Golf Gamebook is something we discovered before the start of Shooter Cup IV. It's an app that allows us to have a live leaderboard during our tournament rounds.
The Courses
Crow Creek - Calabash, NC
Will be hosting Day 1 of the Shooter VII
River's Edge - Shallote, NC
Hosted Day 2 of the Chubbs IV on short notice. Tough course with a lot of hazards. One of the nicer courses we've played. We'll be returning for the 2nd round of Shooter of VII.
Sandpiper Bay - Sunset Beach, NC
Hosted Day 1 of the SMGC IV. A personal favorite and low scores were easy to come by. We played through quite a bit of rain, but the course conditions held up well. It was a solid course.
The Pearl - Calabash, NC
Hosted Day 3 of the SMGC VI. The worst of the 3 courses we played in Ocean Isle, although not a bad course. The course was wrapped in horrible poisonous plant life and the fire ants were size the elephants. Other than that, I don't remember much. Oh yeah, and Tomlin farted on the lady that was trying to take our picture.
The Legacy - Aberdeen, NC
Hosted both rounds of Shooter Cup I, the 2nd round of Chubbs I, II, and IV and the 1st round of the Shooter Cup IV. This tournament favorite has hosted 4 rounds. The greens are in excellent shape. While not an overly diffucult course from the white tee boxes, you can notch a couple of triples in a hurry. The 18th is a perfect finishing hole. A long approach over water and plenty of seats and shade for the gallery right behind the green is an ideal recipe for disaster.
Tobacco Road - Sanford, NC
Hosted the 2nd round of the Shooter Cup IV and the Chubbs III. Ranked as one of the Top 10 toughest public courses in America by Golf Digest. Also, ranked in the Top 10 for having some of the worst rangers in America. How are we supposed to control the "gaps" that are forming 8 holes ahead of our group. A pretty awesome course though. Several blind shots and a lot of tricky holes. Easily the most unique course we've played with the treacherous rough and waste bunkers everywhere. A Shooter/Chubbs crowd favorite. No one would object to a return to Tobacco Road.
Little River
Hosted both rounds of Shooter Cup III as well as Day 1 of Chubbs III. Little River got a 4 1/2 star rating from Golf Digest. It was a solid and challenging course. The 2nd trip to Little River was a little rough as much of the course was covered in standing water. A return to Little River would not be likely for future tournaments. The first tee shot is especially nerve-racking with a pond in play. It's small, but it looks like the Atlantic when 15 of your competitors are your watching you. It swallowed a golf ball or two while we were there.
Farmstead Golf Llinks - Calabash, NC
Will be hosting the final round of the Shooter VII.
Carolina National - Bolivia, NC
Has hosted two rounds, the 2nd round of the Shooter VI (which was a 36 hole round) and the 1st round of the Chubbs IV. 3 different 9 hole courses is cool, but the scores are generally low here.
Seven Lakes Country Club - Seven Lakes, NC
Seven Lakes Country Club hosted the closing round of SMGC V. It is the Sandhills Golf Association course of the year for the past 3 years. "This Sandhills area masterpiece has been sculptured through rolling lakeside terrain and wooded areas featuring contoured fairways bordered by azaleas, magnolias, and dogwoods, which promote creative shot making, while providing stunning views." This sounds eerily similar to Augusta National.
Southern Pines Golf Course - Southern Pines, NC
Southern Pines Golf Course played host to the 1st round of the Chubbs II (aka "The Pneumonia Open"). A solid course with nice fairways and greens that apparently drains really well. The clubhouse was a tournament favorite as they allowed us lazy bums to drive on the course in horrible conditions. We were instructed to keep the carts on paths on certain holes. Those certain holes were lacking anything that remotely resembled a path. We'll most likely be returning in the future.
Hyland
Hosted the 1st round of Chubbs I. A pretty solid course with a couple of really tough holes. Made tougher by the 50 mph winds the day we played there. Probably one of the tougher courses we've played. It didn't help that there were multiple cups on a couple of greens. Overall, it was a good experience altough a return trip is unlikely.
Whispering Woods
Hosted the 2nd round of Shooter Cup III. Easily the biggest mistake of the Shooter Cup. The greens were like concrete and the 9th hole was "closed" for repairs, causing several issues amongst the competitors. Thanks for the heads up. We wouldn't have played there had we been warned of this in advance. Their website states "Our goal at Whispering Woods is to see you smile, and have you promise to return." Oops. This course was quickly scratched off of any future lists and will most likely remain the worst course we will ever play in these events.
Longleaf
Hosted the 1st round of Shooter Cup II. It wasn't the best course we've played, but it definitely wasn't the worst. It was built on an old horse training estate. There were several random white fences thorughout the course. Probably not in play for most, pretty sure we hit a few of them. The starter warned us not to read too much break on the putts. Those of us that played well that day stopped listening to that awful advice on about the 3rd hole. They broke plenty. Overall, a solid course.
Lodging
Rob's Beach House
Shooter Cup VI will be our first stay at a private residence. Hopefully, it won't be our last. We'll be missing out on those awesome continental breakfasts at the hotels, but the pool and grill should more than make up for it.
Comfort Inn
Hosted the Shooter Cups I & II, and the Chubbs I. This is the original hotel we stayed at for Shooter Cup I. A tournament favorite because the Hickory Tavern is next door. Also, the only place we've stayed that has a bar of it's own, Putter's. No one is ever behind the bar though and it closes early.
Springhill Suites
Hosted Shooter Cup III and Chubbs II. Apparently, they have their own putting green. No one ever saw it. We probably could have used some late night putting practice like Mitch Cumstein. A nice hotel with wide hallways. Perfect for challenging fellow golfers to a sprint.
Best Western
Hosted Shooter Cup IV. A personal favorite due to it’s close proximity to Squire's pub and the ridiculously awesome sandwich known as The Devonshire. The continental breakfast was a big hit as well, as most people prefer frozen breakfast sandwiches that need to be heated in the microwave. They also have a state of the art gymnasium.