By David Droschak I asked Chip Watson the other day for the key ingredients as to why the Golf School at North Carolina State has enjoyed such a successful run as it enters its 34th consecutive year this June. Sure he and co-founder and former N.C. State men’s golf coach Richard Sykes have for the…
By David Droschak The scorecard from Joe Steadman’s Player Ability Test hangs proudly in his office near the practice facility at the Country Club of North Carolina. The private club’s first teaching professional remembers the day well, logging 36 holes for the first time in his playing days that had included many relaxed rounds with his Fort Bragg buddies. …
By Peter Stilwell When John Elmore presented his vision to create a competitive golf academy he had a simple goal in mind — develop an academy that combines superior academics, world-class golf training, state-of-the-art strength and conditioning, comprehensive sports psychology coupled with one of the finest golf facilities in the Sandhills area. That vision from…
By David Droshak Sports can be full cynicism these days, and golf is not immune. There are cheating scandals, slow play controversies, on course rages, and on and on. So, when a feel-good story comes along embrace it. The following is one of those feel-good stories right in our own backyard. Tyler Spriggs swung her…
Part 1 of 2 part series on the Carolinas PGA By DAVID DROSCHAK Golf has a way of pulling you back in. Ron Schmid, a former golf pro at Duke University Golf Club for more than a decade, believed the game was in his rear view mirror heading into the 1990s. He was sailing along…
Part 2 of 2 part series on the Carolinas PGA By Kurt Dusterberg Jeff Abbot began his working life in a conventional way. Upon college graduation from Notre Dame, he moved to Cincinnati and went to work for Deloitte & Touche, embracing the life of a CPA. “But I realized I didn’t want to be…
By STUART HALL Scott Verner and Ed Ibarguen first met through mutual friends at the University of North Carolina in the early 1970s, and quickly formed a friendship, each with a passion for playing music. Over a holiday weekend in Ibarguen’s room on the 7th floor of UNC’s Morrison Dorm, the new friends met…
By KURT DUSTERBERG Every few weeks, Brad Clayton gets his buddies together for a golf weekend. The men play some golf, then settle into an evening of corn hole and a cookout. When the sun sets, it’s time for a little “bucket golf” on a driving range, using glow balls. As the evening winds down,…
Former Payne Stewart caddie Mike Hicks is six months into his new venture for Cary-based Caddies on Course – and loving every second. Hosted by top Tour caddies such as Hicks and providing a unique peek into the world of professional golf, Caddies on Course offers a variety of programs to help plan a perfect…
By Kurt Dusterberg Tom Ream’s work area is full of tools and workbench drawers, but even at first glance, it’s clear that he’s got something different going on in his space. For starters, his setup opens onto the driving range at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. His modified garage is actually a learning center, where…