By Steve Hanf Just about everyone who enjoys golf in North Carolina and South Carolina knows about the Carolinas Golf Association. But as Hale B. Van Hoy and Jack Nance worked tirelessly to grow the game of amateur golf in the region, they couldn’t help but have a little fun with the acronym. “We had…
By BRAD KING Private clubs around the Triad and the throughout the country have felt the pinch from on-going economic turmoil and uncertainty. Membership rosters have shrunk considerably. The majority of private clubs has fewer members today than a decade ago. A challenging economy, along with fierce competition and changing lifestyles have made attracting and…
By Steve Hanf Score one for the cluttered garage. As Seth Lomison wraps up his junior career and contemplates life as a professional golfer, it’s easy to wonder “what might have been” had he not stumbled upon a lonely club and some old golf balls one day in the family garage. “It was like an…
DAVID DROSCHAK Growing up in the Hamilton Lakes section of Greensboro and learning the game from his father as a youngster at Starmount Forest Country Club it was probably a foregone conclusion Rick Barakat would join the private club when he returned to work in the Triad area after living in Charlotte and Virginia.…
By BRAD KING McConnell Golf recently held its annual executive meeting in which administrators from the company’s growing stable of clubs made a variety of presentations to the group covering numerous club-related topics. Michael Shoun, the director of agronomy, titled his presentation, “The Year of Extremes.” Golf course superintendents like Shoun are the caretakers of…
By Kurt Dusterberg Emily Brooks would like to become a household name in golf circles. In the meantime, she has the most famous silhouette in the sport. Brooks is a senior at Elon University, and much to her surprise, her image adorns the 2016 United States Golf Association rule book. “My dad and my…
By DAVID DROSCHAK Dan Brooks chuckles some when asked about his early days as Duke’s women’s golf coach. “I actually came into this not wanting to be a coach, I wanted to be a teacher, and my ego was huge and I wanted to be THE teacher,” said Brooks, who has now coached the…
By Steve Hanf Special programs exist to get young kids interested in playing golf. School teams exist at just about every high school and many middle schools for teens interested in playing golf. Now, a new organization will help bridge the gap between first learning the game and tackling the whole different world of competitive…
Resort’s Centennial Course celebrates 20th anniversary DAVID DROSCHAK A lot has happened since Pinehurst Resort honored its 100th anniversary two decades ago with the opening of its eighth golf layout – also known as the Centennial Course. Pinehurst brass Robert Dedman Sr. and Don Padgett Sr. are no longer with us, neither is golfing great…
By Steve Huffman A new face with old ties to the business has taken over I-85 Golf in Haw River. Brandon Vincent, son of the driving range’s founder and owner, Joe, is now co-owner and operator of the business located off Interstate 40/85. Brandon has spent several months working to return the business to its…