Imagine building 26 golf courses at the height of the golf development bubble, with nine figures in public pension money — in an effort that now loses money year after year. Welcome to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
In theory, 12-hole designs should be cheaper to play, build, and maintain. But in the staid industry of golf course development, there’s been no rush to test the theory. The minds behind Sweetens Cove are ready to change that.
With a secure future and a standalone date in hand, the Sanderson Farms Championship has a chance to keep its novelty while also becoming more than just a novelty.
“I’d like people to take away that my emotions are pretty good starting out here,” Bhatia said. “If I have my A-game, I feel like I can win out here. This week, I had a C-game.”
In all the youth-heavy field at the Sanderson Farms Classic, you’d be hard pressed to find a more different pairing than Maverick McNealy and Braden Thornberry.
The tension between preserving the Sanderson’s identity and attracting top-50 players isn’t going away. But for 2019, at least, that tension has been allayed.
Even in the age of contrarianism, it’s OK to accept that the consensus choice as America’s greatest publicly accessible golf course might actually be that good.
Three years ago, Robby Shelton finished 194th on the Web Tour’s money list. Now he’s won twice in three weeks and has the inside track on the tour’s season-long points race.
Our hearts ache for the Masters unlike any other tournament, because for four days each year, it lets us grasp one more time at sand that long ago slipped through our fists.
The turn of the calendar to March brings a definite change of tone to the pro golf landscape. The fields get consistently stronger. The courses get consistently bigger. Things are happening.