golf Institute. He previously worked with Johnny Warren Golf Academy for 10 years prior to coming to The Golf Institute. He estimates he has 26,000-plus lessons under his belt. His walls are lined with awards dating back to 2002 when he was named Tri Cities Chapter and PGA Teacher of the Year. He’s also won four awards as Middle Tennessee Teacher of the Year, and in 2008 and 2012 was the Tennessee Section Teacher of the Year. His students don’t need to see the plaques on the wall to appreciate their instructor. It shows in their game, their swings, and their thrill with improvement under his tutelage. As lead instructor for the Golf Institute, he

oversees programs for individuals and groups. He also acts as the Master Club Fitter. He tracks the budget, which is aggressively generated from lessons, club sales, and some club repair. “I’m really proud of a 92% repeat rate with follow up lessons,” Lackey says. “My students come from across the state, as well as Kentucky and South Carolina, and I have a near 100% success rate of helping students who really want to play college golf and get some sort of scholarship.” “We have long been proud of Brian and his expertise with his students is well known,” Taylor says. “With the recent addition of PGA/LPGA instructor Nancy Quarcelino and LPGA instructor Rita Reasons and their Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf, James and I are certain that we clearly have exceeded and surpassed the level of expectation that we want to take our instruction to.” Paschal says: “Having a diligent teacher like Brian already in place, then bringing these two professionals, Nancy and Rita aboard, we are capable of adding clinics and bringing in more students who want and require instruction. This is the next step in our mantra from the PGA to ‘help grow the game.’” Quarcelino and Reasons moved

July 2016

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PGA/LPGA Professional Nancy Quarcelino and student Ann Catherine Blackburn, Quarcelino’s student for 10 years

their golf school from King’s Creek GC in Spring Hill to Gaylord Springs Golf Links. The amenities and central location at the Gaylord Springs Golf Links were pivotal in their decision to take their school to the Golf Institute located at the Gaylord Springs Golf Links.

Quarcelino

is a Class A member of both the LPGA and PGA of America. Coowner of the NQSOG, with a career that spans over 38 years, she has been recognized as a leader and expert in her field within the golf industry. She is in the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall

The Grand Back Nine at Gaylord Springs Golf Links

Bradley Farmer getting r the ready to tee it up unde ckey La ian Br of e ey ful tch wa

of Fame and has been a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher since 2000. She was recognized as one of Nashville’s and Middle Tennessee’s 50 most influential people in sports for 2015. In addition to her many awards and accomplishments, she also has been featured on ESPN television/ radio, XM radio, Golf Channel and the PGA Tour Radio Network. The Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf was the first golf school in middle Tennessee and has taught thousands of students from across the country. “I speak with people on a daily basis who tell me I taught them junior golf or I taught their mom or dad,” Quarcelino says. “That is the

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Rita Reasons works with Joe Leahy

greatest benefit of being in business all these years, seeing the influence and impact you made on the lives of others.” Throughout her career Nancy has coached amateur golfers, players on the LPGA Tour, PGA European Tour, PGA developmental tours, LPGA and PGA club professionals, and collegiate golfers For more information about the programs provided by the NQSOG, go to QSOG.com.

Reasons

is co-owner of NQSOG and has been recognized as LPGA National Teacher of the Year, LPGA Midwest Section Teach-

Hole No. 3 at Gaylord Springs Golf Links

er of the Year, Golf Digest Tennessee’s Best Instructors and US Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher. She cherishes being the recipient of the LPGA Sarah Hunter Junior Achieve Award, one of many of her honors. She is co-author of “Staying the Course: Mastering Golf’s Most Challenging Shots”. Reasons took up golf right after college at the urging of brother, Gaylon. But she was smitten hard after working as a volunteer for the LPGA Sara Lee Classic. “I knew I wanted to get better as a golfer,” she says. “I wanted to be like the ladies I saw playing on the LPGA Tour at that time. I grew up with the mind-

set that you can be anything in life that you want to be; you just have to work hard enough to achieve it, I attribute that to my mother.” It’s apparent that the course, situated by the Cumberland River has not only been one of the most popular clubs in the Mid-State, but should now be recognized as one of the premier instructional facilities in the area. With all the expertise in house, Gaylord Springs Golf Links boasts an entire golf experience for golfers of all ages and handicaps.

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From tHE Editor By Gregg Dewalt

Talking the Olympics and Stewart Cink For all the hype about golf returning to the Olympic Games this year, the event is turning into a nightmare of epic proportions. No Jason Day. No Rory McIlroy. No Adam Scott. No Branden Grace. No Louis Oosthuizen. No Charl Schwartzel. That’s six of the top 25 golfers in the world rankings. There are more, but you get the gist. It looks like participating in the Olympics for these highprofile professionals falls somewhere on the importance scale between getting a root canal and driving through Atlanta at rush hour. It’s a pretty big hit for an event that was billed as potentially a way to give the game exposure as golf’s participation numbers continue to stagnate. Some, like Scott, cited their playing schedule for pulling out of the Games. Others – Day and McIlroy – cite concerns over the possibility of contracting the Zika virus. I’m not sure the scheduling aspect is a valid point. The Olympics happen once every four years, so it shouldn’t be a lot of trouble to ask potential participants to carve out time to play, should it? For the good of the game? The Zika virus is a trickier proposition. Although the chances of contracting the mosquito-borne virus are not that high, nobody wants to be the one who does. I can understand the trepidation. The Olympics is supposed to be a celebration of the world’s best athletes and a source

PUBLISHER Joe Hall pgegolf@bellsouth.net EDITOR Gregg Dewalt

SENIOR EDITOR David Widener widecard@aol.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Carol Hall teetimescarol@bellsouth.net

of national pride. Unfortunately, the men’s golf portion of the Games sadly will be missing some of the game’s best players, and the storyline will be more about who’s not there rather than who is.

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said. “Lot of faith, prayer and support, and we’re accepting all the support we can get. The medical team is great. Lisa is doing everything she can. She is positioned to be successful. But cancer is indiscriminate, and it’s real scary. We just don’t know.” With no history of cancer in her family, the diagnosis caught the Cinks completely off guard. Doctors ran a variety of tests to come up with reason why a perfectly healthy 43-year-old contracted the disease. “There’s no explanation,” Stewart Cink said. “It just happens.” Cink said there has been a massive outpouring of support for his wife. “She loves the support and feels very loved by it,” he said. “We know we have a massive

prayer warrior army and probably thousands that we’ll never know of and probably never will. It’s been humbling.” Cink posts frequent updates at CaringBridge.org.

