By David Droschak Macy Pate was seeking warmer weather and the ability to work on her golf game on a full-time basis when her family moved from the North Carolina mountains to Winston-Salem last August. The 15-year-old Pate, a fierce competitor, was also looking for players to push her and challenge a skill set that…
By David Droschak The list of champions from prestigious tournaments staged at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst dating to the early 1970s is beyond impressive. That list includes Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Hal Sutton and current club member and PGA Tour star Webb Simpson. Is the next winner at the 73rd U.S.…
By David Droschak Jackson Van Paris has been one of the nation’s top junior golfers the last few years, accustomed to handling pressure situations. So, heading to the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, needing a par on one of the hardest holes on the course to secure the North Carolina 4-A high school men’s…
By David Droschak Reaching the top in golf often requires tremendous sacrifices, including long hours on the practice range, a never-ending focus on fundamentals, mental toughness and course management, just to name a few. Macy Pate added one more item to the mix this past year. The Reagan High School freshman and her family…
Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Tour has successfully opened doors for female junior golfers for 15 years By David Droschak Emily Brooks recalls her first Peggy Kirk Bell event at Bermuda Run more than a decade ago as a tournament that was played in sloppy, wet conditions as her scores ballooned to well over par. As…
Online volunteer registration for the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst is now available. The championship, conducted by the United States Golf Association, will be played July 19-24. More than 600 volunteers are needed to fill positions on 13 committees, including scorers, marshals, and standard bearers, and…
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…
By Brad King Longtime Raleigh teaching professional Jimmy Hamilton said the addition of Operation 36 Golf at The Golf Academy at Wildwood Green Golf Club, where he serves as director of instruction, has been a win-win-win for course ownership, staff and the golfers themselves. A Garner, N.C.-based, on-course development model and coaching program, Operation 36…
By David Droschak It was hard for Jaclyn Kenzel to imagine winning the 4-A women’s high school golf championship two months ago. Kenzel and her family had just returned from a two-week vacation to the Cayman Islands and the future college bio-medical engineering major was focused on academics heading into the school year. The Pinecrest…