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TUESDAY TEE OFF: Branson all smiles, so are the golf balls at Bur-Mil Park

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TUESDAY TEE OFF: Branson all smiles, so are the golf balls at Bur-Mil Park

Still unpacking from a glorious golf week in Branson, Missouri …

There might not have been a happier place in the United States than southwest Missouri last week following the elections. In Branson, there were/are far more Trump retail stores — at least a half dozen — than supermarkets. My favorite — “When I die don’t let me vote Democrat” — may have been a shot at the neighboring state of Illinois.

As Branson theater owner and performer Yakov Smirnov might say, “What a country!”

You may know about Silver Dollar City and Branson’s country music theaters, but did you know that three of the top 10 golf courses in Missouri, according to Golf Digest, are in Branson — three on the property at Big Cedar Lodge, the creation of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. Golfweek lists Branson as home to the top four in its rankings of the state’s public-access courses.

More on the spectacular golf and attractions in Branson (above photo from Big Cedar’s Top of the Rock clubhouse) in the next week or so. Meanwhile, let’s enjoy what’s so-far been a frost-free fall in the major Triad cities.

Other stories to come at TriadGolf.com include features on 2024 Carolinas PGA Senior Player of the Year Chris Haarlow of Precision Golf School and junior standout and Western Kentucky University recruit Leah Edwards — both Greensboro residents.

Just one complaint about Greensboro golf: The city rec department needs to some new balls for the driving range at Bur-Mil Park, one of the few public ranges still open in the area. I almost swear I had a cut gutta perch in the small bucket I paid $6 for earlier this month. The balls are ridiculously old and beaten up. I skip past the awful greens on the par-3 course until a later date …

A few players with local ties advanced from 13 first stage sites to the second round of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying school, which begins next week at five warm-weather sites.

UNC Greensboro golfer Symon Balbin of Pinehurst and Tanner Bibey of Walnut Cove advanced from Bermuda Run as did podcast star George Bryan IV of Aiken, S.C. Former N.C. State player Christian Salzer was medalist in West Palm Beach, Florida; Ryan Sullivan of Advance snuck in on the cutline in Madison, Mississippi. The final stage begins Dec. 12 in Ponte Verda Beach, Florida.

The top five finishers at Ponte Vedra Beach will earn PGA Tour membership. The next 40 finishers will have early exempt status on Korn Ferry.

Mimi Rhodes of England, who played at Wake Forest, was co-medalist in the 193-player field at the second stage of LPGA Qualifying last month in Venice, Florida, and advanced to next month’s final stage in Mobile, Alabama. The top 25 players, including ties, in the 43-player field, will earn 2025 LPGA Tour membership. Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest missed by a single stroke and Burlington’s Kayla Smith, who played at North Carolina, was two shots off the cutline.

Pate finishes second in major college tournament

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Pate finishes second in major college tournament

Macy Pate tied for second in the individual race to lead the Wake Forest women’s team to a victory in a strong 11-school field at the Charles Schwab Collegiate in Fort Worth, Texas.

Pate, a sophomore who attended Reagan High, shot 2-under-par 211 in the 54-hole tournament at Ridglea Country Club, two strokes behind Cayetana Fernandez of Texas A&M, which finished second with Southern Methodist third and host Texas Christian fourth.

Pate has finished in the top 22 in each of Wake Forest’s five fall tournaments.

Northwest Guilford’s Edwards wins another Class 4A girls’ title

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Northwest Guilford’s Edwards wins another Class 4A girls’ title

Leah Edwards of Northwest Guilford successfully defended her Class 4A girls high school state title Tuesday, shooting her second consecutive 70 to win by one stroke at Pinehurst No. 6.

Edwards, who finished at even-par 140 on an approximately 5,300-yard course. Elizabeth Rudisill of Myers Park, the 2022 individual champion, finished second with Emerson Dever of Jordan in third at 144.