FINAL THOUGHT

In early July, 23 PGA Tour pros were averaging 300 yards in driving distance. Tony Finau led the way at 311.1 yards. Justin Thomas checked in at 300 yards. Thomas is 5-foot10 and weighs 145 pounds. A total of 43 players average 295 yards or longer on their drives. Some things aren’t fair. Hit it long and straight, Gregg

IN NEED OF PRAYERS

PGA Tour pro Stewart Cink and his family are in need of support and prayer. In case you haven’t heard Cink’s wife Lisa was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in early May and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. At first, Cink said he was going to take an indefinite leave of abStewart Cink sence from the game to support Lisa as she continues her treatment for the cancer that she discovered during a self-exam. Cink, who grew up in Florence Alabama and has seven Tour victories to his credit, including the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry, gave s recent update on his wife’s condition at the Healing Place Charity Championship in Killen, Alabama, which he hosts. Lisa Cink has undergone three rounds of chemo and was scheduled for a checkup in mid-July in Houston. “We don’t know any other way to handle this except with a positive attitude,” Cink

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SUMMER OF 79° any hotter and the golf’s on us!

Tee it up in North Carolina’s Coolest Town Play it cool at NC’s mile high country club ... golf, tennis, pool and fun for the whole family. Book a Summer of 79° Stay & Play Golf Package at Beech Mountain Club, and if the official temperature of your day of play exceeds 79°, you’ll receive a free round of golf! Cool summer golf is enticing and so is the pricing. Packages start at $79 per person, per day.

800.468.5506

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Mention “Nashville” to receive a FREE LOGO BALL

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Temperature hits 80; Beech Mountain golfers got free golf

Tee Times report

BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Breaking 80 for many golfers is a constant goal. At the Beech Mountain Club, breaking 80 in another way can mean a free round of golf. Whenever the temperature rises above 80 degrees, players receive a certificate for a free round at the club. That was the case June 14 when nearly two dozen golfers were surprised during their round when they were greeted by head golf professional John Carrin, who informed that the temperature had reached 79.9 degrees, and presented a certificate for a free round of golf. Beech Mountain’s summer of 79° stayand-play promotion guarantees that golfers will play in temperatures that do not exceed 79 degrees. On the rare occasions when it does exceed that mark, a complimentary round of golf is awarded. “We tell all guests at Beech Mountain Club that we are the coolest place in the Southeast to play golf,” Carrin said. “Anytime the temperature exceeds 79 degrees, we don’t call that ‘cool’ anymore so we give them a certificate to come back and play at no charge.” Many of the 23 golfers who received certificates that afternoon were shocked. It was a pleasant, blue-sky day with light breezes and low humidity. They didn’t seem to mind that the officially recorded high that day was 80 degrees. “As I handed out the certificates, I said: ‘This is on behalf of the Beech Mountain Club with our deepest apologies for the weather.’ They just laughed,” Carrin said. “There was a group from Florida and a father-son twosome from Dallas, Texas. They’re probably not going to see 80 degrees before October in either of those two places.”

John Carrin

The summer of 79 program launched in 2012. In that first summer, the mercury exceeded 79 degrees three times, but it did not reach that threshold again until June 14 of this year. Carrin, the long-time golf professional at Beech Mountain Club, hopes the recent 80-degree scorcher is the final one this summer. “Not because we don’t want to give away golf, but because we really love the cool temperatures we enjoy all summer up here,” he said. “If history is an indication, it will be unlikely we get that hot again.” The town of Beech Mountain is the highest incorporated town east of the Rockies at an altitude of 5,506 feet above sea level. The high temperature has exceeded 79 degrees only 12 times since a National Weather Service reporting station was installed in 1992.

For details about the Summer of 79 stay-and-play program, go to www. Summerof79.com or call 1-800468-5506.

Legacy’s Member/ Guest Tournament, member John Stewart (L) and guest Paul Vaughan

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July 2016

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Around Nashville Fairways John Holmes Assistant Director of Parks Here in July, I come to you with a subject near and dear to a lot of hearts in Nashville and for that matter, Tennessee. All of us who know Jim Fyke, love and respect him, and we could get quotes from dozens, but let’s start with Tommy Lynch, Metro Parks Director and then we will share Jim’s long history with golf, especially Metro golf, and how the tournaments named in his honor began. “The Men’s Municipal tournament was the brain child and vision of Jim Fyke, the Park Director at the time. He enlisted Ray Danner, a personal friend and the owner of Shoney’s, to sponsor the tournament, originally. Since its inception it has been the best showcase of our municipal courses and has always been intended to highlight the excellent golf experiences golfers have come to expect from our municipal golf system “, said Metro Parks Director, Tommy Lynch. Jim is a visionary in that respect. Past champions include local (Brandt Snedeker) who went on to world renown because of the professional golfing accomplishments that started with his play on our municipal course s. Jim is a one of a kind guy and every municipal golfer should appreciate the legacy he has created with this tournament and with his vast accomplishments in public service.” said Metro Parks Director, Tommy Lynch. Jim grew up in Old Hickory and shortly after graduation from DuPont High school found himself working for Metro Parks in 1964, as the departments first Sports Supervisor, then he was promoted in 1970 to Special Services Administrator where he over saw the Metro Golf Courses. Moving up the ladder quickly because of his care and attention to detail, he became the Director of Metro Parks in 1978,

serving there for 25 years until his retirement in 2003, serving under four of our city’s mayors. Retire no not when Governor Phil Bredesen came calling and appointed him the Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for State Parks. In 2005 he was appointed Commissioner of TDEC and served there, enacting great changes for State Parks under his watch, until Bredesen’s term as governor ended in 2011 Did he retire then….nope he assumed a part time position with the Metro Finance Department. Unfortunately for the past 2 ½ year he had been battling a very rare form of skin cancer, greatly limiting his personal and work activities. Personally he and Becky have 3 grown children--Claire Purcell, Rebecca Bryant and Ryan Malloy and 8 grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 17 which has been a joy watching them grow up. Jim first began to play golf about the age of 15 at Old Hickory Country Club, which was owned by the DuPont Company where his dad worked. He was attracted to the golf game by a couple of best friends who played in high school and were already par shooters... He learned the game as a caddy and also worked one summer in the golf shop for

Old Hickory Pro Harold Eller who had a great influence on not only he, but all of the other caddies growing up under his tutelage. “My love of the game continued to grow and I played competitively up until I became the Metro Parks director. At that time I decided it was time for me to give back to the game so we created the Men’s Municipal Amateur Golf Championship in 1981 for golfers living in Nashville Davidson County and surrounding counties. Having personally participated several times in the “old” Tennessean Open Golf Tournament and liking the format and discussing it with Tommy Lynch, then Special Services Administrator and Danny Gibson, our Director of Golf at the time we thought the same format would be a perfect fit for our new tournament. We divided the entries in half and played two sites on opening day and changed sites for the second day. Total score for those two days determined your flight and the specific site you would play on day three. “noted Fyke. “We had a twofold purpose for beginning this tournament. First and foremost we thought the greater Nashville area deserved a true amateur champion. Secondly, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to “market” our

