Tee Times June 2017

June 2017 Keeping Golfers Connected in TN, KY, MS, AL, NC

June 2017

Nashville Golf Open PGA Tour Returns to Middle Tennessee Pages 2-3

James Driscoll - 2016 Nashville Golf Open Champion

Inside!!

Healing process:

Golf provides respite for cancer survivor

6

Hodge podge:

UTC alum captures Tennessee Open

21

Turning the page: New owners restore RiverWatch

23

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June 2017

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Return engagement Web.com Tour is back in middle Tennessee for 2nd Nashville Golf Open

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor The boxes have all been checked off for the second playing of the Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation.

Defending champion James Driscoll in the field? Check.

Adding Brandt Snedeker’s name to the tournament title? Check.

Better date for the tournament? Check.

Tougher Nashville Golf and Athletic Club course waiting for the Web.com players?

Check.

Everything is positioned for the second NGO to be even better than the first, and that’s saying a lot because the 2016 event was excellent. With what is expected to be one of the best field’s on the Web.com Tour in the Music City, all that’s left is for the first tee shot to be hit and the last putt holed.

Whittemore (Nashville Golf & Athletic The tournament is scheduled for June 29- Madison Club owner) and NGO Tournament Director July 2, and Driscoll, who pocketed $99,000 Patrick Nichol proudly display the winner’s for his win last year, is again in the field at trophy of next week’s Nashville Golf Open benefiting the Snedeker Foundation. the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club.

“We’re going to have another great field,” tournament director Patrick Nichol said. com event,” Nichol said, “I’ve known Brandt “We have more players who eventually will since about 2004 and he told us early on be stars on the PGA Tour coming to Nash- that whatever he could do to help to let him ville. The course is as good as it has ever know. Having him involved is a natural fit. been, and adding Brandt Snedeker’s name to You can’t find a better person that addresses the tournament was important.” what Nashville is all about. All he wants is Getting the multiple PGA Tour winner in- good things for Nashville.” volved was “huge,” Nichol said.

The tournament date is two weeks later “He’s the first player on the PGA Tour to than last year when it was played on Faput his name and become part of a Web. ther’s Day weekend. Nichol is confident that 2016 NGO, Round 3 Photo credit: Nick Dantona

will help in getting a crowd bump from the 10,600 fans who attended the inaugural event.

“Being a late addition to the schedule, we were at the mercy of what was left,” Nichol said. “We pushed to get a little later date.

We all know it’s going to be hot at the end of June, and we’re going to be as careful with the bentgrass greens as we can be.

The course will be as firm and quick as it has been in 20 years.”

Brandt Snedeker Madison Whittemore, general manager of the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club, said he and the club membership are excited to be the tournament host for the second year in a row.

“We were thrilled with the success and response from last year’s event, but we

know that this year is going to have an even greater outcome,” he said. “We are working in cooperation with the tournament staff of the NGO and the PGA to enhance many aspects of this year’s event, both for the players and the spectators alike. From the course aspect, several tee boxes have been extended, some new mowing patterns have been put into place around greens, and the practice driving range tee box has had a major renovation. Additional focus on many details of the event has also been under scrutiny to make sure the day to day operations flow smoothly and come together to create the best possible event and experience.”

Brian Jorgensen, PGA Professional and director of golf, cannot believe all that has happened with his club over the years. “As I venture into my 20th year as Director of Golf here at the club, I could not be more excited, not only for our membership, but the Nashville/ Middle Tennessee/Williamson County Communities. Our golf course is looking beyond great, and our membership is healthy. The Nashville Golf Open, the web.com tour has garnered quite a buzz with Brandt & Mandy Snedeker’s announcement. I could not be happier in the direction we are headed. The first 20 years were fantastic; I think the next 20 will be EPIC! Come experience the Nashville Golf Open, we promise it will be worth every second.”

Driscoll and the other Web.com players returning for the second time to the Nashville will encounter a somewhat different venue from 2016. According to course superintendent Alex Price, new tee boxes have been

2016 NGO Photo credit: Nick Dantona

June 2017

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added at No. 5 and No. 17, some mowing lines in fairways and approaches have been changed and efforts have been underway to maximize every bit of length the course can muster.

Driscoll won with a 19-under 269 a year ago and Wesley Bryan, who graduated from

the Web.com Tour and already has won on the PGA Tour, shot a course-record 63 last year.

“If there is no wind and the rough is not penal, these guys can flat play,” Nichol said.

Price, the superintendent since 2015, said getting the course in pristine condition last year was challenging given that he had only six months to prepare. Having had a year to prepare for the second NGO, Price had ample time to prepare and the experience garnered from the 2016 event was invaluable.

Price explained the two new tee boxes.

“No. 5 is almost drivable for the Web.com

Driscoll returns to defend NGO title

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor A couple of things straight up about Nashville Golf Open defending champion James Driscoll: No, he no longer is rocking a Mohawk haircut; No, he hasn’t learned to pick and grin on the guitar; He loves returning to the Music City as the defending champion, but he’d rather be teeing it up on the PGA Tour.

“It was a great week and I have great memories from last year – some of the best memories I have in the game,” Driscoll said recently while playing a Web.com event in Chicago.

“But when you win out here (on the Web. com), you’d not like to come back ever again.”

Not returning to defend usually means the player has earned playing status on the PGA Tour. As well as Driscoll played – he blistered the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club to the tune of 19-under 269 in 2016 – he couldn’t make it back to the PGA Tour finishing out of the Top 25 on the money list.

“I felt like winning was a huge step in the right direction but I didn’t get it done,” Driscoll said.

“It didn’t slow me down in terms of how hard I have been working or how badly I want to get back on the PGA Tour.”

Driscoll was an unlikely winner of the NGO. In what has been a lengthy professional career spent on and off the PGA Tour, Driscoll had only one win to his credit before arriving in Nashville – a 2004 breakthrough in the Virginia Beach Open.

But his game came together at just the right time for four great days and he walked away with a check for $99,000.

“It was four great days,” Driscoll reflected.

“I didn’t give away too many shots. If I hit it out of play, I usually was able to get it up and down and that kept the rounds really clean.”

Driscoll has had an up-and-down 2017 sea-

son. As of June 11, he had missed four cuts in a row and was 73rd on the money list with $28,777. His stroke average is 72.42.

“That’s just the averages of your best and worst days,” he said. “I’ve had some good weeks where I was close to being in contention and I’ve had weeks where I just haven’t had my game. It’s not like I am shooting 72 in every round. It’s such a fine line of making a putt here and there being right where I want my game to be.”

Driscoll said he didn’t approach this season in the midst of a having a “pity party” for not making it back to the PGA Tour. Instead, the Boston native turned Florida resident took the disappointment in stride.