Northwest Guilford finished fourth in the team competition. Edwards’ teammate Emery Lewis tied for eighth at 147. Vikings freshman Maia Tussey shot 169.

Rudisill rallied from an opening 74 to pull into a tie with Edwards, but bogeyed the 17th hole. Both players parred 18. Edwards has committed to play next year at Western Kentucky University. Rudisill has committed to play at Vanderbilt University.

Pinecrest repeated as team champion at 23-over 443 (three players per round) with Charlotte Catholic second and Marvin Ridge in third.

Jacksonville’s Sanaa Carter won the 3A individual title at 3-over 147 at Longleaf Golf Club. Gabriella Moorehead of Williams finshed third at 154. South Point won the team title. Southern Alamance finished third to lead Triad teams.

Pine Lake Prep won the Class 1A/2A team title at 107-over 533 at Sapona Club. Landry Hamm of Jackson Day School won the individual title at 15-over 157. East Surry finished fourth in the team race at 557. Emerson Puckett of North Surry finished sixth in the individual race at 167.

TUESDAY TEE OFF: Fobes capitalizes on new age rule to win CGA Women’s Mid-Amateur

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TUESDAY TEE OFF: Fobes capitalizes on new age rule to win CGA Women’s Mid-Amateur

Recent UNC Wilmington graduate and East Bend native Mallory Fobes, hopeful of a pro playing career, won the second Carolinas Women’s Mid-Amateur last week at Longleaf Golf Club in Southern Pines.

Fobes (pictured) shot 71 and 77 to finish at 4-over-par 148, beating Courtney Stiles of Pinehurst with a birdie in the first hole of a playoff.

The tournament was Fobes’ first competing as a mid-amateur. Yes, a 23-year-old recent college graduate is now the CGA’s MID-AMATEUR champion.

“It feels so good,” Fobes said. “This being my first mid-amateur event and being the youngest in the field, I know there are some really good players out here, so it felt good to come out with a win.”

Fobes hit a booming drive on the playoff hole, leaving her only a chip to the green to set up the birdie.

“I thought, ‘I’ve been hitting my driver on this hole every time,’ so I decided to hit driver again,’” Fobes told Carolinas Golf Association staff.

Stiles, who graduated from N.C. State in 2004 and played on the Futures Tour for two seasons, is the executive director of First Tee of the Sandhills.

So how and why does a 23-year-old (she played five years in college due to a Covid-19 extension) win a mid-am tournament?

Under advice from the USGA, the CGA changed the eligibility requirements, reducing the minimum age to 22 for players who have completed their college careers. The USGA still requires U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur contestants to be at least 25 to be eligible.

Chris Wolff, the CGA’s senior tournament manager, said lowering the age requirement is intended to encourage former college players to continue their amateur careers. Many young college graduates, working full-time, found it difficult to compete with current college players. So many quit playing competitively, often not returning at 25 for Mid-Amateur play.

Fobes, who started a GoFundMe page to raise money for LPGA Tour qualifying tournament expenses, failed to advance at the First Stage of LPGA Tour Qualifying in August in Rancho, Mirage, California, after shooting 77 in the opening round. Fobes was among several contestants who competed while maintaining their amateur status.

After the tournament, Fobes announced on Instagram that she planned to play on a winter tour in a warm climate.

HAARLOW TOPS CPGA SENIOR STANDINGS

Greensboro’s Chris Haarlow has clinched the Carolinas PGA Senior Player of the Year Award. Haarlow, director and instructor at Precision Golf School, was consistently strong in the CPGA Seniors’ five-tournament schedule, placing in the top 10 of each.

He began with a victory in the season-opening one-day event at Cedarbrook Country Club in Charlotte, and capped the season last month with a second-place finish to Burke Cromer of Prosperity, S.C., in a playoff at the South Carolina Senior Open at Wild Dunes Links on Isle of Palms, S.C.