Harpeth Hills 2424 Old Hickory Blvd. • 615-862-8493

McCabe 46th & Murphy Rd. • 615-862-8491

Percy Warner Forrest Park Dr. • 615-352-9958

Shelby 20th & Fatherland • 615-862-8474

Two Rivers Two Rivers Parkway • 615-889-2675

Ted Rhodes 1901 Ed Temple Blvd. • 615-862-8463

VinnyLinks 2009 Sevier Street • 615-880-1720

Metro Parks Nashvillefairways.com

city courses to persons who might not regularly play on them. The tournament from day one have been very popular and remarkably remains the same today 35 years later with about 300 entries annually. Who would have ever dreamed this would be the case with so much compe-

The 2013 JHF Tournament Champion Robert Loudermilk and JHF

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tition “today” for the leisure dollar and so many new golf courses over the years” continued Fyke The Women’s Tournament in 1992 which averages about 100 entries and a Senior Tournament in 2009 which has about 120 players each year. “Today having over 500 participants annually in the three Municipal Tournaments is a true testament to all Parks employees who’ve directly been involved in the success. Other than Tommy and Danny already mentioned, Sally Davis, John Holmes, all golf course managers and greens keepers should be applauded for the outstanding jobs that they have done over the past several decades to assure the excellent playing condition of all Park courses. And a special thanks to Kevin Forte for the superb job he has done for the last 20 years as director of the various Municipal Amateur Golf Champions, “said Fyke. Thanks to Mr. Jim Fyke, not all that is written credits him enough, and on that I will end my column. Until next time, keep it in the fairway- John

Regular Men’s • July 15-17 • Harpeth Hills, Ted Rhodes, McCabe Womens • Aug 6-7 • McCabe, Harpeth Hills Senior • Sept 26-27 • Two Rivers

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Franklin American Mortgage Music City Invitational Results

Championship Division:

1 2 3 4 5

Chris Baker Rob Garland Dan Crockett John Smith Jeremy Fultz

68 70 70 75 70 76 68 76 74 73

68 72 71 74 71

(L-R): Champion Chris Baker, VP MCGA John Basford, and PGA Professional/GM Kevin Forte

206 217 217 218 218

Senior Championship Division:

1 2 3 4 5

Joel Lavalley 72 74 Stuart Smith 79 71 Craig McElhaney 74 73 Hubie Smith 76 73 Steve Williams 73 79

76 72 75 80 77

MCGA-Members - White

1 2 3 4 5

Duane Sciacqua Eric Gooden Robert Donnell Russ Crockett Randy Jewell

1 2 3 4 5

Jim Cumbie Chuck Vaughn Pete Knestrick Doug Bennett John Basford

71 69 65 74 75 70 71 74 75 66

MCGA-Members - Gold 70 70 68 73 72 65 68 72 74 64

222 222 222 229 229

67 70 65 67 71

207 209 210 212 212

67 67 73 71 74

207 208 210 211 212

Johnson, Montgomery post Tennessee Junior PGA championship wins Tee Times report FRANKLIN – Knoxville’s Alyssa Montgomery and Brentwood’s Trevor Johnson won the girls and boys divisions at the Tennessee Junior PGA Championship presented by Under Armour and Genesis Networks recently to qualify for the national tournament in August. Montgomery, 15, had a final-round 72 for a two-day total of 143 and a one-stroke victory over Clarksville’s Mariah Smith. Johnson, 18, posted a final-round 66 for a two-day total of 134 and a five-stroke victory over Brentwood’s Alex Cobb. The tournament was played at Temple Hills Country Club. Trevor Johnson By winning the boys’ and girls’ divisions respectively, Johnson and Montgomery qualified for the 41st Junior PGA Championship on Aug. 9-12 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode stone for many of today’s PGA and Alyssa Montgomery Island. LPGA Tour professionals, as well as The Junior PGA Championship is open to one boy and one girl current collegiate stars. Past Junior champion from each of the 41 PGA Sections, champions of the eight PGA Championship competitors who have gone on to successful proPGA Junior Series events, select national junior tournaments conductfessional careers on tour include: Inbee Park, Luke Guthrie, Trevor ed throughout the year and special invitees who have not reached Immelman, Cristie Kerr, Justin Leonard, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickeltheir 19th birthdays as of the final round of the championship. son, Grace Park, Dottie Pepper, Jordan Spieth, Lexi Thompson, David The Junior PGA Championship has traditionally been a steppingToms, Michelle Wie and Tiger Woods.

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July 2016

An open house was held recently showcasing the well-appointed cottages that look out onto beautiful Hermitage Golf Course. Great for stay’n’play packages offering two entirely different championship caliber 18 hole golf courses. Guests love that they are walking distance to the pro shop with its clubs, apparel, shoes, balls, etc. Easy check in, not to mention the grill for great food and drink. The cottages are classy, upscale and roomy. Ideal for couples, families, golfing buddies and small groups. Golfers, as guests of Hermitage Golf Club, imagine you are right there in the middle of the action. At the end of your round, settle back with food and drink, take a seat in the rocker on your porch and feast your eyes on the scenery. R E L A X! All has been thought of, all has been taken care of for you by the staff, from the chef to the pro shop staff. Walk out to the putting green and putt a few or just relax with friends and plan your next day’s round. Want a meal for you and yours, or your group? Hermitage can cater a meal or meals for two or more in the cottages with the intimate resort style setting. For more information call 615-847-4001 or go the their website www.hermitagegolf.com

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July 2016

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Greenwood repeats as AAU Golf National Champion Tee Times report Viola Greenwood’s second tournament start of 2016 resulted in her first victory. Greenwood won the AAU Golf National Championship in Orlando, Florida, recently, topping France’s Manon Donche-Gay 3-2 in the championship match. The tournament was played at the Arnold Palmer-designed Legacy golf course. Greenwood was 1-under through 16 holes when she closed out Donche-Gay. “I finally started to play good … my game peaked just at the right time,” Greenwood said. “Golf is a fickle game, you never know when all the practice and hard work will pay off. I am so happy.” Greenwood closed out the 2015 season with six straight wins, and it’s evident she’s picked up in 2016 where she left off last year.

Eric Bacon, AAU National Treasurer; Jex Wilson, AAU Tournament Director; Manon Donche-Gay, tournament qualifying medalist; Viola Greenwood, 2016 AAU Golf National Champ; Elaine Yost, Co-National Director; and Hal Yost, AAU Co-National Director.