“I’m where I need to be,” he said. “I am not good enough to be on the PGA Tour. I accept that and am working on the little things to get better.”

So, while he will be back to defend his NGO title, don’t expect to see the same James Driscoll teeing it up at the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club. That means no more Mohawk.

“I felt like a 39-year-old man doesn’t need to have a Mohawk,” he said.

And about that guitar he is shown holding in the cover photo of this issue?

“I don’t even know how to hold a guitar,” he said. “I haven’t put much effort into it.”

Both of those things might change if Driscoll can find his way into the winner’s circle one more time.

guys, and tour officials don’t want a drivable par 4 that will back up the course,” Price said. “We added 40 yards and they will be coming in from a different angle. It changes the entire way the hole will play.”

About 15 yards were added to No. 17, a picturesque par 3 that will be framed by grandstands behind the green for a better viewing opportunity. Price said both tees will remain for the club membership once the tournament concludes.

All of the changes were made in an effort to challenge the players “a little more,” Price

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said.

Nichol said a skybox was added at No. 16 and there is a dual hospitality pass that will allow fans access there and for Nos. 17-18.

Single round tickets are $10 or $35 for all four days. All of the tournament’s proceeds will benefit the Snedeker Foundation, First Tee of Middle Tennessee or one of nine high schools in Williamson County.

A full field of 156 players is scheduled, with the low 65 and ties qualifying for the final two rounds. The total purse is $550,000, with the winner again pocketing $99,000.

At the NGO, pressure’s on superintendent, crew to get course perfect

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor

The enormity of the pressure on the eventual winner of the Nashville Golf Open will be enormous down the stretch. Trying to close out a win and hold off some 64 other players can be nerve wracking.

Now, consider the pressure for the host course superintendent. If course conditions aren’t perfect when the Web.com Tour players tee it up for the first round, he’ll hear about it. If things aren’t up to the liking of the PGA officials, he’ll hear about it. Equally important is that he’ll pre-tournament and post-tournament from his bosses, i.e., the membership if the course they play on a daily basis doesn’t pass muster.

For Alex Price, the superintendent at the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club, the first year working with the PGA Tour and preparing the course for a Web.com Tour event was a learning experience. A year later, he’s more at ease knowing what the tour expectations are going into the tournament.

“It was an excellent opportunity for me and the crew to work with the PGA Tour officials,” Price said. “Paul Vermeulen, the senior agronomist on the PGA Tour, was on site for the advance week and tournament week totaling 14 days. The experience and knowledge he provided our maintenance program was invaluable.”

Price calls the collaboration with the PGA Tour a “partnership.”

“They don’t come in and demand certain things,” he said. “Rather, they work alongside our owner, GM and me. We have a common goal to provide a great product during

tournament week and throughout the year for our membership.”

Price said he’s usually “dialed in to course conditions.”

“The rules officials are focusing on playability, shotmaking, etc,” Price said. “They’re figuring out the best defense for our golf course from guys that consistently drive the ball around 360 yards.”

Price’s staff includes assistant Wayne Pinegar, Jeff Seyl and Dwight Cole. Combined, they have nearly 100 years of experience at NGAC between them.

“It’s been great to be able to lean on them during my short time at the course,” said Price, who started at NGAC in 2015 but has 23 years in the business. “They’ve seen a lot.”

The superintendent said the 2016 NGO was a great team-building endeavor for his crew.

“Everybody was working 100 hours during the advance week and tournament week,” Price said. “The tournament comes and the players and fans come out and it’s something we can all be proud of.”

While tour officials make suggestions, Price gets the final say in a lot of the course issues.

“The tour can set it up but I have the ultimate say,” Price said. “If the greens get too hot and I need to shut down the tournament to cool them down, I can do that. I was worried they would try to take over and make every decision, but they aren’t that way.

They understand that when they leave on Monday we have to have a course to play on for the next three or four months. They don’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

(L-R): Superintendent Alex Price, Caleb Putnam, Mike Forsythe, Assistant Jeff Seyl, Phil Sharpe, Assistant Wayne Pinegar, Mechanic Dwight Cole, Zach Rhodes, Ben Duval, Josh Burns, Anthony Pope, Frank Soper, Adam Piatt, Brian York, Brice Keener, and our dog, Rory McIlroy. Not pictured- Colton Carnahan

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June 2017

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From tHE Editor

By Gregg Dewalt

Nashville Golf Open enhances Music City’s major league sports town reputation Watching the Nashville Predators in the recent Stanley Cup finals got me thinking – the Music City really is a good sports town.

Better than good, actually. It’s a major league city in so many ways.

The Predators energized the region.

Folks who don’t know the difference between icing in hockey and icing on a cupcake jumped on the bandwagon. Loyal fans watched wide-eyed every step of the way as the Preds maneuvered their way through the playoffs.

Even in defeat, Nashville’s NHL franchise gave the city reason to believe.

It’s the same thing with the Titans, who have shown signs recently of getting back into the NFL playoffs. As big of a story as

the Predators have become, if the Marcus Mariota-led Titans can start winning on a regular basis, I’m sure the story will take off exponentially. Sundays in Nashville will never be the same during the NFL season, and they already are pretty darn good.

So, where is this heading? That’s easy.

Nashville can already claim to be a bigtime sports city, but it can enhance its reputation even further by supporting the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Golf Open.

Don’t dismiss it simply because it’s not a regular PGA Tour event. Nashville has had its share of professional golf with the LPGA and Champions Tour previously having made stops here. Those were wellsupported events, but they have long since gone by the wayside.

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The Nashville Golf Open is an important return of professional golf to the Music City. With a mix of veteran tour players and the next generation of PGA Tour stars, the Web.com Tour can easily be considered the second-best tour in the world.

They play great golf on the Web.com Tour.

James Driscoll’s winning score of 19-under-par in last year’s event was a lot lower than most observers thought would win.

That’s how good these guys are.

And the best thing about having the Web. com Tour in town is that you can see the players up close and personal. Try getting close to watch Dustin Johnson or Jason Day at a Tour event. It’s not happening. That’s not the case at the Nashville Golf and Athletic Club, where you can see as many shots and as many putts as you want without having to elbow 12 people out of the way.

Having professional golf in Nashville is important Phil as that it simply adds ickelson to the quality of life and M is further proof that the city definitely plays to a scratch handicap when it comes to professional sports.

• Phil Mickelson caught some heat for skipping the U.S. Open to attend the high school graduation of his oldest daughter.

That criticism was unwarranted and Mickelson should be applauded for putting

family first.

Sure, he’s not getting any younger and his window for winning the elusive final piece of a career grand slam is closing. But, there will be another U.S. Open next year. His daughter, who was one of the speakers, only graduates high school once. Good for Phil for taking the high road on this one.