TUESDAY TEE OFF: Badgett commits to Vols, Peyton visits, High Country faces challenges

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TUESDAY TEE OFF: Badgett commits to Vols, Peyton visits, High Country faces challenges

(Updates with more infomation on flood damage in the High Country)

Pennson Badgett capped a fantastic 2024 season with a college commitment.

The East Surry High junior gave a verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee last week. The commitment came after a recent visit by Tennessee coach Brennan Webb, who came to see Badgett at Maple Chase Country Club, where Badgett works on his game with instruction Brad Luebchow.

Pennson Badgett burst into the junior golf spotlight last year by winning a high school title and qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

It was a big day at Maple Chase. By coincidence, former Tennessee football star Peyton Manning was at Maple Chase having lunch with member Clyde Christensen, his former quarterback coach with the Indianapolis Colts. No, Manning wasn’t there to help Webb recruit.

Badgett, who plays out of Pilot Knob Park in Pilot Mountain, saw his recruiting stock rise dramatically this year thanks to three victories on the American Junior Golf Association Tour. Badgett, who led East Surry to a state high school title in 2023, was profiled in Triad Golf magazine’s April 2024 issue.

His ascension began in April when he won the AJGA’s Goldsboro Junior with 5-under-par 211 at Lane Tree Golf Club. In late May, he added a victory at the AJGA’s Adam Scott Junior Championship in Lake Worth, Florida, by three strokes, with an 11-under 205 total.

“He had the opportunity and he took advantage of it,” said Luebchow.

The Adam Scott victory got him a late berth into the AJGA Wyndham Championship two weeks later at Sedgefield, where he tied for fifth in an international field of 72 players.

The early AJGA success made Badgett a well-known recruit.

Padgett’s third AJGA victory came later in June at the RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, a 32-player match play tournament at regular U.S. Open site Bethpage Black in New York.

With his success, Badgett received a berth in the AJGA’s Junior Presidents Cup in Quebec. Badgett was one of the 12 U.S. players who defeated an international team 15-9 in the Sept. 22-24 event. After a tie in fourball and a loss in foursomes (alternate shot), Badgett earned a halve in singles.

GRANDFATHER, ELK RIVER HIT HARD, BOONE REOPENS

Wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated many courses in the N.C. High County. Many are shut down for the year. Some may not be ready to reopen at the start of the spring season.

In Avery County, Grandfather Golf & Country Club and the Elk River Club were among the hardest hit prestigious private clubs. Both lie in valleys along rivers and streams that overflowed onto the courses.

The flooding at Grandfather could be seen on holes running along N.C. 105. At Elk River Club, water from the Elk River covered several of the holes visible along N.C. 194.

Bridges on Nos. 5 and 6 at Grandfather were washed out. Flooding left mud covering one of the final greens.

At Elk River Club, water from the Elk River covered several of the holes visible along N.C. 194. Sources told TriadGolf.com that the course may not be ready to reopen next year.

TriadGolf.com learned that Linville Golf Club, Linville Ridge Country Club and Diamond Creek Club suffered some damage, but are expected to require only minimal renovations to be ready by the spring 2025 season.

Specific information is hard to attain — many of the courses haven’t answered phone calls since the storm. The damage wiped out the final month or so of golf in the region. Most High Country courses typically are closed by early November.

Sugar Mountain Golf Club, a popular par-64 layout open to the public, suffered some serious damage. General manager Tom McAuliffe told TriadGolf.com that two holes will require significant changes due to flooding of creeks that run along the layout.

The biggest change at Sugar Mountain will come at No. 16 a downhill par-4, where a creek overflowed, destroying the green and altering the terrain of the hole.

Playing Golf isn’t the biggest concern in the Banner Elk area. The Sugar Mountain pro shop has been converted into a place where local residents, whose property was damaged or lost, can receive meals. McAuliffe donated much of his shop’s golf apparel to flood victims.

