A Triad golfer was named to the American Junior Golf Association 2025 Rolex Junior All-America Second Team.
Pennson Badgett of Pilot Mountain, who has committed to play at Tennessee for next fall, topped the AJGA list released Wednesday. Badgett made the first team in 2024, when he played a full junior schedule.
Badgett, a senior at East Surry High, gained international notoriety over the summer by advancing to match play at the U.S. Amateur and playing in the final group with Charlie Woods at the Junior PGA Championship.
Preston Hage of Raleigh, committed to the University of North Carolina, made the boys’ first team.
On Netflix, Lake of the Ozarks became famous to the nation as the hideout for a drug money-laundering operation run by a financial advisor played by Jason Bateman.
What the series didn’t show was that the central Missouri lake is also an affordable golf destination with quality courses and an assortment of lakeside accommodations and restaurants.
Famous designers including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones and the team of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish offer scenic and challenging layouts across the undulating Ozark hills (elevation ranges from about 750 to 1,110 feet) at rates similar or slightly above those at top Triad public courses.
Thanks to the addition and improvement of several roads during the past two decades, the courses are all within 20 minutes of each other surrounding the small municipalities of Lake Ozark, Sunset Beach, Osage Beach and Camdenton.
Though traditionally known for boating, fishing and family vacations, Lake of the Ozarks’ golf reputation has grown significantly over the past few decades.
Margaritaville Lake Resort at Lake of the Ozarks offers The Oaks Golf Course as well as a marina, restaurants and several activities. (Photo Courtesy of Margaritaville)
Starting at the north end of circuit, only a mile or so from Bagnell Dam, where the Osage River is transformed into the lake, Osage National is a broad-shouldered, 27-hole Palmer design with holes that stretch along the river below high limestone bluffs on the other side.
Osage National’s three nines, which go by self-explanatory names River, Links and Mountain offer different looks. The modern design with combinations measuring more than 7,000 yards features big greens and sprawling traps with several small lakes providing other hazards.
Homes on limestone bluffs across the Osage River look down on the River 9 at Osage National.
At the south end, Old Kinderhook stretches along the hills outside Camdenton. Regarded by many as the Lake’s top public option, the par-71 Weiskopf-Morrish collaboration measures more than 6,700 yards from the tips.
The nicely sculpted fairways, bunkers and large greens require an assortment of shots with the Lake coming into play on a few holes. A few waterfalls add to the experience. Like Osage National, Old Kinderhook has a memorable, short par-4 drivable for many players willing to challenge sand and water.
Osage National has villas with stay-and-play packages. Old Kinderhook offers packages with a lodge, villas and cottages. Both have dining facilities.
The 18th hole at Old Kinderhook finishes in the shadows of the guest lodge.
The Lake’s two major resorts, Margaritaville Lake Resort at Lake of the Ozarks and Lodge of the Four Seasons, also offer golf options. Both have an assortment of lodging and dining choices as well as amenities including pools, racquet sports and marinas.
The Oaks, located a mile or so outside the Margaritaville gates, features undulating, tree-lined fairways with the Lake coming into play, most spectacularly on the par-3 14th, where the green sits just above a cove.
Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge designed the course, which has more than 60 bunkers. Accurate shot making is more important distance on the par-71 course measuring just over 6,400 yards, though elevations changes make the layout seem longer.
The par-5 ninth at The Oaks requires a precision approach to a small green perched above a pond with waterfalls.
The Lodge has two courses. Though conditioning has been widelycriticized in recent years, new owners in 2025 brought new investment and Troon management, leading to optimism of improvement.
The first Lodge course, The Cove, was the Lake’s original destination layout featuring a 200-yard-plus par-3, No. 13, over a small Lake cove. The par-71 Trent Jones design measures almost 6,600 yards with more than 70 bunkers and forest as obstacles.
The Ridge, designed by Ken Kavanaugh, features three holes with views of the nearby Lake. Stretching to more than 6,400 yards, the layout covers mostly hilly terrain.