• I finally got to tee it up at Mossy Oak, the Gil Hanse design in West Point, Mississippi, and the links-style course built on the site of an old dairy farm more than lived up to advance expectations. The course has 103 bunkers, but generous fairways and greens make it very playable. It has a great mix of holes, including a couple of drivable risk-reward par 4s.

Built across from the acclaimed Old Waverly, which hosted the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, Mossy Oak offers a completely contrasting experience. Mossy Oak is open to the public, but a stay-and-play package will get you on both courses. It’s a little bit of a haul from Nashville – probably 4.5 hours – but the combination of playing Old Waverly and Mossy Oak is well worth the trip.

Keep it on the short grass, Gregg

Mossy Oak hole no. 8 Photo credit: Mossy Oak Golf Club

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June 2017

Breen, Cooper win The Classic Tee Times report to Talkington’s bogey lifted him to the Overall COLLIERVILLE – Tough weather conditions Regular Division Champion. faced the players at this year’s The Classic at The Tennessee PGA would like to thank Spring Creek Ranch as high winds and rain Matt Brock, PGA, Greg King, PGA, Robert Wilhampered play. liams, PGA, and the entire staff at Spring Creek Despite the weather that included high winds Ranch, who were wonderful hosts. Without in the first round and rain in the second, PGA their help, this event would not have been able pro Bill Breen and amateur Matt Cooper pre- to be held vailed as the champions in their respective with such divisions. success.

Buzz Fly shot a 73 in the first round to take a one-stroke lead over Breen in the Senior Division. During the final round, Breen proved to be too much to handle as he shot a 68 (-4), that included a six birdies and a 31 on the back nine. He finished with a 36-hole total of 142. Breen claimed the overall and Professional Senior Divisions. Fly won the Senior Amateur Division with a 36hole total of 147.

In the Regular Professional Division, Marshall Talkington captured first place after shooting 69 in the final round for a twoday total of 144. Amateur Matt Cooper shot a 73 in the second round for a 36-hole total of 144 to claim the Regular Amateur Division. Talkington and Cooper went into a sudden-death playoff Matt Cooper, to determine the Overall Regular Memphis Champion. They both parred the Bill Breen, Nashville The Classic par-4 10th hole and then headed The Classic Senior Champion to the par-5 18th. Cooper’s par Champion

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June 2017

Golf, friends helped Hunter make it through cancer battle

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor Joy Wedekind Hunter remembers the exact moment she got the call.

Every woman does. That’s what happens when the voice on the other end of the line utters those life-altering words: You have breast cancer.

“I’ll never forget THE phone call when the nurse told me I have the “best bad news” I can give you—stage zero breast cancer,” Hunter said. “Essentially, I was told cancer cells had been found at a very early stage and that my prognosis was excellent.”

That phone call came after the original call she took while on the golf course from doctors that Hunter needed a follow-up after a routine mammogram.

“I was actually on the golf course when I got the initial call that I needed to come back for a followup mammogram,” she said. “I finished the round by reassuring myself the odds were in my favor that nothing would come of this. Further tests, including a biopsy, confirmed otherwise.”

Regardless of the ‘best bad news’ Hunter received from that second phone call, her life would be changed forever. Now a cancer survivor – Hunter is the tournament director for this year’s 6th Pink Power for a Cause tournament that benefits Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s breast cancer research – she has no hesitation in telling her story and the part being an avid golfer played in helping her through a troubling time.

“I’ve consistently had mammograms since my 20s as part of my personal commitment to good health and fitness plus my maternal aunt was a breast cancer survivor,” Hunter said. “The final diagnosis was initially very hard to accept. How could this happen to me? I was physically fit, ate healthy, and watched my weight. I even prided myself that I walk the golf course anytime I can.

I quickly learned to channel that fear (and anger) into a positive force. My otherwise good health and fitness would help me get through this experience quicker and back to a normal life. Playing golf again was a tangible and motivating goal.”

A Nashville native who spent 32 years working in education, public affairs and community relations with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Hunter began playing golf when she was 26.

“Back in the 1980s, golf was a great opportunity to help me break the glass ceiling,” she said.

“I was amazed at how it broke down communications barriers and opened doors to valued professional and personal friendships. I was lucky if I got to play once or twice a month due to career demands, but I did use work travel to play golf in some interesting locales. The day I left D.C., I bought new golf clubs and joined two golf leagues. I now play 2-3 times a week.”

One of those leagues is the Harpeth Hills Ladies Golf Association, and once

she received her diagnosis Hunter quickly turned to her golfing friends for support. ”What I most needed was someone to talk to who had been through this journey,” Hunter said.

“I had to look no further than the HHLGA. These wonderful women share more than a love of golf. We are there for each other for so many life events. In addition to their ongoing expressions of support, one member was also a nament director) Peggy one-year survivor and a patient at the (White) asked if someone Vanderbilt Breast Center. Her personal could take the lead this year, sharing and answering my many quesI immediately volunteered,” tions were just what I needed to be at Hunter said. “I had already peace with my decision to have a masdecided I wanted to do sometectomy and reconstruction.” thing to support others in A graduate of Peabody/Vandertheir breast cancer journey bilt, Hunter knew immediately that and my own diagnosis and Vanderbilt was where she wanted to 2016 two-person undergo treatment. scramble team, Doug “When I returned to Nashville in White and Marvin Nischan 2013, there was no hesitation that I would turn to Vanderbilt for my health care needs,” she said. “After a 32-year career in health- treatment has care, I know what quality and compassionate been at Vandercare means. I had no idea just how much and bilt.”

The HHLGA how soon I was going to rely on that expert care and how golf was going to be a blessing and sup- has been sponsoring a fundport system in so many ways.

Hunter said she cried the last day she played raising event Pat Gregory & Beth DiMaggio, golf with her Harpeth Hills friends the week be- for breast can- 2016 Pink Power Fore a Cause cer since the Championship Filight Winners fore her July 25, 2016 mastectomy. and “It was more than letting go of my favorite 1990s, sport,” she said. “It symbolized losing my healthy money raised active lifestyle and a major source of enjoyment. initially was donated to various national organizaIt signified the end of being “normal” until March tions. Five years ago, White took the helm and expanded all aspects of the tournament and invited 2017 when I could begin to swing a club again.”

There were more tears earlier this spring when all golfers in the Middle Tennessee area. HHLGA Hunter returned to play her first full round of golf selected Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center as the with three Harpeth league friends earlier this focal point because all money raised went directly to research with no administrative costs common spring.

“Being back on the course reaffirmed my life with most organizations.

“HHLGA also loved the fact our league was able was indeed back to normal yet better,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter that my handicap is higher this to give back to the Nashville community and could year. The bad shots don’t bother me like they build a relationship with Vanderbilt and its staff,” did. And I can still walk the hills Hunter said. “I feel blessed that I could combine at Harpeth with a deeper in- that personal commitment with my love of golf — ner strength I never knew especially since golf played an important role in my cancer journey and recovery.”

