"A FRIENDLY PLACE TO PLAY GOLF" CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
A CELEBRATION TOURNAMENT IS SET FOR JUNE 23=24
Long-time owner Marc Gooden, who has been associated with the course for 46 years, said it best in a recent article in the Times-News: “It is a friendly place to play golf.”
An 18-hole courset, Crooked Creek has an challenging mixture of relatively flat holes and some with varying degrees of elevation..
As part of the 50th year celebration, the course will host a two-day, two-man best ball tournament June 23-24. The cost is $130 per player and there will be food and drink galore in addition to the competition.
The course was designed by Alex Guion and Stewart Gooden, Marc’s uncle, opened in 1968. A few years later Marc Gooden began leasing the course and took ownership in 1984.
With a $5,500 loan, Gooden set out to improve on what was pretty rudimentary layout.
“We didn’t have any golf carts or equipment, no cart paths, no irrigation, one set of tees,” he said.
“So we got to work, and it’s grown into something pretty nice. We converted our fairways to Bermuda (grass) a few years ago and that’s made a big difference in our conditions.”
Tommy Laughter has been general manager at Crooked Creek for 24 years, and it’s like home to him.
“It’s just a local spot for people to come play golf,” he said. “People that come through our doors are mostly golfers who have been coming for years, and it’s like family.
“We’re looking forward to the tournament. It’s going to be a good time and a way to celebrate our anniversary. This has been a great place to grow up and grow relationships that you will have all your life.”
“There’s just not a lot of public golf courses around, and we’ve tried to enhance it over the years,” said Gooden.
“The location is really good and it’s a beautiful piece of property. We feel like we are a part of this community and want to always keep it that way.”
Following the anniversary tournament in June, of course there will be the Apple Jack, played every September for nearly 50 years, a tournament that celebrates Hendersonville’s Apple Festival.
Laughter told a reporter for the Times-News, “It’s a very special place for me,” And he added, “It’s more than a job; every day it is family.”