Members of Kemper Sports clubs should take advantage and play The Club at Porto Cima, a private Nicklaus design with seven holes along the Lake, including No. 15, a 546-yard par-5 on a peninsula with the Lake surrounding a perched green.
Other courses include Lake Valley, a somewhat open course offering six par-3s and six relatively short par-5s and Bermuda (unusual in Missouri) fairways, near Old Kinderhook. A solid, convenient choice is Bear Creek Valley in the center of the region in Osage Beach.
Bear Creek Valley, conveniently located in Osage Beach, is a good course for an opening round at Lake of the Ozarks.
Though the population of Miller and Camden, the Lake’s primary two counties, is only about 60,000, the area has a selection of popular restaurant and hotel chains, supermarkets and national retailers, in addition to many local businesses.
Traffic can be heavy during the summer boating season. Though constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, most of the shoreline is privately owned.
The Lake is about two hours from St. Louis and Kansas City via I-70 and U.S. 54. Air service is also available to Columbia (one hour away) through American Airlines and United Airlines.
A few college women’s highlights as the fall season comes to a conclusion:
Macie Burcham of Greensboro finished in a tie for eighth for East Carolina at 7-over-par 220 in a 77-player field at Edisto Island’s Plantation Course. The Pirates finished third as a team at the South Carolina event, behind winner College of Charleston and Elon.
Elon shot 28-over 880 for 54 holes, nine shots behind the host Cougars. The Phoenix, whose eight-player roster includes seven internationals, were led by Canadian Emma Hansen’s 3-over 216, good for third place.
UNC Greensboro capped its fall with a victory in its UNC Greensboro Collegiate with a five-stroke victory against an 11-team small-college field. At 21-over for 54 holes the Spartans beat UNC Asheville by five strokes. North Carolina A&T tied for third at 32-over.
German Julia Baeukman led UNCG with a third-place finish at 2-over 218.
High Point finished third behind Miami (Fla.) and South Florida in a seven-team field at the White Sands Invitational in the Bahamas, beating Middle Tennessee, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Prairie View A&M. High Point golfers Anna Perna and Makayla Grubb tied for ninth at 12-over for 54 holes and Winston-Salem native Anna Howerton shot 13-over.
A few course notes:
Starmount Forest Country Club’s course reopened Oct. 18 after a renovation by Greensboro-based architect Kris Spence. TriadGolf.com will have a detailed report on the new look this week …
Old Field, the six-hole par-3 course under construction adjacent to Colin Creek in Mocksville, won’t be ready to open this year.
Twilight Golf founder Stephen Edwards, who helped out with the project, told TriadGolf.com that a spring 2026 grand opening is expected. This summer, Edwards said an October opening might be possible.
Heavy rain, brisk winds and cold temperatures Tuesday either marred or wiped out the final rounds of the North Carolina high school girls’ state championships.
The final round was canceled in four of the seven size classifications. Only Class 7A played a full second round, and conditions were abominable at Sapona Club, as shown by the scores. In Class 5A and 6A at Stockbridge Golf Club in Monroe, nine holes were played.
Marvin Ridge, which led by 7A by 10 strokes over Reagan, entering the day, survived to win the team title. The Mavericks, prohibitive favorites, played Monday with only three of their five players after a morning car crash sent their Nos. 2 and 3 players to the hospital. They were allowed to fill out their team with new players on Tuesday.
Reagan dropped to third on Tuesday. Ellie Acrey finished sixth for the Raiders in the individual race.
In divisions that did not play Tuesday, Northwest Guilford finished second behind hometown Pinecrest in Class 8A at Pinehurst No. 6. Emery Lewis of Northwest finished in a tie for fourth at 76.
East Surry finished second in 3A at Longleaf Golf Club in Southern Pines, 12 shots behind Pine Lake Prep. Colby Badgett shot 79 to finish second for East Surry. Madison Akers of Mt. Airy was third at 83.
North Surry sophomore Emerson Puckett won Class 4A medalist honors at Longleaf with her 75 Monday. Led by an 82 by Bethany Myers, who tied for fourth, Central Davidson finished third in the team standings behind champion Lake Norman Charter and Stuart W. Cramer.