I had.”

Today, Hunter is grateful for the support she has Hunter jumped at the chance to become in- received.

“My family and I want to thank my Vanderbilt volved with the Pink Power for a Cause play care team and the Harpeth Hills League ladies for day. It was a cause near their combined support throughout my breast cancer experience,” she said. “It made all the difand dear to her heart.

“When (former tour- ference in every step of this journey.”

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June 2017

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Ned’s Nuggets

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Notes From The Tour

By Ned Michaels - PGA Professional

Erin Hills not for the faint of heart

E

rin Hills? Where is that?

Who designed it? Can it host a US Open? Is it a hard course? What’s it like?

As we approached the 117th playing of the U.S. Open, those were the type of questions I kept getting.

Since it’s the first time Erin Hills hosted a US Open, as a matter of fact it’s the first time the state of Wisconsin hosted the championship, there was a natural curiosity about the golf course and what type of player would have success.

Erin Hills is one of only six public courses ever used to host a United States Open (Pinehurst No. 2, Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, and Chambers Bay are the others), and it is truly an American original. Built in 2006 the course is still relatively young to be welcoming the world for such a prestigious event, but, as they say, “age is only a number.”

The course meanders over 625 acres of the “Kettle Moraine” region of Wisconsin where glaciers used to rest. At one point, the ice in this region was over half a mile thick. As the frozen tundra began to recede, the glaciated terrain that was left resembled the Scottish landscape (think St. Andrews) which eventually yielded a perfect location to lay down a championship golf course.

The course is brawny, muscular, and loooooooong. Stretching to almost 8,000 yards, it might be longest course in U.S. Open history. For the first time since 1992, par was 72 including four par 5s.

I played the course in late May and found it a terrific challenge, but one that could be had if a player was on his game. From the tee, the

sight lines are not overly visually intimidating. It’s not like Oakmont, where you stood on each tee wondering if you were looking at the fairway or the player walking path. The difference maker at Erin Hills is the thick fescue rough.

The approach shots are interesting in that multiple times players face a blind shot. I mean

completely blind, like I can only see clouds from here kind of blind. With no real landmarks or trees (there are only 5 trees on the course) to use for aiming points, players must rely heavily on caddies for proper targets and trust their swings rather than their eyes.

The green complexes are billiard table perfect A-4 bentgrass and typically ample, averaging almost 7,000 square feet.

However, the rolling undulating terrain can make for long, swinging putts that will make getting down in three a serious challenge.

With its length, Erin Hills favors long hitters who can take advantage of wide fairways. A deft short game is also critical in scoring at Erin Hills, and the more imaginative a player is, the better they can cope with the shaved down run-off areas. Bump it, chip it, putt it. However a player chooses to navigate the short game, they must paint the correct picture and execute perfectly or else he will be faced with the opportunity to try again from the other side of the green or even worse back at his feet.

Distance control at Erin Hills is imperative.

With so many blind shots to greens, a player absolutely has to rely on their golf swing mechanics and practice to control their distances.

The visually based aerial artists will struggle at Erin Hills.

Oh yeah, if you go to play at Erin Hills, be ready for the wind. The wind always blows at Erin Hills - really hard. And in June the trade winds are changing so the wind swirls in different areas on the golf course. Sounds like fun right?

- Ned

Have you ever had a hard time hearing in wind, in a group of friends, or while you’re doing activities you love?

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411 East Iris Drive, Suite A Nashville,TN 37204

If So… We Can Help!

Please Call Us For A Complimentary Hearing Consultation

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June 2017

TEE TIMES

Around Nashville Fairways Wayne Evans

Superintendent of Sports/ Golf Clubhouse Operations

Schooldays crowns champs; Harpeth Hills getting new greens First, let’s talk about a remarkable 93rd Schooldays tournament.

Yes, the 93rd event, sponsored The Tennessean and Metro Parks & Recreation, just wrapped up and was a huge success.

Two very talented golfers won the championships.

Ashley Gilliam, 15, of Manchester, won the girls title in a tightly contested final with Catherine Caudill of Clarksville.

The match went 19 holes before Gilliam finally won.

Caudill won Nos. 8, 9, and 10 to take a 3-up lead before Gilliam rallied.

It was the second Schooldays title for the Mississippi State commit, and she has two more years to play so she has

an excellent chance to tie or surpass the three Schooldays titles won by her mother.

Franklin’s Michael Shears won the boys Schooldays event. Shears, a Vanderbilt commitment, beat defending Schooldays champ Bryce Lewis, an MTSU commitment, in a very entertaining match between good friends who are both outstanding golfers.

Colton Werner of Henderson won the Boys 12-13 division, beat Springfield’s

Tyler Williamson 3 and 2 in the final.

Hopefully, both players will return for many years to come.

We will be hosting the James H. Fyke Municipal Amateur Championship on July 14-16 and we are currently accepting applications for this year’s event.

The first two rounds will be held at Two Rivers and Ted Rhodes. The final day will be at Ted Rhodes, Two Rivers, and McCabe, with Two Rivers hosting the championship flight.

Harpeth Hills will be closed until late August or early September as the maintenance crew is renovating the greens and installing Ultradwarf Bermuda greens this summer. The course closed June 11 to begin the renovations.

Phil Luckett, Superintendent of Golf Course Maintenance for Metro Park/ Nashville Fairways golf courses has been planning for months to make this happen. Last summer, he oversaw Brennan Merritt and the staff at Two Rivers as they installed the TifEagle Bermuda greens at that location. The greens there have been a huge success.

These new greens are not only faster and smoother as a putting surface, but are much more heat tolerant, which is a huge plus for the climate in this area.

With a lot of work from Brandon Denton’s staff at Harpeth Hills and a little help from mother nature, hopefully this project will go as well as it did last year at Two Rivers.

Until next time, come play one of our Nashville Fairway courses

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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

Nashvillefairways.com - always fun, always in great shape, and always reasonable to play.

- Wayne

Manchester’s Ashley Gilliam (L) repeats as Schooldays Champion and Clarksville’s Catherine Caudill was runner-up.

Trey Lewis (L), defending Schooldays champion was runner-up to Michael Shears of Franklin, the 2017 Schooldays Champion.

Colton Werner (L), Hendersonville, holding his champion’s plaque in the 12-13 Boy’s title with Tyler Williamson, Springfield, runner-up.

Our course CLOSED! June 11 - Late Aug. or Early Sept.

Greens being renovated JUST FORE YOU!!!!!