Lewis, Gilliam follow family footsteps playing in Schoodays

Tee Times report The top two winners at 92nd Tennessean/Metro Parks Schooldays Golf Tournament simply were following in the footsteps of their parents. Bryce Lewis, whose father Trey played in the tournament the six years he was eligible, knocked off defending champion Cooper Sears in the quarterfinals. He followed that with a 1-up win over Charlie Linde in the semifinals to reach the championship. Lewis’s father made it the semifi-

Runner-up Angelina Chan (L), Mike Organ, Tennessean, and Champ Ashley Gilliam

nals of the tournament in 1985 and lost in the championship match in 1986 to Porter Nelms. Ashley Gilliam, who will be a sophomore this year at Coffee County High School and is already committed to Mississippi State, won the girls Champ championship with a 1-up vicBradford tory over Angelina Chan. Gilliam Cummins (L) was 2-down early in the match and runner-up before battling back. Isaac Meador For Gilliam, it was a matter

on Nos. 8-9. To be even at the turn was somewhat of a miracle as Chan carded three birdies and an eagle in the opening nine holes. Gilliam was 1-down through 15 holes, but got even again when Chan missed a par putt. That was the break Gilliam needed. Nashville’s Bradford Cummins, who

Champ Bryce Lewis (L) and runner-up Paul Swindell of taking away some of the household bragging rights. Her mother, Jennifer Haley Gilliam, won three straight Schooldays tournaments between 1989 and 1991. Gilliam pulled even after nine holes with consecutive birdies

will be a seventh-grader at Montgomery Bell Academy, beat Isaac Meador, an eighth-grader at Macon County Junior High, 7&5 in the 12-13 age division championship.

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Better Billy Bunkers, Seeing is believing Tee Times report Old Hickory Country Club’s golf course was spending approximately $30,000 a year to maintain 42 bunkers that became washed out with a medium to heavy rain, bunkers that were inconsistent and difficult to maintain. Along came Better Billy Bunkers or BBB if you prefer. The Old Hickory Country Club membership knew they were throwing money down the drain and turned to Better Billy Bunkers, not an inexpensive venture. “The decision to do this process was made by the (OHCC) Board and club president Joey Huffines and the membership based on the shape our current bunkers were in the last several years,’’ said OHCC Director of Golf Joey Hickman. “This was needed and has been well received by the overall membership. It has put some teeth back into our course and has left the original design in place as a result. I am very satisfied with the look and equally excited about the talk that others are beginning to say about Old Hickory.’’ General Manager Bob Pence says the club’s old bunkers playability was very inconsistent. “They drained poorly and washed out when we had any moderate or heavy rain. Since competition of our bunker project using BBB the playability from bunker to bunker is always consistent. We’ve had several major storms since competition of the bunkers with no washout and great drainage. Obviously, the maintenance cost of the bunkers will be greatly reduced and over

time will pay for the cost of renovation of our bunkers.” So what makes Better Billy Bunkers better? “BBB is a bunker construction method, which includes a drainage layer of stone that is bound by a special polymer. The drainage layer drains the sand quickly and in turn allows the sand to stay clean and in place even in heavy rain events,’’ said BBB’s and Old Hickory member Jerry Lemons. “We were more than happy with the finished product and even more happy that the membership is so excited about how the club has recaptured it’s old school appearance. I have never seen Old Hickory in better shape in my 30 years as a member. … We even had a Golfweek (Magazine) rater out last week and he was really impressed.’’

Old Hickory CC Superintendent Dan Johnson has made a number of other changes there. “We renovated the greens in July 2013 from PennLinks to Mini-Verde ultra-dwarf Bermuda

Better Billy Bunker Inc, President and OHCC Director of Golf, Joey Hickman discuss the merits of the new BBBbunkers.

grass. We have implemented an extensive tree removal program throughout the golf course with over 500-plus trees being removed, greatly improving turf quality in those areas,’’ Johnson said. In addition they added some 30 bunkers. “The Better Billy Bunker project has been talked about for many years here, long before I ever came on board. … Bunkers that don’t perform well have notoriously been a money pit on golf courses across the world. It was always a fear in the back of my mind before every big event we hosted that it might storm.’’ Washed-out bunkers are now a thing of the past on the course, built in 1926. “Having sand traps that were constructed using this method not only looks great, but they also drain properly which allows us to focus our efforts to other areas on the course,’’ Johnson added. “I have had a ton of positive feedback from our membership and outside guests. We wanted to accomplish three main goals with this project. First and foremost, we wanted to increase the level of member satisfaction by giving them a consistent product they can be proud of. This means that all bunkers must look aesthetically pleasing, divert water away from bunker edges, drain properly, and perform up to tour standards. Second, we wanted to give the club a face lift. We wanted to put 1926 style bunkers back onto our 90 year old golf course. Architects Jerry Lemons and Jeff Blume joked about us having 1980-style bunkers on a 1926 golf course and we wanted to go back to a more traditional look throughout the course. Third, we wanted to decrease the amount of daily maintenance and on our bunkers, while also saving labor dollars. We achieved this in a number of ways. We went from 47 bunkers on 54,000 square feet to 73 bunkers on 32,000 square feet, decreasing the amount of maintained area. The goal was to have much more well-placed and smaller bunkers throughout the golf course. Better Billy Bunkers is a growing company. According to Jerry Lemons, BBB has 36 licensed installers worldwide and they average between 40-50 projects at one time. Lemons said they shaped the first bunker on April 18 this year and the last bunker was filled with said on May 27. That’s 40 days. How about that name, Jerry Lemons? Better Billy bunker is a patented Method of Bunker construction. Many people in golf have heard of

Assistant Super Randy McClanahan and Superintendent Dan Johnson

the “Billy Bunker” which was developed by Billy Fuller during his tenure at Augusta National Golf Club. Billy used a layer of gravel two inches deep and covered it with a fabric liner (essentially starting the liner business in golf) In 2005 I began testing an alternate and met with folks at Dow Chemical and explained my objective in wanting to bind the rock with a polymer. A year after various formulations testing and perfecting the installation. The new material was ready to go. It was during a visit to Atlanta to see Billy (who was in the application process for the ASGCA) I gave him a sample. He took it home and laid it on the coffee table only to have his wife Sarah ask what it was. Billy said it’s like my Billy Bunker. She said “is it better?” he said I think so and She dubbed it “well you should call it the “Better Billy Bunker”. And it stuck! The NEW Revetted bunkers that we did at Old Hickory are also a new product we developed. All of our staff (Todd Jenkins, Adam Lemons and Dan Smith did all the installation of these “Sod wall” bunkers that look very Scottish. Traditionally, these walls are stacked turfgrass sod. They turfgrass version has to be rebuilt about every three to five years, which is not very practical nor sustainable. We decided to take another approach. We had old carpet sent to the club, cut it into 20 inch squares, folded it mat in, and then filled the layers with sand and stacked them. Once completed, we sprayed out BBB polymer on the outside and then blew a few coats of peat moss on the drying polymer. It is a very realistic bunker edge that should last 10 plus years with no maintenance. We are still tossing around a name for this product…. Any project that delivers on time and on budget is a rarity in this day and time. And in a combined effort this happened... It looks great, but even ”Better” the bunkers deliver as promised!