Ashtyn Whitfield of Western Alamance finished fifth with 128 for 27 holes in the 5A tournament at Stockbridge Golf Club in Monroe.
In Class 6A at Stonebridge, Gabriella Moorehead of Williams finished sixth at 116 for 27 holes to lead the Bulldogs to a third-place finish behind Charlotte Catholic and Felton Grove. Northwest Guilford freshman Makenzie Aaron finished in a tie for eighth at 119.
Bishop McGuinness placed third in Class 1A-2A at Gates Four Country Club in Fayetteville behind winner Avery County and East Wilkes. Morgan Shipley of Millennium Charter in Mt. Airy finished second with 81.
Ellie Acrey shot 5-over 76 Monday at Sapona to lead Reagan into the runner-up spot entering Tuesday’s final round of the N.C. 7A Girls’ Championship. The Raiders posted 42-over 255, 10 stroked behind Marvin Ridge and 11 better than D.H. Conley and Lake Norman, the teams tied for third.
Acrey, a senior, stands third as an individual, three shots behind leader Gracie Song of Cuthbertson.
The final rounds of six other classifications also finish Tuesday. The NCSHAA website did not have Class 5A scores on its website Monday night.
8A
Emery Lewis shot 76 and Katelyn Pearman added 79 for Northwest Guilford, which moved into second place with 243 at Pinehurst No. 6. Pinecrest dominated the opening day at 222, holding down the top three individual spots. Lewis is in fourth, only three shots off the lead.
6A
Gabriella Moorehead and Walter Williams are in contention for medalist honors and the team title at Stonebridge in Monroe. Moorehead shot 2-under 70 to trail Elizabeth Guthrie of Charlotte Catholic by one shot. Freshman Deborah Monahan added 74 for the Bulldogs, who are at 9-over 225 and trail Charlotte Catholic by only four strokes.
4A
North Surry sophomore Emerson Puckett shot 75 at Longleaf in Southern Pines to take a one-stroke lead in the individual standings. Bethany Myers shot 82 for Central Davidson, which is third in the team race at 280. Alina Amos of Reidsville shot 85 to tie for ninth. Lake Norman Charter has a commanding 13-shot lead over Stuart Cramer in the team standings.
3A
Colby Badgett shot 79 at Longleaf for East Surry, which is in second place at 272, 12 behind Pine Lake Prep. Badgett is two strokes off the individual lead. Madison Akers of Mt. Airy shot 83 and is third in the individual standings.
1A-2A
East Wilkes is in second place at 279, 16 behind Avery County in the Class 1-A tournament at Gates Four in Fayetteville. Bishop Guinness is third at 280. Emery Grunwald led the Villains with 88.
Alina Amos won’t have the support of teammates while competing in the NCHSAA Class 4A (the state now has eight size classifications) Girls’ State Championship at Longleaf Golf Club.
The Reidsville High senior will be playing as an individual — nothing unusual during her four-year high school golf career — today and Tuesday. And it’s worked out pretty well. She’s qualified for the state tournament all four years.
Her lone teammate on this fall’s Reidsville team did not qualify for the regional. Her mom, Danielle, will serve as her “coach.”
“Sometimes I get a little jealous, like in the regional practice rounds, when everybody is talking together as a team,” Amos admitted. “But I pretty much always play by myself. I’m excited to have that atmosphere in college.”
This year, Amos ranks as a contender for the title. She shot a competitive-best 74 last week at Washington Yacht and Country Club, sailing to medalist honors in the East Regional.
A relative newcomer in the junior ranks — she broke 90 for the first time two years ago at Gillespie Golf Course — Amos believes even lower scores could be on the horizon.
Alina Amos’ solid chipping helped her shoot 74 to win the East Regional.
Amos entered the regional with doubts.
“I wasn’t too sure how I was going to play because before the tournament, I wasn’t hitting the ball well at all,” Amos said. “What saved me was my putting.”
Plus, Amos had never played the Washington course.
But a solid all-round game, clutch chipping and putting produced the 74, which included a tricky 30-foot downhill put for one of her two birdies. Her putting did let her down on the final hole when she missed a 5-footer, but by then it didn’t matter.