June 2017

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Planning your Financial Legacy

By Jonathan Scott and Glenn Price

Jonathan

Glenn

At Keystone Financial Resources, they mix business with golf Tee Times report Keystone Financial Resources, LLC is an independent advisory firm that specializes in building a lasting, trusting relationship with every client it serves.

Golf plays an important role in Keystone’s business strategy for finding and keeping its clients.

“One of the best things we have ever employed around marketing and client appreciation at Keystone Financial

is our golf marketing leg,” Keystone’s Jonathan Scott said. “We have so many clients that enjoy golf as a hobby that years ago we decided to take out a corporate membership at a nice private golf course and hold multiple client/ guest golf events per year.

“Every year we set the dates in advance for lunch and golf and we send out a letter to all our clients encouraging them to utilize any of the secured dates to come out and bring a friend, or three, and enjoy a day of lunch and golf on us. Over lunch we get a chance to speak to our clients and guests alike, and we offer the guests an opportunity to come in and see if there are any areas where it might be a good fit for us to help them improve their current financial situation.”

According to Glen Price, mixing golf with business in a casual setting has been a recipe for success.

“This has been a great, non-intrusive way, to encourage referrals and offer

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marketing that both benefits our existing clients and new folks alike,” he said.

For clients and potential clients, the relaxed atmosphere is a perfect way to get an education in investing in their future in a non-pressurized setting.

After all, “Retiring is your job, keeping you retired is ours. “ At Keystone Financial Resources, they say what they mean, and they mean what they say.

Contact us at newbusiness@keystonefinancialresources.com or call us at 615.661.9554 to schedule a time to discuss your financial situation and the potential role of insurance or investments in your financial strategy.

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June 2017

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Opinion

By David Widener

Member Golf Writers Association of America

Tiger needs intervention I

f you laughed at the police mug shot of Tiger Woods, shame on you.

Yes, he looks a mess. He has an unattended beard, his hair sticks up like wispy weeds, and he has a lifeless stare.

Tiger is noted for his great smile, but not in this photo. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes there are no words.

Whether you love him or hate him, Tiger needs help. It’s obvious after his May 29 arrest

killers, especially Vicodin.

It happened to NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre.

How bad can it be? Watch ESPN’s E:60 story of Ryan Leaf, the No. 2 selection in the 1998 NFL draft and considered the biggest bust in draft history.

Some players on the PGA Tour think there is a problem with Tiger and pain killers. If he is addicted, someone better intervene. He’s out driving by himself at 2 a.m. Where are his friends?

With all his surgeries, including several on his left knee before four back surgeries now in little more than three years, it is no wonder he needs medication. One back surgery is bad enough, but four? You know his love for the game of golf is exceptionally strong to go through that many surgeries in order to play.

I have suffered one back injury and that is enough. In August 2015, I fell off a ladder

A happy, confident, healthy Tiger!!

in Florida on a DUI charge when police found him asleep at the wheel of his Mercedes on the side of the road at 2 a.m. with his blinker tickHe needs HELP, not criticism ing, tires flat and damage to the front bumper.

Woods failed the field sobriety test, but a breath test proved no alcohol. He told police and sustained a compressed fracture of the it was an unexpected reaction to prescribed tailbone. It was the worse pain I ever experimedication and he didn’t realize the mix of enced. I took pain medicine, but did not elect for any surgery because of my age. medications would affect him so strongly.

I always thought Tiger would be able to come “I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Woods back from his surgeries and win again. After all, he won the 2008 U.S. Open playing on a later said.

The drugs found in his system were Xanax broken leg. But now, I have my doubts. He’s a 41-year-old with an 80and Vicodin. Xanax is year chassis. an anti-anxiety and “I feel bad for Tiger,” Jack depression drug. VicoNicklaus says. “Tiger’s a din is an opioid medifriend and he’s been great cation for severe pain for the game of golf. He and one of the most needs our help and I wish frequently abused him well. He needs supdrugs in America. The port from a lot of people Federal Drug Adminand I’ll be one of them.” istration warns mixWoods needs intervening Xanax with opioids tion and took a step in may cause “profound that direction this week, sedation, respiratory saying “I’m currently redepression, coma and ceiving professional help death.” t for the to manage my medicaBecause of injuries “Tiger’s a friend and he’s been grea I wish tions and the way I deal sustained in sports, it is game of golf. He needs our help and a lot of him well. He needs support from Nicklaus with back pain and a easy for athletes to get Jack .” them of one be I’ll and le sleep disorder.” addicted to such pain peop

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June 2017

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June 2017

Play better with properly fitted clubs

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor Who knew that GOLFTEC, a leader in instruction, also does custom club fitting? The right Clubs will truly make a difference.

Did you know close to 90 percent of U.S. golfers are playing with equipment that is wrong for their game? And 92 percent of golfers that were custom fit with launch monitor technology saw immediate improvement, with 80 percent hitting the ball more accurately, consistently and farther?

There’s a reason why TECFIT, their comprehensive custom golf club fitting system, is included in every GOLFTEC Game Plan.

Nothing builds confidence in your golf game like knowing you’re using the ideal golf clubs to maximize every shot you hit. TECFIT, GOLFTEC’s proprietary, 90-minute golf club fitting session, provides the most precise, unbiased custom fitting experience anywhere.

Any custom golf club fitting experience is only as good as the fitter you work with, and at GOLFTEC each of our fitters is a certified professional who will use their extensive fitting knowledge to determine the ideal clubs for you.

Tee Times publisher Joe Hall can attest to what a properly fitted driver can mean to your game. He recently went through the custom fitting GOLFTEC offers.

“The first thing they did was have me hit my current driver to get some data and an idea of how I was hitting it - distance and accuracy,” Hall said. “That was used as my baseline to compare against future set ups with new driver heads and Brannon records Hall’s data comparing shafts and what best suited me.” his former driver with the Callaway Epic.

Coach Brannon tried out different shafts, A GOLFTEC professional looked heads, all in consideration of hitting his at the numbers and began to put drives straighter and longer. together some different combinathe degree of loft,” Hall said. tions for me to hit using the baseline as a comparison. The combinations in- “The results of the testing volved different brand heads with different were right there in front of me. When I took the club to shafts.

“The process was extensive, but the final the course it has performed decision was evident based on the result of as we thought it would. It each trial set and ended up being the Cal- was a comfort knowing that laway Epic 10.5 driver set to a (plus) +1 on I had the driver in my hand that fit me and was made possible by testing at Golftec.

“I was very pleased with my fitting and learned how important it is to have your driver fitted to you. I don’t

Joe Hall (L) gets pointers at his club fitting for his Callaway Epic Driver, purchased and fitted by PGA Professional Paul Brannon. The Foresight Launch monitor enables this Personal Coach with GolfTEC to record data with each of Hall’s swings.

think most golfers realize or think that you can have your driver custom fitted and how important it is.”

