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…
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 Robert Kimball It was an unseasonably cool, rainy morning when the man opened up the Rick Murphy training facility at Greensboro National Golf Club. He was, as usual, 15 minutes early. “I didn’t stay the head pro at Starmount Forest Country Club by being late,” he laughed. The man’s name is Leo Halloran, and…
By KURT DUSTERBERG Mary-Frances Hall has a golf game that is college ready. The 18-year-old freshman shot 74-75-149 to take individual medalist honors in a 10-team tournament in early March, winning the event by three strokes. But her growing career won’t make much noise in collegiate golf circles. That’s because she plays an outsize game…
By STEVE WILLIAMS Just moments after Victoria Allred captured her second Carolinas Golf Association Junior title in early August, she was already looking ahead to 2013. “I’m excited,” she said after winning the Dogwood State Junior Championship at Starmount Forest Country Club, “I’ll be able to play on the Carolinas team again next year. I…
By MICHAEL GRAFF At the start of June, Brent Gentel was the happiest golf course superintendent around. His greens at Starmount Forest Country Club in Greensboro were in their best shape in six years. The way they rolled, the way they looked, everything was perfect. And then it wasn’t. On June 11, Starmount’s bentgrass greens…