“It made me more confident in my game,” Amos said of winning medalist honors. “I didn’t feel like I played that well, and I had a good score.”
Amos’ dedication has paid off. Taking up the sport at age 9 the urging of her mom Danielle Cureton, Amos has put in the work. She’s climbed from First Tee, PGA Jr. League and U.S. Kids events to Carolinas Golf Association, Peggy Kirk Bell and Tarheel Youth Golf Association junior events.
At Gillespie Golf Course, she’s been mentored by director of golf Bob Brooks and instructor Kelley Phillips, who she now works with every two weeks.
She begins each day with 30 minutes of drill work and does another 30 minutes at night. She plays mostly at Gillespie and Pennrose Country Club in Reidsville.
The 5-foot-2 Amos, who moved from Greensboro to Reidsville with her mom in the eighth grade, gave up basketball and soccer.
“I stopped after I found out I really liked golf,” she said.
Amos had a busy summer and made some bucket list golf trips that included top-flight instruction.
She spent a week at the Congaree Global Golf Initiative, an outreach program at Congaree (S.C.) Golf Club, which played host to a PGA Tour event in 2021. At Congaree, she received instruction in golf and college preparation, plus a new set of Ping clubs that immediately lowered her scores. It was a rainy week, but it cleared for a one-day tournament.
“A week later, I shot my best scores 76 and 78 (and finished third in a tournament at Bryan Park’s Players Course,” said Amos, whose best non-competitive score is 70 at Bryan Park Champions.
She also was accepted into a First Tee event at Pebble Beach, for a week-long program of competition and mentorship in conjunction with the Champions Tour Pure Insurance Championship. She played Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, and made a hole-in-one at The Hay, Pebble’s nine-hole, short par-3 course, while playing with the Champions Tour’s Mark Walker.
This fall, she was medalist in each of Reidsville’s region matches.
Amos said she’s talked to several coaches in the east, from New York to Florida, and expects to make a college golf commitment in November. She wants to study nursing.
Amos will graduate a semester early at Reidsville. She hopes to gain consistency with her accuracy off the tee.
“When I hit them good, I hit them pretty far,” she said. “I have a tendency to drive it to the left. “in the spring, I’ll focus on golf and try to better my game while I’m out of school.”
On Friday, Amos said her outlook and final preparations for her last state tournament were simple.
“I think I get more in my head during states,” Amos said. “This year, I’m going to let loose and have a good time with it. I’m just working on putting more — I feel that could save me. And I need to stay inside the tree line.”
Triad golfers Morgan Ketchum and Macy Pate led the Wake Forest women to a third-place team finish out of 18 teams Sunday at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington.
North Carolina won the 54-hole tournament at Landfall’s Pete Dye Course with 7-under-par 857. Central Florida was second at 862 and Wake posted 867.
Ketchum shot 4-under 212, including 68 Sunday to tie for the day’s low round and finish tied for sixth. Pate, who shot 70 Saturday, finished tied for 14th at 217.
WAKE MEN TIE FOR SIXTH
The Wake men tied for sixth out of 14 teams at the Steelwood Classic in Foley, Alabama. Nicholas Prieto led the Demon Deacons with a fourth-place score of 5-under 211.
Texas A&M won the tournament at 10-under, followed by Rutgers, West Virginia, Memphis and South Alabama. The Deacons posted 1-over 865 to tie Purdue.
Have you ever been to The Omni Homestead, one of the nation’s finest golf resorts?
Maybe not, despite its location in the remote Allegheny Mountains of southwestern Virginia, only three and a half hours or so from Winston-Salem.
After all, many Triad golfers find no reason to leave the state for a golf trip. There’s spectacular mountain golf in the Roaring Gap, Linville and Cashiers areas. Wilmington and the Outer Banks offer fantastic coastal layouts.
And, of course, there’s Pinehurst only an hour or two away.
Well, in many ways, The Omni Homestead Resort is the Pinehurst Resort of Virginia, though the similarities decrease each year. Or maybe, it’s somewhat like Roaring Gap with a palatial, full-service hotel. In the 1990s, Pinehurst, The Homestead and The Greenbriar, a similar grand hotel with an acclaimed golf course in nearby White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, were each owned by Club Corp.