Nothing beats the feel of holding a club you have confidence in. So join the 92 percent of golfers who see immediate golf improvement through custom club fitting. Schedule your TECFIT today.

PGA Professionals Paul Brannon (L) and Sean Trimble, GolfTec coaches are delighted with the results while fitting Joe Hall with the Callaway Epic purchased and customed fitted at their GolfTEC location in Brentwood.

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June 2017

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June 2017

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Equipment Corner Antigua taps spandex in its Spring/Summer 2017 Men’s Collection PEORIA, AZ - Emphasizing an updated fabric story, the Antigua Group, Inc. - one of the nation’s leading designers and marketers of lifestyle and golf apparel under the distinguished Antigua brand – announced it’s using spandex in its Spring 2017 Men’s Collection.

The self collar style Sustain takes a solid piece-dyed jersey/spandex top shoulder detail and contrasts it against a heather overdyed pointelle mesh -- the latter of which offers breathability while wicking. The main body fabric is a subdued color shade compared to its jersey complement, based on the use of heather yarns softening the color tones. The two fabrics meet at the shoulder-sleeve seam, where a neutral elastic heather tape overlaps the seam to complete the seamless merge.

Utilizing the same detailed complexity of fabric paired with style, this season’s style Streak incorporates a simply engineered chest and sleeve panel of primary brights complemented by a grey heather jersey front torso panel. The contrast of the engineered color and neutral horizontal chest stripe is separated with this season’s primary pop accent colors. Strategically knit into the divisional color separation is a nearinvisible pairing of horizontal mesh stripes that add a textured surface interest with breathability.

Style Array features a jacquard double knit fab-

ric built for breathability but disguised as an all-over, 45-degreeangled geometric mesh pattern.

A self collar is set against contrasting, yet complementing accent shoulder seam tape distinguishes it as a true fashion style.

This season’s stripe collection offers fresh vitality in contrasting colors. Incorporating spandex yarns into a fine jersey knit gives the simplest of stripe patterns a charged appeal. A solid-and-heather tonal feed stripe combined with heather overdyed insets -- as seen on the self collar style Orbit -- demonstrates this with sophisticated, simplistic appeal. The solid quarter-inch, all-over repeat of style Strand dyed together with a complementing tonal pinstripe and finished with a matching flat knit collar is a fresh take on the classic golf feed stripe. And style Domain’s use of tonal and contrasting accent stripes oscillating in a lightto-dark ombre pattern makes

this self collar jersey/spandex polo a centerpiece garment for the collection.

Using a self collar as a complementing accent to the boldly patterned style Infinite embellishes its fresh mix of color-on-color stripes, making it a must-have in every color combination this season. Style Havoc is the epitome of the fashion polo in Antigua’s Spring/Summer ’17 collection, with its use of variegating space dye yarns. Using yarns dyed in colors specific to this season’s collection, it’s been knit in an engineered pattern repeat consisting of alternating space dye and solid yarns that creates an ever lightening, sophisticated tonal effect.

Antigua continues to embellish textured solids this season by adding an abstract geometric all-over embossed interlock style. Style Survey creates an optical effect of light and shadow that brings this solid style to life with a golfer’s every movement. To enhance its sophisticated fashion appeal, it’s created using an un-embossed solid self collar and cuff interlock making for a truly handsome piece.

Completing this season’s polo offering is a sublimation print with strategically engineered front and back panels. Purposely designed with a color-to-white gradient and solid-to-geometric stripe detail, style Finesse fully demonstrates the depth of this season’s primary colors as they wash to white. It’s both a fun and active styling fit to the collection.

Miura Golf debuts Hayate driver and Fairway woods HIMEJI, JAPAN -- Miura Golf has introduced its new Hayate driver and fairway woods. Pronounced “hi yaw tay”, Hayate directly translates to “the sound of the wind”, says Bill Holowaty, COO of Miura Golf. “The Miura family has worked long and hard to create models that offer forged excellence to golfers who don’t strike the ball consistently. The same can now be said with the Hayate line of woods. The patience and attention to detail of Shinei Miura - son of company founder and legendary clubmaker Katsuhiro Miura -- have resulted in a driver and fairway woods that are worthy of the Miura name.”

The Hayate driver is designed to maximize ball speed and optimize launch characteristics for golfers of all skill levels. Its 460cc shallow clubhead has a matte

black crown finish, providing a clear contrast to the titanium face. The club features FWS (Floating Weight Structure) Technology. Inside the clubhead is a 35-gram arch that floats above the sole - this technology provides an optimized center of gravity, resulting in maximum ball speed and reduced spin.

The clubhead has an adjustable heel weight, which allows for up to 8 grams of adjustability to optimize head weight and promote either a draw or fade bias. Adjustable weights are available in 2-gram increments, and are sold separately. The driver’s honeycomb MG sole enhances structural stability which adds to the superb feel Miura is known for.

The Hayate driver is available in lofts of 9.5° and 10.5° (standard clubhead weight is 196g, adjust-

able weights allow for +/- 4g). Its $639 MAP price varies depending on shaft choice.

The Hayate fairway woods are designed to be versatile and playable, both off the tee and fairway. They feature a one-piece titanium construction, which delivers a strong, stable and consistent clubhead with the industry’s tightest tolerances.

The shallow clubface and low center of gravity promotes a high launch and unparalleled forgiveness. A low center of gravity delivers optimum ball flight, while variable toe and heel adjustable weights enable the club to promote either a draw or fade bias. The distinctive sole shape allows for optimized turf interaction, better ball contact, and ultimately more consistent shots. The woods are available in lofts of 15° and 18°, and come with an adjustable 4-gram toe weight and 8-gram heel weight. Additional weights are available in 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 grams and are sold separately. Each fairway wood has a $539 MAP price that varies depending on shaft choice.

For more information on Miura Golf visitwww.MiuraGolf.com . Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MiuraGolf, on Twitter @ MiuraGolfInc and Instagram @MiuraGolf.

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June 2017

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2017 Ladies Red Shoe Tournament

Oak Hills Golf Course Greenbrier, TN

First Flight

1 2 3 4 5 6

Kay Jones / Teresa Tolar Angela West / Vickie Stanfill Christy Glasner / Tonya Wells 1 Christiana Tucker / Debra York Dianna Grubbs / Vicki Brooks Angie Pigue / Mary Jane Erwin

1 2 3 4 5

Bridgett Bennett / Judy Arnold Pat Starks / Sherry Martell Amy Austin / Janet Gibson Jo Bader Brown / Phylis Joyner Dale Reid / Phyllis Key

1 2 3 4 5 6

Second Flight

Claudia Stewart / Glenda Newport Nacey Merlis / Shirley Robertson Cynthia Dahlgren / Martha Choat Beverly Shoulders / Tonya Wells Marie Short / Sandra Lawrence Ann Slice / Mary Lou Lassiter

Third Flight

63 64 65 65 66 66 68 68 68 68 70 70 75 75 75 75 75

s n e e r & s e G m i d o T o G Away from the links, more good times await. You can experience memorable dining, shopping and attractions across our state. Rest at one of our many boutique hotels, relax at our world-class spas, or just soak in some of our soul-stirring blues in Mississippi’s temperate climate.

