Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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16 JULY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Back for its 48th year, the Cumberland County Golf Classic/Championship is hosted by Cypress Lakes Golf Course, home of the late L.B Floyd and PGA Hall of Fame inductee Raymond Floyd and sibling LPGA golfing notable, Marlene Floyd. This is the annual tournament young, aggressive, upcoming golfers, casual golfers and competitive "seasoned" veteran golfers have looked forward to every year for nearly five decades. It's the end of summer finale that will determine who claims the 2016 title of Cumberland County's best golfer. The competition is stiff, and even though there are many other tournaments locally and across the state, it is the Cumberland County Golf Classic/ Championship that matters most to local golfers. It is the tournament people talk about around the water cooler at the office, before and after church and when they see each other at the grocery store. It's the tournament they remember because it has become a golfing tradition. This event is about much more than golf; it's about spirited competi- tion. It's about community, excellence, camarade- rie and witnessing local golf history in the making. PGA Tour professional and local Fayettevillian Chip Beck won the Cumberland County Champion- ship title in both 1974 and 1976 before he turned 20 years old. The tradition continues on this year with a new and exciting twist. For the last several years, the responsibility of hosting this grand tournament has fallen solely on the shoulders of the host golf course. And, even though the local courses have accepted the responsibility on a rotating basis each year, the course managers and PGA pros saw participation and attendance steadily dwindling. They decided to work together to ensure that the tournament, not only remains a highly anticipated event, but also to reestablish the integrity and prestige of the tourna- ment assuring that this golfing tradition continues and remains a part of Cumberland County culture. Gates Four Country Club Manager Kevin Lavertu, along with PGA golf pros Robert Wilson of Cypress Lakes and Mike Monk of Kings Grant decided to come together to form a golf tournament coalition for the purpose of jointly organizing and planning the 48th Annual Cumberland County Golf Classic/ Championship. It was a game changer with the big- gest change being that they have involved all five of the county's golf courses in the planning and execu- tion of this year's event. This year, they take full responsibility for it with each course committing itself to being all about teamwork, cooperation and coordination, assuring a first-class, high-quality and well-run tournament where they can treat lo- cal area golfers to great golf and a good time. According to Monk of Kings Grant, which hosted the 2015 event, this effort and subtle changes are going to make a world of difference. He is passion- ate about the game of golf and sees this tournament as an investment in the community as a whole. "In the past years, we have seen participation dwindle down as much as 60 percent. Obviously, these are dangerously low numbers to maintain a quality event. We see this as a way to promote play in Cumberland Count y and to accentuate golf in Cumberland Count y. We have a lot of good courses and a lot of great players who come out of Cumberland Count y. Gary Robinson, the Caro- lina Senior Golfer of the Year and Brian Dreier, 2012 Cumberland Count y Champion, are both members here at Kings Grant. A lot of golfers want to see this tournament survive and move forward and be the best tournament it can be. We want to put Cumberland Count y on the map. This year, contestants will experience great golf, a good value and a much-improved difference. We are confident they will appreciate and enjoy the changes we have implemented." Monk's philosophy is also one of inclusion. That is why he reached out to fellow Methodist University graduate and PGA Pro Jeff Johnson at Fort Bragg's Stryker Golf Course and invited them to partici- pate. Johnson was elated since the Cumberland County Golf Classic was a big part of his youth. He played it as a young adult and knows firsthand what a great experience it is. When he became manager of Fort Bragg's Stryker golf course, he set about to make it the kind of course that would add a new dimension to the tournament. "I feel like we have finally arrived. Our conditions are on par with the other courses participating in the classic, and I am happy to be a part of that com- munity and to be on that level." Johnson sees this as a win-win for both local and military golfers. "I think we have a lot of really good players that don't always play in Cumberland County and hopefully this will encourage them to try some of the other courses and meet other local golfers. Something a lot people don't realize is that Stryker is open to the community, so we hope to see more golfers come out play on our course. Our superintendent, Craig Manning, was instrumental in turning this course around and we want to share that with local play- ers," added Johnson. Lavertu was on board from the very beginning in preserving the Championship. Gates Four will host the 2017 Championship. He will also host the inau- gural Pairings Party and Opening Ceremonies that are set for Sept. 15, the evening before the tour- nament. "The Pairings Party is a great way to get everyone excited about the tournament," he said. "People come and we will have prizes, food, putting competitions and fun things like that to get every- one relaxed and excited about the tournament. This year the courses are working together to attract more golfers and grow the event." The Pairings Party will mark the official opening of the tournament with special guests including past tournament winners and local city, county and state dignitaries. This year Cypress Lakes has the honor of hosting the first Cumberland County Championship in its new format under the direction of PGA Golf Profes- sional and Course Manager Robert Wilson. Played over a three-day period from Sept. 16-18, it will remain a 54-hole stroke play event. The U.S. Golf Association rules of golf and etiquette are in effect. As in previous years, there are four divisions: A Championship Division, Open Division, Senior Divi- sion and Super Senior Division. The tournament remains one of the best values for Cumberland County golfers because, in addition to the guaran- Local PGA Pros Engage to Revive Cumberland County's Oldest Golf Tournament by STEPHANIE CRIDER and JEFF THOMPSON COVER STORY Cumberland County's best and most winningest golfers: L-Gary Robinson R- Billy West