Golf

By ADAM RUSSELL
Staff Writer

As Cascades Golf Club member Decker Kennington looks down the fairway of Hole No. 1, stretching toward the water of Bellwood Lake, he can readily describe the improvements the new owners have made in the past five years.

“It’s been 100 percent,” he said. “I know you can’t say 110 percent, but it has been a tremendous improvement.”

He has been a member since 1994, when the golf course was called Briarwood and — while he said the course was nice then — he labeled the new facility first class.

Kennington watched as Professional Golf Association players marched two by two with their caddies to the first tee box to take their swings. He is at the course as a volunteer and, from what he has heard from the pros since Thursday, he couldn’t be more proud of his course.

The 38th Texas State Open Championship has shown improvements as well, said PGA communication coordinator Quyen Phan. There were a record number of qualifiers this year, bringing the total purse to around $126,000, $25,000 for first.

She said spectator numbers have been average for the first two days; but, with good weather and the improved facilities, Ms. Phan expects more people to attend Saturday and today.

“Usually the crowd picks up during the weekend,” she said. “I think the people have come out to see the new clubhouse and enjoy some golf.”

Sixty-two players made the cut for the weekend, Ms. Phan said, out of a field of 156. She said Tyler has been a good venue for the tournament. This is the championship tournament’s third consecutive year in the city and the PGA has committed through 2009, Ms. Phan said.

She said the PGA loves the city, that Tyler has a lot to offer the tour and that the PGA would like to commit to the city for the long term. As it is now, Ms. Phan said, 2009 is as far as the tour and The Cascades have planned.

Cascades head golf pro Kenny Huff and club general manager Peter Gushanas said the rave reviews regarding the course from players, the new clubhouse and other facility improvements slated before next year’s tournament will hopefully take the tournament to the next level.

The new clubhouse was expected to be finished by tournament time this year, but construction delays prevented completion prior to play. Huff said the clubhouse will be finished next month and that the club is expecting big things for next year.

“Each year has gotten better and better,” he said. “Each year we do something to improve the course and the facilities.”

Huff said the purchase of new equipment made dramatic course improvements since 2007. The club purchased a mower that has turned the fairways into some of the best in Texas, he said, to go along with some of the best greens in the state. He has had at least a dozen pros tell him the greens are the best they have putted on.

Huff said new ownership is committed to improving the course with continuous tweaks here and there. Widening and narrowing fairways, adding undulation to greens and bunkers and improved rough to penalize players for arrant shots. That is the whole concept behind a great golf course, Huff said, to reward players’ good shots with carpet-like fairways and penalize them with thick but consistent roughs.

The Cascades team’s improvements and diligence is paying off. They recently cracked Texas Golf’s top 50 golf courses in Texas, Huff said, landing at number 41. Huff said he thinks the course was rated in the 40s because people just don’t know that much about it. A future top 10 or 20 is a realistic rating for Huff and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if it comes sooner rather than later.

Gushanas said he has been encouraged by the community’s participation and said the Thursday and Friday crowds of between 200 and 400 people could swell over 1,000 during the weekend. He said having the PGA represented in Tyler and Tylerites’ love of golf is a recipe for long-term success for the tournament.

Kennington said it had to be a pretty good course for the PGA to be there in the first place, and Huff believes The Cascades can offer a top-tier tournament venue for the PGA to consider.

“Hopefully it’s something that we can keep here in Tyler year after year,” he said. “People in Tyler like their golf. The city benefits, the hotels and restaurants and businesses benefit. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

THE BIG PICTURE: The Cascades Golf Course hosts the second day of the Texas State Open on Friday. This view is from the top floor of the Stratford at The Cascades.
((Staff Photo By Tom Turner))