DA N C I N G R A B B I T G O L F C L U B - C H O C TAW, M I S S I S S I P P I

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Now’s the perfect time to experience the Tennessee Golf Trail

“The Tennessee Golf Trail pairs affordability with scenic splendor.”

That line comes from Golfweek Magazine’s former editor Steve Harmon, who has moved on to ‘The Morning Read,’ a wonderful online account of the day’s happenings in golf. You should check it out.

I have been thinking recently about just how true Steve’s line about the TGT is and how you, our readers, could enjoy a day or two at one of our courses. This is the time of year that all of our courses round into full bloom. Fairways are full, greens are slick, and the wildlife is out enjoying our courses.

If you have not played one of our TGT courses recently, you should make an effort to do so. I promise you will not be disappointed. It is a terrific golf value for citizens of Tennessee and our guests from around the country.

We are reinstituting some of our junior programs for the summer and continuing others. Check with your nearest TGT course for junior specials as each course will have specials running all summer. Dates and times for these specials vary from course to course, so give them a call to take advantage.

Juniors can play for as little as $5 on some dates and times, and we also are running a special for kids to play and ride free if they are with an

adult. Again, these days and times vary and you should check with the each course concerning those dates and times. Go to Tngolftrail.net for contacts for each venue.

We welcome the Sneds Tour and other junior events on the Tennessee Golf Trail and always look forward to seeing young folks out there playing and competing, but also just having fun. Also, if your office or social group is looking for a place to have an outing, the TGT is there for you. Our excellent staffs across the state can help with all of your needs to host a great event.

We will have a new U.S. Open Champion by the time you read this, so I hope it was a great tournament and our man Brandt Snedeker did well. I also hope the tournament was ‘event free’ and went smoothly for all.

The last day of the Open is usually a gut wrenching event and fun to watch. We will see if it was true to form, or did someone run and hide.

We hope everyone gets out and plays some good golf this month. As you know, it’s fun to play well, but even if you don’t have your best on a given day, it is still one of the great

places to spend time with friends and enjoy the great outdoors.

Until the next time, come and enjoy the Tennessee Golf Trail and Tennessee State Parks. - Mike

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Carter Plantation gained credibility quickly Tee Times report Already successful on the PGA Tour, David Toms decided to give golf course design a try and he gained immediate credibility with his first attempt, the Carter Plantation Golf Club in Springfield, Louisiana.

It was created by importing more than 600,000-cubic yards of dirt and opened in 2003, drawing national attention right away when named among the “Top 10 Courses You Can Play” by Golf Magazine that year.

“It’s quite an honor and a testament to the property to be ranked ahead of so many great courses,” Toms said. “The people behind the project gave us the resources to build the best course we could. Our goal from day one was to create a course that would be enjoyable and memorable for all players.”

The spectacular 18-hole, 7,050-yard, par-72 layout plays through three distinct Louisiana landscapes – live oaks, cypress wetlands, and upland pine forests. Great effort was made to preserve the plantation’s native wildlife habitats.

Toms, an LSU alum who won the 2001 PGA Championship, has a game that is steady, underrated and straight forward, qualities that can been seen in Carter Plantation Golf Club.

Carpeted with TifEagle on the greens and TifSport on the rolling fairways, each

hole on the course offers four or five tee positions with water coming into play on 11 of the holes.

The greens offer a challenge as they are huge, averaging more than 6,000-cubic feet.

The fairways have generous landing areas, but beware of 86 strategically placed bunkers on the course. The par 5s are all PGA Tour quality, three of them stretching to 550 yards or more from the tips. The course has a rating of 74.4 and slope of 140.

Additional features include a double-ended driving range, three practice greens and practice bunkers. Also available at the Plantation are banquet facilities and a restaurant.

The facility gets its name from the Carter Plantation House that was built between 1817 and 1820 by Thomas Freeman, a free man of color. He was the first black man to record a legal transaction in his own right in the Greensburg District of East Louisiana and the first to own property in what is now Livingston Parish. This was documented in a commissioner’s report issued in 1820. By 1820, Freeman had built the renowned Federal

style house and records indicate he named it “Sycamore”. He remained there with his wife and five children until 1838 when he sold the house and land to William L. Breed.

Carter Plantation, which historically included about 2,000 acres, was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is significant to African-American history.

Its recorded history dates back to 1804. The Carter Plantation House is representative of a middle class, raised plantation house. The basic floor plan is similar to the “dog trot” style.

The original kitchen and dining room, which were detached from the main house, burned in the late 1880’s, and the present dining room and kitchen were added. The house was restored by Wiley H. Sharp Jr. and his sister,

Historic Carter Plantation

Hole No. 11

Beverly Sharp Burgess, during the 1970s and 1980s.

Bill Caldwell, a Master PGA Professional, and his wife Andre’ are managing partners of the course, which is part of the Louisiana Audubon Golf

Trail. The Baton Rouge area features four other courses that are part of the trail - The Bluffs, The Island, Santa Maria, and Copper Mill,. Their close proximity makes Baton Rouge a perfect location for a buddies trip in which golfers never have to play the same hole twice.

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Garland needs playoff to notch 2nd Music City Invitational title Tee Times report The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Invitational turned into a duel between 19-year-old John Tyminski and veteran Rob Garland at Harpeth Hills.

It took a four-hole playoff, but it was Garland, an Iowa native who now calls Nashville home, who emerged victorious courtesy of a 15-foot birdie putt.

“The playoff was a battle with John,” Garland said. “He had an amazing par save on 10. I followed with a scrambling par on 11, and then John rolled in a 20-footer on 12 to force us to the fourth playoff hole.”

For Garland, it was another win to add to his collection. It was his second Music City

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courses is something I really enjoy.”

Tyminski relied on his short game throughout the Music City Invitational, hitting only 13 greens through the first two rounds while shooting even par. In the third round, a 5-foot birdie putt forced the playoff with Garland.

The two took on the best Harpeth Hills had to offer, according the Kevin Forte, the course’s general manager.

“With the greens renovation project scheduled to begin the day after the tournament, we had the opportunity to set the course up with true championship conditions,” he said.

“It was a thrilling playoff and both John and Rob played great golf over three days.”

Garland, who runs a graphic design studio with his wife Jenny, expects to see Tyminski more often going forward in tourna-

Kevin Forte (L), PGA Professional and GM of Harpeth Hills GC, hands over the trophy to two-time(2010, 2017) Franklin American Mortgage Music City Champion, Rob Garland.

