Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Matt Fitzpatrick and Keegan Bradley were among the headliners committed to next week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club as of the 5 p.m. Friday deadline. Andrew Novak, Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala were late commitments.
As TriadGolf.com had speculated, the additions of Spieth and Bradley to the field makes sense. With a top finish, Bradley can to grab an automatic spot for the U.S. Ryder Cup team rather than be forced to choose himself as a captain’s pick. Spieth can solidify his position for the FedExCup Playoffs.
Commitments include 15 of the top 40 players in the FedEx standings.
Other notables in the Wyndham field include Ben Griffin, Adam Scott, Max Homa, Robert MacIntrye, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, Ryan Fox and Jackson Koivon, the top-ranked amateur. Griffin is the highest ranked in the playoff standings at No. 7. Chris Gotterup, the recent Scottish Open, withdrew after solidifying his FedEx position.
With the playoffs starting the week after the Wyndham, jockeying for position in the top 70 is coming down the stretch. Wyndham fields often include international players staying in the U.S. for the playoffs.
A Triad course is taking steps to eliminate problems on one of its best-known holes.
Cedarbrook Country Club, just outside Elkin, filled a “mucky” wet area with dirt with plans to reclaim the area as fairway.
Cedarbrook grounds crew filled much of the wet area in front of the fourth green with dirt on Monday and Tuesday. The area, once a pond, was affected by erosion from construction along U.S. 21, which skirts the hole, during the last five or so years.
A hazard will remain about 20 yards short of the green. The par-5 plays to 556 yards from the back tees. Ellis Maples designed Cedarbrook, which moved from its original Yadkin County location in 1962.
Cedarbrook general manager Josh Ross told TriadGolf.com that the club had received funds from the state for the “creek restoration project.”
“It’s a work in progress,” Ross said.
Ross said the new dirt, which begins about 120 yards from the green all the way to the creek, will be sodded either later this year or in the spring, depending partly on the weather. A small strip of grass has always been in play on the right as fairway.
Until the sodded grass is playable, Ross said the area will be designated as either hazard or ground under repair, a decision to be made by the club’s board of directors.
For visitors to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, booking a tee time at Sequoyah National Golf Club may be the safest bet during their stay.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 2009, Sequoyah National offers spectacular open views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains and well as dramatic elevation changes and immaculate playing conditions in an isolated setting near the nation’s most visited national park.
Almost hidden, just a modest tee shot off U.S. 441 outside of tiny Cherokee, Sequoyah National has top-quality amenities, including a driving range and chipping area, despite a small clubhouse and modest parking area. Managed for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee National by Kemper Sports also has a well-stocked pro shop and offers lessons from a PGA member.
Many of the tough challenges of the course are easy to see from elevated tees. Shots must be navigated over and through vast ravines, deep rough edging into fescue, gaping bunkers and a variety of ponds and streams.
“It’s a challenging course,” said Holden Straughan, the course’s director of strategic partnerships and a Cherokee native. “The views are awesome. It’s tough to know how to play the contours and other stuff.”
The fast, undulating, bent greens can continually confound first-time visitors unable to see all the tiers and slopes from the fairway. And, though the carts have GPS, judging distances to landing areas and greens is particularly difficult on the uphill and downhill shots at high elevation. The Zoysia fairways are lush, and sometimes cause carts to skid slightly, but noticeably.
Though some holes are lined by forest on one side, fescue-filled rough and ravines provide most of the hazards. Most par-4s and par-5s also have fairway bunkers that serve as hazards and targets.
The mission is simple: Hit fairways, greens or bunkers. Or hit another ball.
The par-72 layout stretches to only 6,517 yards, but plays longer on some holes, especially a few where drives can roll backwards after hitting into hillsides. The course rating is 71.3 with a hefty slope of 143. From the second-longest set of tees, 6,135 yards, the rating is 69.7 with a slope of 140.
An early challenge comes at No. 2, a 165-yard par-3 with a forced carry over a ravine to a green perched above a rock bulkhead, the few yards between the rock and the green sloped sharply down into the hazard.
The quirkiness of the course is never more apparent than at No. 4, a sharp dogleg left measuring only 332 yards from the tips on the scorecard, but much longer in reality.
