The popular nine-hole Charlie Yates Golf Course, located across the street from the East Lake Golf Club, will begin renovations to its course and practice facility later this month, with completion expected by July.
The focus is on the greens, which will be converted from Bermuda grass to Prizm zoysia, a strain better suited for the heat, shade and heavy traffic. The renovations at the Rees Jones design also will include repairs to several tees, cart-path refurbishment and restoration of the tee on the north end of the practice facility.
Renovation on the interior of the clubhouse will begin later this year and completed before the 2022 golf season, with expanded food and beverage operations.
Bobby Jones Links will oversee the renovation project and manage the food and beverage operations.
Credit: USGA Museum
Credit: USGA Museum
UGA’s Thompson a Hogan finalist
University of Georgia senior Davis Thompson is one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the best male golfer, taking into account all collegiate, amateur and professional competitions over the past year.
Thompson leads the SEC with a 69.75 stroke average and is No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He qualified for the 2020 U.S. Open and shot 69 in the first round and reached match play of the U.S. Amateur, Western Amateur and North and South Amateur.
The other finalists are Pierceson Coody of Texas (the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody) and John Pak of Florida State. Both were teammates with Thompson on the recent Walker Cup.
Georgia’s Chris Kirk won the Hogan Award in 2007.
Elberton team wins Georgia Parks Cup
A second chance paid off for the team of Shayne Bennett, Kevin Dye, Billy Bryant and Todd Yeargin, who won the inaugural Georgia State Parks Golf Cup at the Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course in Elberton.
The team did not qualify in its first attempt at Highland Walk, but tried again in the final qualifier at Arrowhead Pointe and earned a spot in the championship. Two weeks later they won the overall title, played in a scramble format, with a 17-under 55.
Fourteen other teams who qualified at one of the eight Georgia State Parks courses also were in the field. The first-year event proved quite popular, with most of the qualifiers sold out.
“We putted well,” Bennett said. “Kevin could have putted with his eyes closed and it would have gone in. It was just one of those days where everything went right.”
The winners got off to a hot start with an eagle at No. 1 and a birdie at No. 2.
The foursome of Jon Floyd, Ben Floyd, Jonathan Pirkle and Patrick Edwards won a tiebreaker over the team of Ryan Haugh, Michael Dudzinski, Nate Carter and Dalton Bradley after both shot 58s. All the results can be found at http://www.gastatepark.org
The members of the winning group play a lot of golf together, but rarely play at Arrowhead Pointe. Bennett, Dye and Bryant are members at Elberton Country Club, and Yeargin belongs to Cateechee Golf Club in Hartwell.
“It was really an honor to win the first one,” Bennett said. “It was something I wasn’t sure we could do, but somehow we were able to win it.”
The winners received a golf weekend at Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris.
Kennesaw State women washed out in Baton Rouge
The Kennesaw State women never got a chance to play. They were at the Baton Rouge Regional that was canceled after the University Club was battered with more than seven inches of rain over three days. With unplayable conditions, the NCAA opted to take the top six seeded teams. Kennesaw was the No. 15 seed.
“It is not how we wanted to end the season,” Kennesaw State coach Eric Hodgson said. “But we are choosing to look at the highlight of our ASUN Conference championship. The ladies were so mature and patient this week, and I could not be prouder of them.”
Kennesaw’s Tai Anudit was the unanimous choice as the ASUN Golfer of the year. Alizee Vidal was first-team all-conference, with Lara Jecnik and Tori Owens named to the second team. Vidal, Jecnik and Owens were on the all-freshman teams.
Black Golf Hall of Fame inducts four
Four individuals and a historic course will be inducted into the Atlanta-based National Black Golf Hall of Fame in ceremonies this weekend at Chateau Elan.
Honorees include the mother-daughter duo of the late Vernice Turner and Madelyn “Moochie” Turner, former GSGA director Steve Mona and South Carolina congressman James E. Clyburn. Cobbs Creek Golf Course in Philadelphia, which Charlie Sifford considered his home course, also will be recognized.
Proceeds from the induction celebration will provide financial support for the Harold Dunovant golf and leadership program and scholarships for Black students enrolled in golf programs at HBCUs.
True Spec opens Atlanta fitting studio
Individual club fittings have become popular for golfers, and True Spec Golf, one of the leaders of that segment of the industry, has opened a location in Buckhead at the Intown Golf Club. The studio has more than 35,000 possible clubhead and shaft combinations from every major manufacturer.
Customers will meet with a master fitter, who will do a check on your current clubs and then select a variety of products to test. The fitter will provide a detailed report, including the recommended equipment built to the specifications from launch monitor data. The clubs are then assembled and shipped to the customer.
The Atlanta location is the company’s 22nd in the United States.
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