In Watauga County, historic Blowing Rock Country Club reportedly emerged without serious damage. Flooding from the Watauga River overflowed fairways at Hound Ears Country Club.

Boone Golf Club (pictured above), a popular public layout designed by Ellis Maples, had water from creeks overflow much of the course, but was able to reopen gradually during the past week.

Assistant golf pro Art Adams told TriadGolf.com, that Boone reopened with 14 holes on Oct. 12. By this past week, all 18 holes were open, though the par-4 No. 2 was played as a par-3 due to the damage to the grass in the fairway and none of the bunkers were in use.

Moye wins CGA Super Senior title at Forest Oaks

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Moye wins CGA Super Senior title at Forest Oaks

Macon Moye of Southern Pines shot rounds of 65 and 73 to win the Carolinas Golf Association Super Senior Championship, which finished Thursday at Forest Oaks Country Club.

Moye overcame a three-shot deficit to Paul Simson of Raleigh, who shot his second consecutive 70 in the final round. Todd Brown of Winston-Salem tied for fourth at 144. Mike Osborne of Greensboro was sixth at 145.

Lewisville player defends CGA title

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Lewisville player defends CGA title

Hallie Wilson of Lewisville successfully defended her title Monday at the Carolinas Golf Association’s Jimmy Anderson Girls’ Invitational at Taberna Country Club in New Bern.

Wilson shot consecutive rounds of 1-under-par 71 to tie Victoria Davis of Cary at 142 before winning on the first playoff hole. Wilson rallied from a one-stroke deficit after Sunday’s opening round.

Grandover provides rich home facilities for UNCG teams

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Grandover provides rich home facilities for UNCG teams

With two championship courses and spacious practice facilities, Grandover Resort is a popular venue for high school and college golf teams.

According to Grandover’s director of golf, Jonathan York, several Triad college and high school teams use the facilities.

Leading the list is UNC Greensboro, whose men’s and women’s teams call the resort home. In addition to the expansive outdoor facilities, UNCG has its own indoor facility at the resort, complete with hitting bays, simulators, and a high-tech putting green.

UNCG men’s golf coach Terrance Stewart said Grandover offers various advantages, just a few minutes from campus.

“We have a great partnership with Grandover,” Stewart said. “Our teaching studio has more golf technology than any other spot in North Carolina.”

Grandover also offers different courses.

“The East Course is a beast, very challenging where you fight for pars,” said Stewart. “The West is fun, offering more birdie opportunities.”

In Grandover’s studio, PuttView helps players with speed and line for putts. SAM PuttLab improves their mechanics.

With TrackMan 4, players receive swing data and can play simulated rounds on top courses.

While universities like UNC, Duke, and Campbell have school courses, Stewart said UNCG benefits from Grandover’s facilities and several other public/private courses.

UNCG shares a facility with Precision Golf at Bryan Park, which has two courses.

Other college teams practicing at Grandover include N.C. A&T, Guilford, Greensboro College, High Point, and Winston-Salem State.

Stewart’s teams, dominated by Triad natives, have won three Southern Conference championships and earned seven NCAA Regional at-large bids. Last spring, Kelvin Hernandez (pictured) qualified for the NCAA Championships.

“It’s great we can play different types of courses,” Stewart said. Ø

UNCG golfers practice in their Grandover studio.

Grandover features dramatic stone-lined creeks, and luxury touches with bridges and tunnels.

“That six-week period from July 4 through August 15, with bentgrass, you have to treat it differently,” York explained. “You keep the grass longer, and the greens slower, which makes putting less enjoyable. Now, during the prime golf season from April through October, the greens grow well, and they’re healthy and happy.”

In April, Grandover began removing the bentgrass surfaces, and the greens were sprigged on Memorial Day. Some greens were slightly altered to accommodate the faster speeds allowed by Tif- Eagle Bermuda. Koury construction staff also softened the surfaces, which typically become firmer with Bermuda grass.

The most significant change is at No. 4, where a three-tiered green was converted into two tiers.