A solid drive carrying more than 200 yards can hit the middle or left side of the fairway and tumble downward off the fairway into fescue. The safe shot for most players — though not apparent to visitors — is to hit to the flatter right side of the landing area.
From the left fescue, the dramatically uphill shot to the green is tough to navigate. If left short, shots tumble back into the fescue. A tiered putting surface can send shots rolling away from pin positions.
The meat of the course is a four-hole stretch beginning at No. 9 that includes three par-5s of more than 500 yards each and perhaps the toughest hole on the course, the par-4 10th, measuring 414 yards with a forced carry all the way to a putting surface perched atop a hill.
At No. 13, the second of three par-3s measuring at least 216 yards from the tips, players must accurately judge the approach down an open steep slope to horizontal green framed by the mountains.
The best view — and the quirkiest hole on the back nine — comes at No. 15. From a tee perched on a hill, players hit dramatically down on the dogleg right, where the optimal shot is over tree tops to a landing area not visible from the tee.
The tee shot at 15 offers a choice between an iron to the fairway straight ahead or a longer shot right over treetops to leave only a short pitch to the putting surface.
The rack rate is $150 during the summer. Casino guests get a small discount.
If you’ve never been to Cherokee, it’s a unique experience — nothing like more gentile mountain getaways such as Blowing Rock, Linville or even the nearby (as the crow flies) hamlets of Cashiers and Highlands.
The nearest nightlife and public golf options are in Waynesville, about 30 minutes away. The small town of Silva, close to Western Carolina University, is a few minutes closer with a few restaurant options.
Waynesville Golf & Inn has an 18-hole course renovated a few years ago by architect Bobby Weed with accommodations renovated in the past few years and placed under the Hilton umbrella in 2024. Laurel Ridge Country Club, designed by Bob Cupp, has a 6,900-yard layout and offers limited tee times with accommodations on the property.
The best restaurants are at the casino hotel, where the choices include Ruth’s Chris and an offering from Bobby Flay. There’s not much else in Cherokee — a few fast-food chains, a couple local spots and a few hotels. Restaurants and convenience stores close by 9 p.m.
Who are some of the top names coming to Sedgefield Country Club for the Wyndham Championship next week?
The tournament has made some recent announcements about commitments. But truth is, eligible players have until late Friday afternoon to commit. And it’s not unusual for a few withdrawals in the days leading up to the first round.
The biggest stars, the Schefflers, McIlroys, Schauffeles, etc., are taking two weeks off prior to the playoffs.
With the Greensboro event the last opportunity for players to get into the FedExCup Playoffs — or improve their position — a lot may depend on the first two rounds of this week’s 3M Open in Minnesota — for several reasons.
Coming directly after the British Open, 3M is short on star power. Maverick McNealy, at No. 11, is the highest ranked player in the FedEx standings. Sam Burns (22) and Chris Gotterup (23) and Sungjae Im (29) are the only others in the 30 at Memphis.
In recent years, most of the players in the top 30 don’t play in Greensboro, opting to rest up for the playoffs. A majority between Nos. 31 and 120 will be in the field.
The top 70 in the standings after Greensboro go to Memphis for the playoffs. The top 50 after Memphis go to Maryland, where the players will be cut to 30 for the finals at East Lake Club.
Greensboro figures to have a better field than Memphis. Gotterup, Lucas Glover (26), Im and Ryan Fox (30) have committed. Glover won here two years ago and has family here. This is only Year 2 on the PGA Tour for Fox, who already has two wins this year and probably likes his chances to make another big check.
Rickie Fowler (63) is playing in Minnesota. If he doesn’t rise in the standings, he’s a good bet for Sedgefield. Jordan Spieth (48) has played here multiple times and may want to improve his playoff position.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (10th in U.S. Ryder Cup standings) could play in an attempt to leap into one of six automatic Ryder Cup spots and avoid making a choice about taking a captain’s pick. But he’s not playing in Minnesota.
OLD FIELD PAR-3 TAKING SHAPE
Now, some more information about the six-hole par-3 walking course adjacent to Colin Creek in Mocksville that TriadGolf.com reported last week to be under construction.