Invitational win, with the other coming in 2010.

Garland has two previous wins in The MUNI, two in the Capital City and a Tennessee Mid-Am title.

During a brief pro career, he won three mini-tour events.

Garland’s victory was somewhat improbable, as he was 6-over par through 10 holes in the opening round. By the third round, though, he had closed the gap to just two shots before finally pulling even.

Tyminski, a Brentwood resident who just completed his freshman season at Tennessee State, was looking for his first Music City title. Since leading his high school team to a state championship, Tyminski has transitioned nicely to upperlevel competition.

“I love the competition in collegiate tournaments because I feel I am more challenged with the better players, and playing the more challenging

Rob Garland (L) and John Tyminkski stand on the No. 13 green after Garland defeated Tyminkski on the 4th playoff hole.

ment play.

“I’m sure we are bound to meet up in tournaments again,” he said. “ Forte thanked Franklin American Mortgage for its continued sponsorship of the Music City Invitational.

“We are proud to have the best sponsor in Tennessee,” he said.

“It is hard to put into words, and I can’t express the gratitude I feel to Dan Crockett. We John Tyminski are one of the premier amateur receives his prize events in Tennessee. We canafter the playoff , not thank him enough for is runner–up in the continued support.” championship

June 2017

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Hodge emerges from pack to win Tennessee State Open title Tee Times report Eighteen holes into the SunTrust Tennessee State Open at Foxland Harbor Golf and Country Club, Jonathan Hodge was just hoping to make the cut after opening with a 72.

He did that and more. Hodge, a TennesseeChattanooga alum, vaulted into contention with a second-round 66 and then pulled away late in the third round to finish with another 66 and a three-shot win for his first Tennessee State Open championship.

“Honestly, I had thoughts of just making the cut after round one,” Hodge said of his even-

UTC All-American shown here in 2009

par 72 in the first round. In the end, he got to add his name to the Curtis Person, Sr. Trophy.

“There are so many good names on that trophy, a lot of my friends are on there, along with some historical names. It is surreal to think my name will be on there now,” Hodge said.

Hodge’s second-round 66, delayed by weather, put him in the second-to-last group for the final round. And that’s when things got interesting.

“My mindset was to just stay conservative and play my game,” Hodge said.

On the strength of rounds of 70-65, Clayton Gregory entered the final round with a twoshot lead. However, a batch of early pars enable those in pursuit to close the gap.

Hodge was one of the first players to challenge Gregory. The Web.com Tour member pulled within one shot with two birdies in the

first six holes. When he holed a pitch shot from 20 yards on No. 7 for an eagle, Hodge suddenly found himself in the lead. Another birdie at No. 8 gave Hodge a two-shot advantage.

“Things escalated quickly when I chipped in for eagle then made a 30-footer for birdie on eight,” Hodge said.

Hodge couldn’t pull away from the field, even with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 13-14.

“I had to battle to keep my thoughts under control but I played consistent coming in,” Hodge said.

A Gregory bogey combined with another birdie for Hodge to cap of his second consecutive 66 gave the winner the final three-shot margin.

Gregory ended up in a four-way tie for second with 2014 winner Steven Fox, Grant Leaver, and Chad Merzbacher.

Phillip Lee of White Bluff was the low amateur. Lee shot 70 in the final round to finish at 211.

“I approach the state open as any other tournament, just playing golf against other guys,” Lee said. Lee, a member of the most recent USGA Team Matches Chad Anderson, Executive Director Tennessee team representing Tennessee, was one Golf Association presents check to Hodge of just three players to reach red num-

bers all three days. “I took it one shot at a time and surrendered to the outcome while staying committed to the process,” Lee said.

The Tennessee Golf Association would like to thank Foxland Harbor Golf and Country Club for hosting the 69th SunTrust Tennessee State Open as well as all our volunteers who made it possible to run this event.

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Congrats to Steve Kirkpatrick!

Steve Kirkpatrick named Golf Digest Certified Club Fitter!

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RiverWatch wants to shed ‘hidden gem’ label Tee Times report Ken Lacy bristles when the topic of RiverWatch Golf Club being known as a “hidden gem” is brought up.

That’s the last thing the new owner of RiverWatch wants, because hidden gem has a hidden meaning – as in not many people know about it.

Lacy would prefer and is working hard toward his new venture becoming a household name among the region’s golfers. Riverwatch is located about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville just south of I-40 in Sparta.

“Hidden gem,” Lacy said. “As a team we need to strive to eliminate that term and make RiverWatch Golf and Resort a household name and locker room folklore for years to come.”

Lacy has targeted two areas in which he is confident that can move the course in that direction.

“We need to give the course plenty of TLC, and bring the turf and quality of RiverWatch back to its intended design,” he said. “Also, through marketing.

We need to make RiverWatch a spoken topic in golf circles.”

The road hasn’t been an easy one for the Peter Jacobsen design that first opened nine holes in 2000. It wasn’t until 2008 that the second nine opened. By 2013, the Hole No. 7 course was in default and being managed by the Bank of Alabama and the Bank of Lincoln County.

Lacy learned of the course through a mutual friend and first encountered the property during a site visit. Nothing happened then, but he later became involved with another company that eventually bought the property. In 2016, Lacy, his brother Jeff, John Fitzmartin, and Jamie Taylor formed a company and bought the course.

It’s not the Lacy family’s first rodeo in the golf industry. In addition to golf, the West Virginia natives have been involved the medical field and construction industry. Ken Lacy has done a little bit

Hole No. 14 of everything – from building courses to being a superintendent and golf professional. He lists having designed and built courses in Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, West Virginia and Barbuda, West Indies.

RiverWatch sits on a plateau overlooking Center Hill Lake. The course is a combination of tree-lined fairways with elevation changes and a mixture of well-placed bunkers.

After going through a series of owners and course managers, Lacy Hole No. 5 has spent the last year restoring the golf course to its intended design and playability. It features Zoysia fairways, Bermuda grass tees and bentgrass greens. Located in a transition zone, Lacy said those are the favorable varieties of turf for RiverWatch to maintain a high level of playability year round “Championship-caliber golf is what the designers and visionaries had in mind when they viewed this piece of property,” Lacy said. “All golf courses have a postcard or signature hole. Well, RiverWatch has 18 of them.”

Lacy has a simple phiHole No. 1 losophy for success.

“Our biggest value we feel like we bring to the table as a team is compatibility and love for each other and the great game of golf,” he said. “Our family grew up around golf and we have respected the challenge. The comradery gained through relationships and networking in such a competitive and ever-changing Hole No. 8 environment is something we cherish.”

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TEE TIMES

June 2017

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