Imagine Pinehurst 60 years ago, offering scenic mountains and cool summers instead of its mild winters, tall pines and rolling sandhills.
That’s a rough description of Hot Springs, Virginia, where the two-land sides of the approaching, twisting roads remain free of chain restaurants and hotels – or much local business, for that matter. There’s one place to get gas and basic groceries. That’s it.
An important tip: stay on U.S. 220 all the way from Roanoke. Ignore Siri if she tells you to veer off at Clifton Forge. That shortcut, with nine-plus miles on a twisting, narrow and rough road, can be harrowing, especially at night.
The Homestead, whose late-19th century developers included J.P. Morgan, and Pinehurst share the allure of grand old destination hotels from the gilded age with world-famous golf courses and world-class amenities, including spas.
Not as centered around golf as Pinehurst, The Homestead also offers hot springs baths, hiking and fishing and a variety of restaurants and specialty shops.
Though the Homestead and Carolina (Pinehurst) hotels are similar, the historic locations are very different.
Imagine Pinehurst 60 years ago, offering scenic mountains, babbling streams and cool summers instead of its tall pines, mild winters and rolling sandhills.
While Pinehurst was home to Donald Ross and now the USGA, The Homestead can claim Ross as an architect and Sam Snead as a legend.
The Homestead has two courses – both ranked among the top 10 in Virginia – dating back to 1892 (with the nation’s oldest, continuous first tee). The soothing feel of the bucolic setting is a welcome change to the bustle at many other golf resorts.
A third course, Lower Cascades, a Robert Trent Jones design opened in 1961, was closed in 2013.
Both Homestead courses have bluegrass fairways and bent greens. Placement within the landing areas can be especially important with sloping fairways often filtering drives toward gnarly rough, the primary cause of lost balls. Streams come into play on a few holes.
The Old Course is an enjoyable, historic treasure. President William McKinley played the Old Course in 1899. Several others followed. Like he did at Pinehurst No. 2, Ross tinkered with the course during its early years. William S. Flynn and Rees Jones contributed updates.
The Cascades, designed by Flynn in 1923, ranked as high as No. 39 on Golf Digest’s overall U.S. rankings in 2004, has hosted nine USGA national championships, including the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. The U.S. Senior Men’s Amateur is scheduled there in 2029.
The pro shop and Rubino’s restaurant occupy a historic brick house at The Cascades.
After navigating the hotel’s long hallways, resort guests need only a short walk outside to reach the Old Course clubhouse and first tee.
Only 6,099 yards from the tips, it is an enjoyable, often testing layout that made Golf Digest’s most recent list of the top 15 public-access courses in the state.
Ross expanded an original six-hole routing to 18 in 1901. Several holes run adjacent to two-lane U.S. 220 and can be viewed by occasional passing motorists. The layout, with an equal distribution of par-3, par-4 and par-5 holes, is a fun assortment, including several short, but hilly, par-5s and moderately long par-3s to go with par-4s under 400 yards.
There’s no water to worry about, but the undulating terrain and moderate-sized greens add challenge. The final two holes, a reachable par-4 with a blind tee shot over a hill, and a par-3 framed by the hotel, provide an ideal opportunity to cap off an enjoyable round.
Cascades, a few miles south of the hotel off U.S. 220, is a destination course. Flynn weaved a subtle classic through streams and over rolling terrain needing little, if any, alteration. From the tips, the course plays to more than 6,900 yards with a 72.8 rating and a 135 slope. Golf Digest rates Cascades the No. 6 overall course in Virginia.
Golf fees in fall 2025 were $203 at the Old Course and $303 at Cascades.
The front nine features some significant elevation changes, including at No. 4, a downhill, 210-yard, par-3 with a gaping bunker guarding most of the front and left side of the green.
The downhill fourth hole is one of five challenging par-3s at The Cascades Course.
Like the Old Course, Cascades features a unique group of finishing holes, capped by a 203-yard par-3, requiring an approach over a small pond to a small green surrounded by sand.