Melinda Groomes, the pro shop manager at Colin Creek, told TriadGolf.com has been told that the course’s name will be “Old Field.” The owner is Matt Tullos, who purchased the former Colin Creek (previously Hickory Hill) driving range.
The architectural firm of Smyers, Craig and Coyne is designing the course, with construction from Landscapes Unlimited. An opening is expected by the fall.
Old Field will soon have new grass.
Though Colin Creek, which has 12 holes from Hickory Hill, has separate ownership, Groomes said that Old Field will be run out of the Colin Creek pro shop — at least initially.
Old Field will have greens similar to those on regulation courses. Some of the walks from tee to green will be surrounded by high vegetation mimicking links-style layouts.
Some unique features include a double green for Nos. 2 and 4 and a deep bunker expected to draw attention. Hole lengths will range from 68 yards to 149 yards with 631 total yardage.
Lights from the Hickory Hill driving range remain on the property, but Groomes said she did not know whether they would be used. The facility will include a “Himalayan-style” putting course and a practice area.
Groomes said future plans at Old Field could include building a pro shop/snack bar.
Former Wake Forest assistant coach Dan Walters fired a spectacular 65 Thursday at Cedarwood Country Club in Charlotte to climb into a tie for third place finish in the 101st Carolinas Open.
Walters’ 65 tied for the low round of the 54-hole tournament. Colin Salema, a Clemson golfer from Matthews, posted 13-under-par 200 to win by six shots over Nick Rencis of Cornelius.
Steve Scott of Winston-Salem closed with 70 to finish at 209 in a tie for eighth. Amateur Ben Jordan of Greensboro finished at 211.
A old, well-known Triad name is in contention in the 101st Carolinas Open at Cedarwood Country Club in Charlotte.
Steve Scott, the 45-year-old Winston-Salem pro who played Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur championship match, had a 3-under-par 139 total after 36 holes to tie for fifth place. The 45-year-old Scott, 2018 Carolinas PGA Player of the Year, works as an instructor and broadcaster.
Scott trails leader Colin Salema, an amateur from Matthews playing at Clemson, by six shots entering Thursday’s final round. Amateur Ben Jordan of Greensboro, who plays at Wofford, is tied for 14th at 141.
Holly Ridge Golf Links does things differently than most public golf courses – from the online booking of an exclusive tee time through the 19th hole service provided by robots in a leather sofa-filled lounge surrounded by golf simulators.
That’s because when Luke Hollingsworth took over as sole owner in 2007, the golf course business wasn’t booming as it is in the post-Covid 19 era.
The U.S. economy was stuck in recession and the housing bubble was about to burst. With play down at U.S. courses, Hollingsworth was looking for answers to increase efficiency and revenue at Holly Ridge.
“It was all out of necessity to sustain the business. That was the main catalyst,” said Hollingsworth, whose father Dale opened the course with partners Phil Ridge and Bobby Myers in 1994. “I’ve always been one to do things different. I don’t understand why everyone wanted to be like everyone else. I believe that in business you have to do things to make yourself stand out.”
Convinced that he did want to remain in the golf business, Hollingsworth took on the challenge when his father’s partners wanted to sell. He sought new, better ways to do business.
Eventually, Hollingsworth created Tee Caddie, a tee sheet platform that sells tee times, not individual rounds, and is supported by targeted digital marketing.
“I told my dad, ‘I don’t know anything else I’d rather be doing,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth has made it work. Revenues are up close to 200% in the five years since Tee Caddie debuted.
Though the pandemic created some initial demand in 2020, Holly Ridge has continued to grow revenues at a similar rate each following year.
Foremost among the business solutions Hollingsworth (middle in top photo) found was a different way to book golf – sell tee times rather than single rounds.
Led by partners Chris Sidden (left, top photo) and Jacob Shouse (right), Tee Caddie developed technology to maximize efficiency from marketing and booking times and integrating each into a proprietary POS system.
Another major additional revenue source (non-weather dependent) is the spacious Bunker Lounge filled with six simulators (golf and other games), comfy sofas and tables, and a menu including steak, brisket and salads brought to the tables by robots.
