By STUART HALL Ten days is all Mike Thompson needed to receive the first return from his investment in a new SkyTrak launch monitor. Playing in a Virginia State Golf Association’s Senior Open qualifier, on a Meadowbrook Country Club course he had never seen before last year, Thompson, of Richmond, Va., fired a 67 to…
By David Droschak The comparisons are natural, since Triangle-area prep stars Jenny Chang and Gina Kim have parents of Asian descent, are high school juniors, each have multiple state championships – and each spends hours upon hours practicing ball striking, putting and their short games. Who is better? Or maybe we should say: Who will…
GM at Stoneville club takes on “for the team” during greens project By Steve Hanf John Budwine boasts 35 years of experience in the golf business. He never dreamed, however, that one day he’d be in charge of a greens replacement project. “It was rather scary for me,” Budwine said with a chuckle. “This…
By David Droschak Under normal circumstances, it would have been a major downer for the re-opening of the Dogwood Course at the Country Club of North Carolina to transpire in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine. But with a major directive to transform the Ellis Maples classic into a firmer playing experience for the private…
By Brad King He has been there since the beginning. Tom Ducey remembers back in the early 1990s driving to the Stanly County Airport to pick up Tom Fazio, when the then-relatively unknown golf course architect was in the process of building what would become Old North State Club on 5,300-acre Badin Lake, along a…
Earnhardt wins second straight Mid-Am Championship Beginning the final round of the 23rd North Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship with a four stroke advantages, Greensboro’s Greg Earnhardt was battling memories of past leads gone wrong. “I’ve choked away so many tournaments when leading,” said the 47-year-old Earnhardt. “I’ve always come from behind.” Earnhardt even talked with seven-time…
Greensboro school fielding first golf team in 125-year history By Steve Huffman History is in the works at North Carolina A&T, where a golf team representing the Greensboro-based university will be teeing it up this fall. That’s something that’s never happened in the school’s 125-year history. “Oh, we’re very excited,” said Richard Watkins, coach of…
By Steve Hanf Folks have continued to trickle in to Jamestown Park Golf Course throughout the summer, eager to bend the ear of head golf professional Ross Sanderlin about the long overdue and highly anticipated changes impacting one of the Triad’s favorite municipal courses. “With the new clubhouse renovations and the new greens, those two…
By David Droschak Bo Watson starts each day with some quiet time recommended by business partner and mental coach Phil Gascoyne. It’s part reflection and part inspiration for the 27-year-old founder of Watson School of Golf. “The plus of owning your own business is you get to do what you want as far as…
By David Droschak Who would have thought a casual encounter at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2011 would change the lives of PGA Tour golfer Justin Rose and Campbell University’s David Orr – and connect the two on a wild ride of golfing success the past five years? “I was working with another player…