The 2024 Georgia Open was held at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, GA. Kyle Mueller, of Athens, went wire-to-wire to win the event. Mueller’s four-day total of 274 (14 under par) was good enough to win by two strokes over Nicola Cassidy of Johns Creek. The tournament was Presented By A & R Comunities and Visit Valdosta.
Mueller started the tournament in blistering fashion with an 8-under-par 64 in the opening round on Thursday. He added steady rounds of 69, 69, and 72 to secure the win. Parker Claxton, a junior at Georgia Southern, took home low amateur honors and finished tied for third overall, with a total of 11 under par.
Kinderlou Forest was in excellent shape and provided a stern test for the field of 144 golfers. I was fortunate enough to participate in the Pro-Am on Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed the course. Hats off to the maintenance staff for a job well done!
Although our Pro-Am team did not take home any hardware, we certainly had a wonderful time! I could not have asked for a better team, which consisted of Valdosta State University President Richard Carvajal, Greater Valdosta United Way CEO Michael Smith, and Kinderlou Forest Golf Professional Henry Westmoreland. Henry had a very respectable showing in the tournament, finishing at 2-under-par, in a tie for 17th.
The Georgia Open is held at a different course each year. Kinderlou Forest and the Valdosta area did a fantastic job hosting the 2024 event. I’d like to thank the Visit Valdosta team for inviting me to attend and for setting up a great week of golf and hospitality.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to play another fine course in the area – Stone Creek. The course is defined by narrow fairways on the front side, with a more open layout on the back. The diverse design and excellent course conditions make it one to include on any visit to the South Georgia region. I was joined by Keith Weachter and appreciate him taking the time and being a great host.
My accommodations were at The McKey, a fantastic boutique hotel in downtown Valdosta. Originally constructed in 1906, the McKey building has a rich history as both a church and an office building. It has been revitalized as the first boutique hotel in Valdosta. The hotel features twelve spacious rooms, including seven suites. The McKey was the perfect home base for my stay, and it was just a short walk to many of Valdosta’s great restaurants and entertainment venues.
I enjoyed meals at 306 North and The Bistro, each offering diverse menus in an upscale casual environment.
The Georgia Beer Company is just minutes away from The McKey and offers a diverse array of beers brewed using local ingredients. The taproom is a great place to hang out and meet locals and visitors alike. The service and the beer were both fantastic! Downtown Social is another cool spot, and it’s just a two-minute walk from The McKey. Downtown Social has something for just about everyone who is looking for a good time: boutique bowling, shuffleboard, sports suites, darts, cold drinks, and tasty food. You can find it all at Downtown Social.
That’s just a preview of our experience in Valdosta while visiting during the Georgia Open. Look for more about this charming South Georgia destination in the Fall Issue of Southern Fairways Magazine. Until then, you can learn more at Visit Valdosta!
PENINSULA GOLF & RACQUET CLUB COMPLETES MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION OF GOLF COURSE AND CLUBHOUSE
Gulf Shores, Ala. (May 25, 2021) – Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, Alabama recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of its award-winning golf course, clubhouse and Racquet Club. The golf course renovation project and Racquet Club...
Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation Created to Support Youth Golf in America
Brentwood, TN (May 21, 2021) -- The name Payne Stewart will forever be etched in our minds and memories not only as an elite golfer who won 11 PGA TOUR tournaments, including three major championships, but also as the dapper dresser in signature knickers and a flat...
Golf Digest “America’s Greatest” Courses Panelists Rank Primland as Virginia’s Top Public Golf Venue
MEADOWS OF DAN, VIRGINIA – May 13, 2021 – Golf Digest named The Highland Course at Primland, the boutique luxury resort amid 12,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as the state’s top public-access course in its just-released “America’s Greatest Courses by State,...
THE MISSISSIPPI GOLF TRAIL MAKES ITS DEBUT
The Mississippi Golf Trail is here! The collaboration of six Magnolia State facilities from the Coast to the northern tip of the state was unveiled in late April to give golfers a guide list to play when they travel to the great state of Mississippi. Playing all of...
AWARD WINNING EUROPEAN LASER LANDS IN U.S.
From the same stable as Europe’s #1 push cart brand BIG MAX, new Laser Rangefinder brand ZOOM is introducing its award winning first model to the U.S. market. The ZOOM Focus X has swept the board in European media awards over the past 12 months with its combination of...
What Is The Best Grip For You?
by David Musial, PGAAs I work with golfers on their game, one of the first things that we assess is the positioning of the hands on the golf club. What is the best grip for the golfer? Well, golfers come in all sizes and shapes. Some players have small hands and...
The Refuge Golf Course Reopens
Flowood, Miss. --The Refuge Golf Course officially opened for daily-fee play in April. The long-awaited reopening comes after a multi-year renovation and enhancement project. Originally designed by Roy Case, The Refuge opened to rave reviews in 1998. In an effort to...
Shoal Creek Suffers From Major Tornado Damage
Shoal Creek, host course of two PGA Championships and multiple USGA Championships, sustained extensive damage during the tornado outbreak on March 25th. Shoal Creek was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1977. A reported 14 tornadoes were reported across Alabama,...
Destination Golf: Kiva Dunes
Jerry Pate and Jim “Scrappy” Edgemon first met almost fifty years ago as undergraduates at the University of Alabama. The future friends and business partners met on the golf course, not in the classroom. The chance encounter was memorable because of a shot that was...
Bridgestone Golf To Release e12 Contact Featuring New Dimple Technology
Bridgestone Golf is continuing to lead the charge when it comes to golf ball tech. The company's newest offering to its golf ball line is the e12 Contact. The breakthrough in the e12 CONTACT is the innovative new CONTACT Force dimple, which features a raised area in...
Golf Christmas Gift Ideas
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite golfer? We know it's not always easy. How many golf shirts does one person really need? (Hint: The answer is always one more.) Christmas is right around the corner. Hopefully, our list of suggestions will help...
Product Review: Impact Press
The Impact Press training aid is designed to automatically get golfers in the correct positions during the downswing and ultimately where it counts most - at impact! But the Impact Press is more than a training aid, it is a training iron. You can actually hit balls...