“We’re not totally a golf course. We’re in the entertainment business,” Hollingsworth said. “There’s a lot of cookie-cutter courses where everything is the same. I think golf has been stuck with blinders for 100 years.
“In my opinion, instead of bettering what they have and making themselves stand out, owners were just kind of grasping at straws instead of focusing on what they had and creating revenue streams.”
With Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth put himself in prime position to capitalize on the recent boom. The exponential growth in revenues has continued post-pandemic.
“Since 2022, we’re still climbing,” Hollingsworth said. “I have to assume that’s due to reinvestment in course and the tech that we do.”
Now, Hollingsworth and partners are offering Tee Caddie — complete with the fully integrated, proprietary POS system and social media advertising — to other courses.
BOOKING TIMES, NOT ROUNDS
Before launching Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth was frustrated by the lack of efficiency with the traditional way golf is sold.
According to the USGA, the average group at a U.S. course includes only 2.6 – not 4 – players, leaving a 35% gap between actual and potential revenue for greens fees and carts in the traditional method of booking per round.
“I think the golf industry has been charging for golf incorrectly,” Hollingsworth said. “Do we need a rate for a single round of golf? Absolutely! But a golf courses’ main inventory consists of tee times, not rounds.
“Think about it like this: Look at any tee sheet in the world. What is on that sheet? Tee times, not rounds. When solicitors come asking for a charitable donation, what do they ask for? A foursome of golf, which is in essence a tee time.
“Other third-party vendors that golf courses use require tee times (not rounds!) for their services. So, if tee times are what we have in our inventory and tee times are what other people and businesses are asking us for, why in the world are we not selling them?”
The well-manicured course includes several challenging water hazards.
Selling by the tee time also has benefits for players.
“A lot of people get confused and think it is strictly a “foursome” rate,” Hollingsworth said. “That is completely false – it’s a “tee time” rate. While foursomes obviously get the better deal financially, it also caters to the folks that don’t want to be paired up.
“Once the tee time is purchased, it is out of inventory, so there is no need to try and pair up singles and twosome with others. In other words, if you purchase a tee time instead of a round, that time slot is yours. Bring whoever you like, as many as you like (up to four) and there’s no worry about someone being paired with your group.
“If you want to purchase a single round of golf then you are subject to being paired. That’s the difference between selling rounds and tee times.”
ELIMINATING HEADACHES
Hollingsworth, who started as superintendent at Holly Ridge after earning a degree in agronomy at N.C. State, said he began considering switching to tee time pricing as early as 2011 or 2012.
Though unique to the Triad and most of the U.S. market, selling golf online by the tee time is standard practice in the United Kingdom.
With Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth said Holly Ridge averages about 3.4 players per tee time, as opposed to the 2.6 national USGA average. He also stated that 90% of his weekend times are Tee Caddie online bookings. Additional threesomes and foursomes also produce more revenue from merchandise and food and drink sales.
Paying online in advance takes away headaches course owners typically suffer from traditional phone reservations that tie up staff, and if not pre-paid, leave course owners vulnerable.
Some golfers will call multiple courses to reserve times, then make their choice without cancelling the others.
“Another benefit I’ve seen is that by requiring booking online, no-shows are no longer an issue, and you don’t have groups booking four players and showing up with only two players,” Hollingsworth said.
HOW TEE CADDIE WORKS
How does a Tee Caddie partnership work? Tee Caddie doesn’t charge partner courses’ a fee up front. Instead, a revenue target is set considering the number of POS systems the course requires.
Tee Caddie offers multiple pricing strategies to fit the golf courses’ overall goal.
Initial Tee Caddie partners include Siler City Country Club, Monroeton Golf Club in Reidsville and Hedingham Golf Club in Raleigh, courses managed by Dail Golf, a company founded by longtime Triad superintendent Geoff Dail.
“Dail Golf has been an excellent early partner because they recognize the need of effective golf course management services and rely on the Tee Caddie technology to help their managed courses succeed,” Hollingsworth said.
Though focused on adding courses in the central NC markets, Hollingsworth also has ongoing discussions with other potential users in different regions of the country.
Sidden and Shouse, the technology team for Tee Caddie, are hardware and software technology veterans from Winston-Salem.