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ell, here in the Tennessee region, obtained his PGA Class A membership in 1997. it is hot, muggy and we are getting He started interviewing and made contact our share of the rains. Yes, we are in with the director of golf operations for the new the full blown days of summer, and collection of Jack Nicklaus Golf Courses that unless unbearable heat and humidity are there, were going to be built in Tennessee. or torrential rains, golf lovers are compelled to Seventeen years ago he accepted the position work in a round or two here and there. For at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in March that matter, who doesn’t look forward to the of 1999. His roots run deep here in the major tours that we want to stay abreast of. Chattanooga area. Loving his job, loving golf Now didn’t most of us watch the U.S. Open, and a passion for fishing have served him well. each of us pulling for our favorite player, well He and long time girlfriend , Tasha Grisham and let me ask you this? Did everyone get their her 14 year old daughter , Zoe enjoy getting out fill of the Dustin Johnson debacle? The USGA to events and taking trips together, and some got a terrific break when DJ finished it off and of them great golf trips. brought home the trophy, and Golf pro, musician all appeared pretty copacetic in and avid fisherman. our world for an hour. Salmon fishing in Or so it seemed. I cannot September for 18 imagine the impact on the years on the Pere USGA had there been a different Marquette, north of outcome. Grand Rapids, MI. The USGA dodged a bullet on this one, and should consider themselves fortunate in more ways than one. No doubt, the USGA does so much for this game, but in this instance, they received a black eye that could have been far worse. Luckily for them, DJ showed class and composure, even thanked them in his speech thus allowing the USGA to heave a big sigh of relief. That day DJ showed what a real champion he was, calm, cool, collected, how, I will never know. Now might be the opportunity for the USGA to do something far reaching to improve the game…roll back the golf ball just a little please. This will save millions$$$ Now onto a PGA Professional who has been a fixture around the Tennessee Golf Trail, Robin Boyer. Seems Robin didn’t come up with a heavy golf background, more a musical than the sport that eventually became his career. Boyer was born and lived in St .Louis, growing up a huge Cardinals fan. His father played bass guitar for Barbara Mandrell and young Robin found he and his family relocating to Nashville. If asking about golf, his dad cut down some clubs for him at age 10, so there was an interest for sure, maybe enough that he eventually ended up working at the Springhouse Golf Club in F & B. waiting tables . He took the opportunity to go out and play golf with some of the pros at Springhouse (Gaylord Springs Golf Links). Soon they advised young Boyer to “think about becoming a golf professional” said Boyer. He continued, “I said to them you had to be really good to become a PGA Professional, really, you are beating us, so you might just want to consider this route. My salary washing golf carts was $5.00 an hour and I knew that wasn’t going to support me for long.” He entered the PGA Golf Professional Training Program, went through No. 2 tee box, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay the series of schools and in time he became an assistant professional. Within three years he

will conduct Match Play and Senior Match play here July 28-31. We are super excited to host this “exclaimed Boyer The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; the well rounded Boyer plays drums as a hobby in a local Rock n’ Roll band called the Time Machine. The band plays mostly old 70’s and 80’s classic rock, such as Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Blondie, Pretends, great listening music “Thank you Robin for overseeing our Tennessee Golf Trail course there in Chattanooga, we are grateful for the care and attention you have provided over the last 17 years. As always, we invite you to visit and support Tennessee State Parks” said Nixon. In the mean time, keep it in the fairways - Mike Tasha and Robin on one of their golf trips.

“I have a great staff here at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay; they are why we continue to draw golfers from everywhere. Another person that factors into this great group would be our Superintendent Paul Carter, along with his crew. Paul and his staff have been instrumental in elevating our golf course to the pinnacle of public golf in Chattanooga. We are a wonderful layout, 8 of the green surrounds are actually at the water’s edge. The TGA has taken note of our great course and

July 2016

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Lessons with Zimber enable Petre to improve Tee Times report

Emily Petre wanted to take golf lessons in hopes of improving her game and be able to participate equally with her husband, father and brothers on the golf course. She found the help she sought from Travis Zimber at the GolfTEC location in Cool Springs. Being newer to the game, Zimber says Petre needed all of the basis fundamentals. “She’s made good progress in all areas,” he says. “She’s eager to learn and has improved from the first lesson and her evaluation. There’s no doubt she will become a better golfer.” Zimber points out it is important to seek instruction regardless of what level golfer you might be because golf is pretty complex.. “If you want to go out and play, enjoy your round, whether it is in competitive play or just for fun, you must have sound fundamentals,” he says. “If you beat yourself up because you are playing badly and you don’t know why, it stands to reason to get help. I enjoy the challenge of beginners to the low handicapped players who seek my help with their game. I love the teaching part of the game the most.” Zimber, who worked at Hillwood Country Club before coming to GolfTEC nine years ago, has been a PGA member since 2006 and a Certified Member in Teaching since 2011. He took up golf at the age of 12, and after two years playing junior college golf went to Mississippi State where he went through the Professional Golf Management program. He’s also gone through the GolfTEC training program. “The GolfTEC system is the only system that covers all of the learning basics for diagnosis, sequential lessons, retention and video practice,” Zimber says. The most glaring and common mistake he sees in students is they tend to self diagnose themselves and work on the wrong aspects of their game. “This only adds fuel to the fire for repeating bad habits,” he says. “There are very few successful self taught golfers. “A good teacher will spot the weak areas and work with the student there. It is akin to self diagnosing an illness instead of going to your physician. We are specialists when it comes to teaching students.”

Travis Zimber Petre, who is an occupational therapist, calls Zimber an excellent teacher who was very clear in his instruction. “He was very good about trying to take the positives in my swing and making them work and finding ways to make changes that made sense with the experience I already had. The use of video technology made his teachings clear, and I was able to visualize the techniques and make adjustments based on what I saw, rather than depending on just how the swing felt. “There were definite improvements in my swing and with the online courses and videos provided, I have a reference to continue practicing. The best thing I took away from the instruction is that even though I cannot get to the golf course often , there are multiple ways to practice my technique and continue to make improvements. Travis and GolfTEC’s approach of combining technology with education was very beneficial to me.”