The grounds staff took advantage of the course closure to clear out several trees, especially those around greens, to allow more sunlight, which is beneficial for Bermuda grass.

Grandover has filled a void in the Triad since its development over the last three decades. The East Course opened in 1996, followed by the West Course in 1997. The hotel and its facilities opened in 1999.

Though the pro shop is conveniently located in the resort’s main building, and the spacious practice areas are just outside the door, the courses wind through woods, creating a secluded, tranquil atmosphere.

Grandover’s courses and practice facilities are open to both hotel guests and the public. The resort’s Griffin Club loyalty program offers discounts on golf fees, instruction, dining, and spa services.

Packages and outings can also be arranged through the 1,000- room Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons and the Holiday Inn Greensboro Coliseum, both also owned by Koury.

As a premier resort — Grandover joined the elite ranks of Wyndham Grand hotels in 2022 — the staff delayed the original opening date to ensure the new putting surfaces were in perfect condition.

Grandover reopens West Course with new Bermuda greens

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Grandover reopens West Course with new Bermuda greens

Grandover Resort reopened its West Course with new state- of-the-art Tif-Eagle Bermuda putting surfaces, matching those converted in 2018 on its East 

The East Course stretches to 7,213 yards from the back tees, with a challenging 75.7 rating and a 141 slope. It leaves a lasting impression with its 18th hole, a 570- yard par-5 bordered by a lake running down the left side of the fairway and green. 

Slightly shorter, the West Course plays at 6,729 yards from the tips with a 72.5 rating and a 136 slope. Its finishing hole is a long par-4 that requires a drive over a deep valley to a plateau fairway, with an approach to a green framed by the hotel. 

“It’s a little more generous off the tee,” said director of golf Jonathan York. “People really like the course.” 

Both par-72 courses feature large, undulating greens and a variety of bunkers. Carts are equipped with GPS systems that provide shot distances. 

The switch to highly heat-tolerant Ultradwarf Bermuda grass should ensure pristine putting conditions year-round, reducing the need for constant hand-watering and large fans. 

Over the past two decades, many of North Carolina’s elite courses, including Pinehurst No. 2, Old Town Club, Quail Hollow, and Eagle Point, have converted to newer Bermuda strains. Bentgrass remains dominant only at higher-elevation, cooler mountain courses. 

The Triad’s top golf resort, owned, developed, and operated by Greensboro-based Koury Corp., debuted the new greens in August. 

A longtime host to many sponsors and players at the annual Wyndham Championship, the 247-room Greensboro resort serves as a convenient meeting and outing destination, located just minutes from Interstates 85, 40, 77, 73, and 74. 

The East and West courses, designed by Gary Panks and U.S. Open and PGA Champion David Graham, feature rolling elevation changes and attractively contoured fairways, including dramatic dips, along with beautiful landscaping, scenic water hazards and wetlands, artistic bunkering, and pristine conditioning. 

The two layouts boast luxury features such as fountains, stone- lined creeks, custom-made stone and wooden bridges, stone tee signs, wide tunnels under roads, expansive concrete cart paths, and meticulously maintained tee boxes. 

“That six-week period from July 4 through August 15, with bentgrass, you have to treat it differently,” York explained. “You keep the grass longer, and the greens slower, which makes putting less enjoyable. Now, during the prime golf season from April through October, the greens grow well, and they’re healthy and happy.” 

In April, Grandover began removing the bentgrass surfaces, and the greens were sprigged on Memorial Day. Some greens were slightly altered to accommodate the faster speeds allowed by Tif- Eagle Bermuda. Koury construction staff also softened the surfaces, which typically become firmer with Bermuda grass. 

The most significant change is at No. 4, where a three-tiered green was converted into two tiers. 

The grounds staff took advantage of the course closure to clear out several trees, especially those around greens, to allow more sunlight, which is beneficial for Bermuda grass. 