Tee Caddie uses targeted Meta ads to drive players to the booking platform. With a course website and the Meta campaign ads as the primary methods for booking times, the effectiveness of the campaigns can be accurately measured.
Tee Caddie includes the fully managed marketing services for all participating courses. Hollingsworth and his technology team believe Tee Caddie is an attractive alternative to the “800-pound Gorillas” that dominate online tee time booking platforms.
“Tee Caddies’ platform is a movement that’s more than just software,” said Sidden. “It’s a declaration of our commitment to reclaim your golf course and your time. It’s your key to regain control of your customers and your tee times. Harness it alongside our managed marketing system, and the reins are back in your hands.”
“It’s essential to recognize that the third-party vendors’ primary customer is the golfer, not the golf course owner,” Sidden said. “Tee Caddie presents a unique opportunity for golf course owners to reassess their marketing strategies and consider discontinuing the use of barter in favor of a true golf management platform.”
In the competitive landscape of attracting new customers, Tee Caddie lightens the load for pro shop managers by seamlessly handling the intricacies of online advertising. The unique platform covers everything from crafting engaging content to the dynamic publication of live ads, showcasing a campaign strategy that delivers more golfers to the course.
POS-ITIVE EFFICIENCY
Tee Caddie is about more than Tee Times. It also provides efficiency utilizing the latest technology with an element of fun.
While hitting into six simulator bays, customers can enjoy food and drink in the Bunker Lounge.
Tee Caddie has teamed with a Canadian golf course management systems provider, Visual Touch (VT) Golf, to employ a tee sheet that also effectively integrates tee times, merchandise, food and beverage (including on-course drink carts) into a single computerized POS system.
Tee Caddie has exclusive U.S. rights to the VT Golf platform. With VT Golf, every POS is connected.
Utilizing the technology, there’s only limited need for staff in Holly Ridge’s Bunker Lounge, where two robots from VT Golf deliver food and clear tables. The kiosk in the lounge will provide a direct method of sending orders to the kitchen.
The robots help the staff to keep the focus on the customer experience.
“People love the robots,” said Hollingsworth. “I think some people come in just to see them.”
ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION
As Hollingsworth points out, Holly Ridge doesn’t look like the typical public golf course.
The front door of the modern, but rustic-in-décor clubhouse opens into an attractive full-service bar with comfortable stools. A new pro shop is further right, around a corner. The hallway to the left opens into the Bunker Lounge. An outdoor deck with tables and seating is in the back, overlooking the course and driving range.
An open layout where wind and water protect par features smooth, Ultradwarf Bermuda greens and well-maintained fairways. Old whiskey barrels identify the tee on each hole. Carts are equipped with GPS providing yardages.
The 6,790-yard course is solid with a 72.4 rating and 140 slope from the back tees. Last year, it served as host for the Carolinas Golf Association’s North Carolina Senior Amateur.
The driving range is included for players with a tee time. In addition to daily lunch, the bar and grill serves dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The clubhouse also hosts an occasional concert.
The facility is frequently booked at night for weddings and other social gatherings.
Hollingsworth was quick to go all-in on simulators — popular entertainment for social occasions and perhaps the best revenue source during inclement weather.
When rounds are canceled due to lightning or heavy rain, the course offers the simulators as one alternative to a rain check. “With simulators, we’ve created a whole new base of customers,” Hollingsworth said.
Located off an isolated stretch of U.S. 311, Holly Ridge has become a golf, food, and entertainment destination for the surrounding area.
For more information about Tee Caddie, contact:
Luke Hollingsworth email: luke@teecaddie.info 336-442-0281
Leah Edwards of Greensboro shot 79 Tuesday at Atlanta Athletic Club and will likely fall one or two strokes short of making the cut at the U.S. Girls’ Junior when the second round is completed Wednesday morning.
Edwards, who opened with 71 Monday, struggled after making an opening birdie Tuesday morning. At 8-over-par 150, she was in a tie for 85th in the 36-hole stroke-play competition. The top 64 players advance to match play.
Edwards will likely move up the leaderboard Wednesday, but only 17 of the players in the top 75 were still on the course.
Mallory Pitts of Greensboro shot her second consecutive 78 Tuesday to tie for 133rd when play was suspended.