Cascades’ four-hole homestretch starts and ends with par-5s sandwiched between long par-3s.
At 17, a flowing stream runs long the right side of the dogleg left, feeding into a pond alongside the right side of the green with a bunker guarding the left.
The 19th hole is Rubino’s on the upper floor of the historic white brick home with the pro shop on the first floor. Rubino’s has a dual personality with a simple, yet elegant dining room leading out to a deck ideal for lunch or drinks on mild, mountain afternoon.
The Triad will be well represented at next week’s North Carolina state high school girls’ golf championships.
Eight Triad teams earned spots in six of the state’s seven women’s golf division championship through regional tournaments that concluded Tuesday.
Northwest Guilford grabbed the second and final spot at the Class 8A West Regional at Longleaf in Southern Pines. Sophia Perdue of West Forsyth qualified as an individual.
Perennial power Reagan claimed the third and final 7A West berth at Longleaf.
Led by medalist Gabriella Moorehead, Williams placed second at the 6A East Regional. Southern Alamance qualified in third place.
At the 6A West Regional, Northern Guilford advanced with a second-place showing at Brushy Mountain in Taylorsville. Rebecca Ann Kvam of Mount Tabor and Maya Helen Schoene of Ragsdale qualified as individuals.
Taylor Griffen of Northern Davidson, was an individual qualifier at the 5A West tournament. t Ashtyn Whitfield and Layne Pittard of Western Alamance qualified through the 5A East tourney.
Alina Amos of Reidsville was medalist in the 4A East Regional.
In 4A West, Central Davidson was second, advancing at Pilot Knob Park. Emily Glasgow of West Stokes advanced as an individual.
Also at PKP, East Surry grabbed the third and final spot in the 3A West Regional. Alyvia Eure of Surry Central and Madison Akers of Mt. Airy qualified as individuals.
In Class 1A-2A, Bishop McGuinness advanced by grabbing the fourth and final spot at Cedarbrook. Makaela McGee of Elkin and Delaney Hollern and Olivia Croatt of Cornerstone Charter qualified as individuals.
The top 16 individual scores from teams that did not advance qualify for the 1A-2A state tournament; the top 9 from non-qualifying schools advance in 3A through 7A. The top 9 individuals qualify in 8A.
The 36-hole state championship tournaments are set for Oct. 27-28 at the following sites:
Visitors to Boone and Blowing Rock and the rest of Watauga County soon may lose their best public golf option.
According to various reports from the High Country, at least one of the owners of Boone Golf Club would like to explore a sale of the property, which would probably lead to some type of residential or a resort development with a nine-hole layout.
Golf Course supporters have an online petition they hope will help convince the town council to deny any zoning that would allow development. Some have expressed hope that Appalachian State University, which does not own a golf course, may buy it.
It’s a tough situation.
Boone Golf Club is an exceptional public layout designed mostly in a valley surrounded by the mountains. Designed by Ellis Maples, the course is very well maintained with challenging greens.
The closest 18-hole, public, championship courses are more than 30 minutes away — Mountain Glen in Newland and Mountain Aire in West Jefferson. Mountain Glen, widely considered on the same level as Boone, was designed by George Cobb. Mountain Aire, which is less expensive than Boone and Mountain Glen, has a collection of scenic holes.
While the High Country, especially neighboring Avery County, is known worldwide for its spectacular courses, the majority are private and inaccessible to locals and tourists. Watauga County clubs include Hound Ears and Blowing Rock Country Club.
Boone has a population of about 20,000 with almost 22,000 students at App State. Nearby Blowing Rock has more than 1,300 residents. But both towns swell year-round with tourists, who judging by the golf club’s full tee sheets, want to play golf.
The course does have its critics, many who cite the course’s higher-than-average golf fees that range from $74 to $99, depending on the day and season. Some non-golfers argue that golf courses aren’t ecologically friendly.
But Boone has a shortage of land suitable for development. The golf course is conveniently located at the edge of the town limits, only a few hundred yards off the U.S. 321 commercial strip and about five minutes from Blowing Rock.