Emily Petre

July 2016

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Equipment Corner Pitchfix USA launches Twister 2.0 NEW YORK – Pitchfix USA, a global market leader in switchblade divot tools and other golf products, has launched its latest product, the Twister 2.0, which debuted at the 2016 PGA Show in Orlando. An innovative divot repair tool, the Twister 2.0 improves on the original Twister making ball mark repairs easier for golfers and continuing to help reduce pitch mark repair damage to greens. The Twister’s patent pending exclusive technology features a revolutionary 3-pronged metal retractable system that out-performs all other divot repair tools. “The Twister 2.0 builds off the great

success we had with the original model and will continue to help improve golfers’ experience and reduce course damage,” said Bart Fokke, President of Pitchfix USA and Canada. “We are very pleased to offer the new and improved version to the 26 million golfers in the United States.” According to Pitchfix, when ball marks are repaired with traditional pitch forks very often the root structure is torn which creates an air

pocket under the mark and a compacted piece of soil at the surface, making it difficult for the grass to regenerate and heal. The golfer simply pushes it in and out of the affected area, restoring the ground and relieving compaction simultaneously. According to Pitchfix, this quick and simple procedure results in better repairs that recover quickly, making it virtually impossible to do damage with the tool. “Reports indicate that the average golfer leaves about 12 ball marks during a typical round of golf,” said Fokke. “That can result in more than 700,000 ball marks per year on an average golf course. Add to that the players who do not repair their ball marks and the high percentage of improper repair from conventional two prong divot tools, and the potential maintenance savings with Twister 2.0 could be as much as 10 percent.” The Twister 2.0 remains highly customizable for promotional gifts and corporate branding and retails for just under $16. Currently, the Pitchfix products are available at many top U.S. retail outlets. For more information, go to www. pitchfixusa.com.

Kentwool unveils new USA collection Kentwool, maker of the “World’s Best Golf Sock,” has introduced the USA Collection of its popular Men’s Tour Profile sock model. The USA Collection showcases 5 fun, new designs in red, white and blue hues: Liberty, Stars – Blue, Stars & Stripes, Stars – Red and Independence. “Kentwool is proud to be an American manufacturer with roots dating back to 1843, so we wanted to create a sock line to honor that heritage and help golfers celebrate our great country,” said Dan Murphy, president of Kentwool. “Something seems a bit disingenuous about companies who offer American-themed products but then choose to produce them offshore. We offer a true Made in the USA product that is unrivaled in quality and comfort, and we’re excited to share it with golfers from sea to shining sea.” Kentwool Men’s Tour Profile socks are constructed from a proprietary blend of super fine Merino wool and

other natural and hightech performance fibers. Each pair is infused with innovative windspun technology to deliver unparalleled comfort and is designed to reduce friction, abrasion and muscle fatigue. In fact, Kentwool is so confident in the comfort of its socks, the company offers a lifetime “BlisterFree Guarantee” with the purchase of every pair. The new Kentwool USA Collection debuted in June at kentwool. com and select retail locations. The USA Collection will feature a festive retail price of $17.76 per pair (regularly $19.95) online for a limited time only. For the bold patriots looking to make a fashion statement, Kentwool will offer a limited edition “Mix & Match” pack featuring one each of the Liberty, Stars – Blue, Stars & Stripes and Independence styles. The Mix & Match pack features a retail price of $35. The

USA Collection is available in men’s sizes L and XL and in women’s Medium. Since 2008, Kentwool has been manufacturing the “World’s Best Golf Sock,” just outside of Greenville, South Carolina. Drawing on over 150 years of mastery in wool manufacturing, Kentwool leverages the attributes of wool, nature’s performance fiber, for unmatched comfort and performance in the sock category.

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Inaugural Southern States Junior Classic a success Results Tee Times report

tion of the three participating courses with helping make the tournament a success. “The courses at Canyon Ridge (Doug Amor, PGA), Bear Trace Golf Course at Harrison Bay (Robin Boyer, PGA) and Cleveland Country Club (Lamar Mills, PGA) were in excellent condition and their leadership completely bought into our vision to deliver a best-in-class junior golf championship,”Nall said. “With these three great golf venues allowing our competition to take place on Friday through Sunday dates, we were able to pull in a great junior field representing nine states. “Of course, I would also like to thank all the SSJC junior golfers, caddies, and their famiProfessional Robin Boyer lies who chose to participate in our inaugural PGA The Bear Trace Course at championship,” Nall continued. “Our SSJC misHarrison Bay State Park sion and focus is to grow the game of golf through family interaction and provide a world class championship that builds confidence and character within participants.”

Cleveland - Fifty-nine junior players representing nine states teed it up in the first Southern States Junior Classic in late June at three golf courses. Tournament organizer Jason Nall said he was pleased with the inaugural event and expects the tournament to grow as word spreads about the quality players, caddies and families encountered throughout the 54-hole competition. “We had a fantastic inaugural event,” Nall said after crowning champions in eight age groups. “Our players and caddies were challenged with hot weather and three distinct golf courses over three days. The Southern States Junior Classic jackets (awarded to division winners) were hard earned by each division champion. I am very proud of the competiMore pixs available on our Tee Times tive spirit of all the aspiring junior golfers in the 2016 field.” Facebook page, including the 8 Participants played each Champions who earned Orange Jackets course in the three-course rotation once, with the final round at Cleveland (TennesThis youngster was see) Country Club. Canyon thrilled to pose with the Ridge and the Bear Trace at 2014 Long Drive World Champion, Jeff Flagg Harrison Bay also hosted one round of the event. Although not affiliated with any of the “major” junior tours, the event was sanctioned by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. “That gave us a good opportunity to do it the way we wanted,” Nall told the Cleveland Banner. Nall credited the coopera-

Trey, Bryce Lewis win Tennessee Father-Son Championship

Tee Times report FAIRFIELD GLADE -- The team of Trey and Bryce Lewis followed up their opening round score of 79 points with a final round of 78 to finish with 157 points to capture the Tennessee Father-Son Championship. The team of Peter and Alex Cobb started the final round in second place, only two points behind the Lewis’s, but could not gain enough ground to challenge them for the overall title. The Cobb team finished 10 points back at 147. Seven-time Father-Son champions, Paul and Wes Korth, finished in a tie for seventh place this year with 131 points. The Tennessee Father-Son Championship was played at Stonehenge Golf Club, which also annually hosts the Tennessee Senior State Open presented by Crossville, the Golf Capital of Tennessee Women’s Open Championship and the TGA-TPGA Challenge Cup Matches. The tournament’s format utilizes a modified Stableford scoring system which awards point values (8 points for eagle or better, 4 points for birdie, 2 points for par, 1 point for bogey and 0 points for double-bogey or worse) for a player’s score on each hole. The team’s score per hole is the combined point value for each

player’s score. Flight winners and complete results for the 2016 Tennessee Father-Son Championship is available at tnfatherson.com.

Champions Trey and Bryce Lewis

Girls 16-18 1 Kaitlyn Sneed 2 Kelsey Cassada 3 Jayla Simms

230 238 257

Girls 10-12 1 Kynadie Adams 2 Sarah Im 3 Kyndal Shamblin 3 Brooke Gober

224 231 235 235

Girls 13-15 1 Ainsley Simms

PGA Professional Lamar Mills, Cleveland Country Club’s Director of Golf.