Grandover has filled a void in the Triad since its development over the last three decades. The East Course opened in 1996, followed by the West Course in 1997. The hotel and its facilities opened in 1999. 

Though the pro shop is conveniently located in the resort’s main building, and the spacious practice areas are just outside the door, the courses wind through woods, creating a secluded, tranquil atmosphere. 

Grandover’s courses and practice facilities are open to both hotel guests and the public. The resort’s Griffin Club loyalty program offers discounts on golf fees, instruction, dining, and spa services. 

Packages and outings can also be arranged through the 1,000- room Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons and the Holiday Inn Greensboro Coliseum, both also owned by Koury. 

As a premier resort — Grandover joined the elite ranks of Wyndham Grand hotels in 2022 — the staff delayed the original opening date to ensure the new putting surfaces were in perfect condition.

Greensboro National adds upscale services, technology

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Greensboro National adds upscale services, technology

The changes at Greensboro National Golf Club are noticeable from the moment players enter the parking lot.

Pulling into the lot, players are directed to pull up to the bag drop, where an attendant will take their clubs out of their vehicle and place it on a cart. When players finish their round, their clubs are cleaned and returned to the bag drop. When they’re ready to leave, players pull up to the drop and their clubs are placed inside their vehicle.

The new rule at the Summerfield course is that players don’t have to touch their clubs when not playing the course or practicing on the range or putting green. And the service is complimentary.

That may be business as usual at public and resort courses in Florida, where Greensboro National general manager Bruce Mohler spent decades in the industry. But it’s not the standard in the Triad. And as Mohler noted, it’s not always the standard at well-known regional resorts such as Pinehurst.

“This are was very far behind,” said Mohler. “I don’t know why — I’m not inventing the wheel here.”

Greensboro National has brought a new level of service to public golf in the Triad through technology as well as good old-fashioned manpower.

The more tech changes are also ground-breaking. A new point-of-sale system allows the course to better know its customers. Not only does the club know names, it knows their equipment and clothes preferences, allowing them to sent push notifications when those brands are on sale in the pro shop or when a favorite club maker is coming for a demo day. Customers can also expect to receive a push notification to remind them of their tee time the next day, as well as an annual birthday greeting.

“It’s set up so a public customer can feel like they’re at a private course,” Mohler said.

The GM said providing the upscale service begins with hiring the proper staff.

“I’m a big believer in having people running an operation that feel that this is their livelihood,” he said. “I want people who want to be here.”

What I want hey these guys are here for us.

With the personal information stored in the EZ-GO Pace technology, the pro shop and beverage cart personal know the location of every cart and the players’ names. So beverage cart servers can call their customers by name when greeting them throughout the course.

When players reach the eighth tee, a QSR code appears on the cart’s GPS message board, allowing players to view the grill menu, order food and pay on their phone. The food is placed for pickup on a table just inside the grill on the way to the 10th tee.

There are no long food breaks that so often cause backups on not only the 10th tee, but throughout the course.

While many of the new tech changes benefit the course, they also make rounds much more enjoyable for most of the players. They eliminate annoying waits on the tees and keep rounds moving smoothly. For example, Mohler said that despite a filled tee sheet with 260 players — the overwhelming majority playing in foursomes — on Labor Day, the average round finished in 4 hours, 16 minutes, a real accomplishment on a busy holiday when players of varying skill levels and experience hit the course.

With the PACE system, Mohler said at least half a dozen staffers at any time can pinpoint every group on the course and ensure pace of play is maintained without logjams.

“It’s gone very well,” Mohler said of customer response. “They like the high service of it.” 

But Mohler said the changes weren’t made solely to raise revenues by playing more rounds each day. In fact, Mohler said tee times, which had previously been as little as seven minutes apart, are now separated by either 9 or 10 minutes to give players less waiting time and a more relaxed atmosphere.

As another example of new benefits given to players, Greensboro National supplied free water bottles in their carts’ mini coolers during summer months.

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