279

Girls 7-9 (27 holes) 1 Trinity Beth 110 2 Elle Reisner 121 3 Carlee Rogers 137 Boys 16-18 1 Will Fore 2 Cade Puryear 3 Shaan Desai

227 233 235

Boys 10-12 1 McCord Grice 2 Charles Warren

231 232

Boys 13-15 1 Eric Boutwell 226 2 Will Klecka 230 3 Harrison Williams 239

Canyon Ridge’s Doug Amor, Director of Golf, welcomes a player and his caddie.

Boys 7-9 (27 holes) 1 Oliver Jackonski 105 2 Matthew Rothwell 107 3 Tyler Watts 111

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July 2016

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Highland Park: Alabama’s oldest course oozing with history By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor

Noted designer Bob Cupp reworked the a great job of making most of the property and course in 1998, and these days it is enjoyed by extending it where he could.” Godfrey said Highland Park reminds him golfers of all ages, skill levels and income catBIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Very few days pass egories. Cupp preserved much of the course’s somewhat of the famed East Lake Golf Club in by when Evan Godfrey doesn’t hear a new original design elements and maintained its Atlanta, where the back-nine holes run paralstory about the history of Highland Park Golf integrity, but he also had to reshape some Course. holes and move others to make room for what And to be sure, the director of golf at the is now the practice range. Honours Golf-managed public facility just But the history remains. minutes from downtown Birmingham enjoys “It’s fun to chat with the older guys who have hearing every one of them. Each day, he learns all these great stories,” Godfrey said. “Now, a little bit more about a course that is the old- some of our younger players are starting est in Alabama and oozes to embrace the history and with history. think it’s pretty neat.” “It’s got such a cool hisGodfrey relates a story from tory,” Godfrey said of the the course’s early days as a 5,801-yard muni. “It’s got a muni – it became a public lot of incredible stories, and course in 1927 after the CC we spend a lot of time tellof Birmingham membership hired Donald Ross to design ing them. But the message their new club just a few isn’t quite out there.” miles from Highland Park. The intrigue of Highland “There’s a story that when Park starts with its origins An original green, which is it was municipally run, the in 1903. There is some dissquare, in front of old clubhouse. course manager would get pute about the course’s there in the morning original architect. Lore has and count footprints it that the professional at Evan Godfrey, in the dew, and that the time designed Highland was how he knew how Park’s original nine holes Director of Golf many people to collect and then came back and defrom,” Godfrey said. signed nine more. Kirk McNair, the However, the Wayne Stiles Society claims that designer, who is also cred- longtime editor of Bama Magazine ited with creating the Country Club of Mobile, who grew up in the Highland Park also designed Highland Park. Stiles did cours- neighborhood, can point out exactly es across the country, although much of his where he and his friends would sneak onto the course to play several holes, In 1956 Charley Boswell shot work was done in the Northeast. an 81, at that time a world What’s not in dispute is that Highland Park and then point out where they would record for a blind golfer. is the original site of the Country Club of Bir- sneak out before being seen from the mingham. The course featured a grand club- clubhouse. Those stories certainly add to Highland lel to each other. That was house on a piece of property that is among the most picturesque in an urban setting. In those Park’s charm. As for the course itself, it’s fun a typical architectural feaearly days, Highland Park was certainly a to play and challenging at the same time. And, ture of courses built in the early 1900s. playground for the cities’ movers and shakers. don’t let the scorecard yardage of 5,801 yards Another memorable feature of Highland One of Bobby Jones’ first victories came at fool you – Highland Park can be tough if you hit Park is the eye-popping views of the Birmingage 14 when it was still known as the Country the ball sideways. The Bermuda grass rough ham skyline. From the opening tee shot on the Club of Birmingham. And, in 1956 Charley Bo- swallows golf balls and it takes some strength drivable first hole to the scenic overview on swell shot 81 on the course, which was then to extract them, even with short irons. the 14th green/15th tee. The course features five par-3 holes, includthe world record for blind golfers. “My favorite hole on the course is No. 15,” College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby ing three that are 136 yards or less. Bring a Godfrey said. “Your tee shot is from the top Bowden grew up playing Highland Park, and good short game and there are plenty of scor- of the hill and it’s a drivable par 4. Five or six still returns to his old stomping grounds on ing opportunities on the bentgrass greens. bunkers shape the hole and it fits my eye. It’s a occasion. “When Cupp redid it, he didn’t lose a lot of really great hole and it puts you in perspective So, yeah, the course has history. distance on the par 4s,” Godfrey said. “He did

Hole No. 16

Historic Highland Park of where you are.” The convenience of Highland Park to downtown also means that it stays busy. Godfrey said the course averages 34,000 rounds per year. Combined with a full-service clubhouse that includes a banquet hall, the practice range and a tennis facility, studies show that between 200,000 and 250,000 people come through the door each year. On any trip to Birmingham, add Highland Park to the must-play list. You’ll be glad you did.

Hole No. 9

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Inaugural Nashville Golf Open termed a success Haage designed course stretches to 7,563 yards, and Nashville Golf and Athletic Club owner Madison Whittemore said the first-year effort was a “huge success. It is clearly evident that Nashville embraced the event and that it is only going to improve and grow larger each year. It’s been a wonderful experience to be partnered with the PGA, and the benefits that partnership brings is only going to improve Nashville Golf & Athletic Club as we prepare for the next four years of the tournament.” Nichol agrees and sees improvements, not wholesale changes on the horizon for 2017. “I’m pretty confident that we will not play the week of the U.S. Open and Father’s Day,” as was the case this year, he said. “We do plan to stay in the month of June, and we’re working with the PGA Tour now to select our date for next year. We’ll also add more hospitality venues -- that was one area where people were particularly impressed. “I want to give special thanks to our 250 volunteers and 35 chairpeople. I work probably 250 event on this tour, and they did as good a job for a first-year group as I’ve ever seen.”

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Pro play returned to the Music City June 13-19 with the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open and all indications are that the event will continue to be on the area’s golf calendar. Tournament director Patrick Nichol, CEO of Tour Vision Promotions, is already in talks with the PGA about setting the date for 2017. “The tournament was fantastic,” Nichol said. “I was so proud of our volunteers and everyone associated with the tournament.” James Driscoll dunked his second shot at the par-4 12th hole at the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club for an eagle on the final day to break away from a packed leaderboard for his second career Web.com Tour victory. His 19-under 269 edged out Brian Campbell by three shots and the $99,000 winner’s check moved him up to No. 17 on the money list. Nichol said that the feedback he received from some of the 10,600 in attendance indicated the caliber of play and the tournament overall was a surprise. “People who came out for the tournament saw their expectations exceeded. I don’t think a lot of people understood that we are a branch of the PGA Tour and we are creating a mini-PGA Tour experience,” he said. Players were equally impressed, he said. “They liked the difficulty of the golf course. Good players like playing on harder golf courses, and I think the golf course exceeded their expectations.” The Bruce Devlin-Robert

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Love of competition takes back seat to McCormick’s TGA job By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor

Adam McCormick loves to play competitively. Really, he does. But, with his job as the Director of Men’s Competitions for the Tennessee Golf Association, it’s pretty much impossible for McCormick to tee it up and test his skills against the state’s best players. Yes, he’s one of the most recognizable faces in Tennessee golf, but it’s not for his playing ability – even though his handicap varies floats between 5 and 6. He’s visible simply because he is on site at the association’s tournaments from the first of the season until the last one of the year. That doesn’t mean McCormick doesn’t play; he just has to pick his spots. “I try to play in the spring and the fall,” said McCormick, who came to Franklin from Kansas City in 2012. “I posted 20 rounds last year for the first time since 2011.” And, therein lays the rub of being in the golf industry. There’s a love of the game, but not a lot of time to enjoy playing. McCormick, who describes his life as an ongoing calendar, is either scheduling events two or three years in advance, making site visits to upcoming tournament venues or on-site running the current event. It’s often a thankless job, but one he takes immense pride in. “Tournament season begins in early April with Vanderbilt’s tournament – the Mason Rudolph

Championship,” McCormick said. “The rest of April I typically conduct site visits with each course that is hosting a TGA championship that season. State Open qualifying begins in early May, and it is 100 miles per hour from then until we wrap up the Cup matches in mid-October. In the fall, I focus on the upcoming year’s qualifiers for both the TGA and USGA events.” The University of Alabama graduate, who is a Winston-Salem, North Carolina native, got his start with the Kansas City Golf Association before coming to the TGA. He’s also not complaining about the sometimes frenetic pace of his job. “Honestly, the relationships and friendships with the players are what I enjoy the most,” he said. “That’s why I do what I do. I strive for excellent customer service and try to provide a great value and tournament experience for our players.” That’s not always easy, though. Players demand perfection, and some are quick to point out what they consider flaws. At times, criticism rankles the director of championships. “Most people don’t realize how small our operation really is,” he said. “We have a small staff and budget and rely heavily on volunteers to assist with our championships and qualifiers. There is nothing worse than hearing stories of a player or parent complaining about or arguing with a member of our administrative team who is out there volunteering his or her time. People don’t realize that these ladies and gentlemen are out there because they love the game and love to sup-

The McCormick’s, Adam and wife Jessy Adam McCormick, TGA Director of Men’s Competitions Adam and Scout, the wonder dog

port the community. So when you see these guys with the white shirts on please go up to them and say thank you for being out there helping. “We are fortunate to work with a lot of great golf courses and tremendous superintendents in the state of Tennessee,” he continued. “I would say that 95% of the superintendents that I work with are absolutely fantastic and it really frustrates me when a player says something regarding grass height or playing conditions having no concept of the fact that it may have just rained for 8 straight days or some other outlying condition occurred that the course cannot control. Besides that, most guys understand we know what we’re doing and are here to provide a great service.” TGA Executive Director Matt Vanderpool said McCormick has been a tremendous asset to the organization. “Since joining our staff in 2012, Adam has recommended and spearheaded several enhancements to our events which have allowed us to improve the experience for players competing in our men’s competitions,” he said. “He is a hardworking and dedicated team member who puts in a lot of hours in order to ensure that all of our men’s championships and qualifying rounds are run professionally. “Adam has formed friendships with many of our

players and it is easy to see that he truly cares about the players competing in our events,” Vanderpool continued. “The Tennessee Golf Association is well respected because of people like Adam who dedicate themselves to ensure that we keep our mission of tirelessly promoting the game at the forefront of everything we do.” With a busy schedule and two years into his marriage with wife Jessy and a love of making home improvements, McCormick has adjusted his golf playing goals. The one tournament on his radar is to win is the Golf House Championship played at the Little Course. “Each Golf House Tennessee employee plays in it,” McCormick said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I still have the goal of winning it.”

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Wolcott follows in father’s footsteps at Capital City Open Tee Times report Like father, like son. Hunter Wolcott followed in his father’s footsteps recently at the Capital City Golf Association Open presented by Tootsies. Nearly 30 years after his father, Bob, a PGA of America pro won it twice, Hunter roared to victory at the McCabe Golf Course in Nashville. Wolcott scorched McCabe with an opening round 63, and then followed it up with a 65 to finish with a 36-hole total of 12-under-par 128. That was good enough for a two-shot victory for Wolcott, who is headed to the University of Tennessee, over Casey Flenniken, who finished at 10-under-par 130. Hunter finished 36 holes with three bogeys, 13 birdies, one eagle and 20 pars. Because he is an amateur, Wolcott was not allowed to collect the first-place check of $1,500. That went to Flenniken, who was the top professional. The tournament’s total purse was $17,500. In the Senior Division, amateur Lenny Sisselman caught fire in the second round to edge Steve Kirkpatrick by one shot. After opening with a 2-under 68, Sisselman went two shots better in the final round to finish with a 66 for a 6-under 134 total. In the Senior Professional Division, Kirkpatrick edged Buddy Harston and Bill Breen by two strokes. Kirkpatrick finished at 135 with rounds of 67-68. The True Temper Professional Skins game was equally exciting. No skins were collected in the first round, and $510 car-

ried over into the final round for a total of $1,020. Skins, worth $340 each, were collected by Braxton Hunter, who eagled No. 7, Thanks to True Temper, the No. 1 shaft in golf, supporting the season long Professional Skins Game. The Tennessee PGA would like to extend a special thank you to Tootsies for its sponsorship of this year’s championship. The TPGA would Sam Payne, President of Capital City Golf Association presents Hunter Wolcott with the trophy.

Steve Kirkpatrick is the 2016 CCGA Senior Professional winner.

also like to thank Loren Personett, PGA, Audie Johnson, PGA, and the entire staff at McCabe Golf Course. Without the help and support of McCabe’s terrific staff, the 2016 Capital City Golf Association Open presented by Tootsies would not have been possible.

Lenny Sissleman (L) accepts the Senior Amateur trophy from Sam Payne, Capital City Golf Association President

Ladies Red Shoe Tournament 2016

Oak Hills Golf Course • Greenbrier, TN Championship Flight

First Flight

Mary Jean Erwin / Angie Pigue Angela West / Vickie Stanfill Paula Walker / Gloria Nolen Denise McMillian / Marilyn Willis

Beverly Shoulders / Angela Ballou Sandra Lawrence / Marie Short Chelsea Busby / Izzy Griggs Judy Arnold / Bridgette Bennett Terri Grubbs / Kathy Crabtree

38-31 36-33 35-34 35-34 34-35

69 69 69 69 69

33-29 33-29 33-32 32-33

62 62 65 65

Second Flight

Pat Starks / Sherry Martel Oniece Gregory / Betty Felts Paulette Lynch / Jan Watson Cheryl Nichols / Patsy Brandon

37-35 36-36 36-37 33-40

72 72 73 73

TEE TIMES

July 2016