Oak Ridge Today

Golf tournament in Oak Ridge will support Roane State team

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Roane State golfer and now graduate Hunter Clark (Submitted photo)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The second annual Roane State Community College Golf Team Fundraiser Tournament will be held Monday, July 1, at Oak Ridge Country Club.

All proceeds will go to assist the college’s golf team with various expenses, including team travel costs and equipment. The event will begin with lunch at 11:30 p.m. followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Thirteen teams participated in the first tournament last year, “and we’re hoping to have at least 20 teams this year,” said Roane State Foundation Development Specialist Lauren Barber. [Read more…]

Try out for Roane State golf team June 3 at Oak Ridge Country Club

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Roane State Golf

Tryouts for the Roane State Community College golf team will be held Monday, June 3, at Oak Ridge Country Club, Coach Chris Griffin said.

After a decades-long hiatus, Griffin in late 2017 took on the mission of resurrecting the squad, which recently wrapped up its inaugural season, a press release said.

Graduating high school seniors and Roane State students interested in trying out for the team should contact Griffin at [email protected] or (865) 898-0043.

“What an opportunity this is for area golfers to be able to compete on a collegiate level while obtaining a two-year degree tuition-free,” Griffin said in the press release. “My primary goal is to bring young men and women together to have fun and make life-long friendships.” [Read more…]

Golf tournament raises funds for new Roane State golf teams

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From left to right are Roane State alumni who were members of the original golf team at the community college: Chris Griffin, Eddie Evans, Bobby Tipton (in back), Tom Flynn, former Roane State Golf Coach Eddie Liskovec, Mike Emery, John Thomas, Mike Fuller, and Randy Button. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

From left to right are Roane State alumni who were members of the original golf team at the community college: Chris Griffin, Eddie Evans, Bobby Tipton (in back), Tom Flynn, former Roane State Golf Coach Eddie Liskovec, Mike Emery, John Thomas, Mike Fuller, and Randy Button. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A recent golf tournament at Oak Ridge Country Club raised funds to support a revived men’s golf team at Roane State Community College along with the startup of a women’s squad.

Proceeds from this year’s tournament will help in the purchase of equipment and supplies for the teams, and plans are in the works for future tournaments to support the teams, said Coach Chris Griffin, who is spearheading the effort.

Griffin and a special committee of staff and alumni, in partnership with the Roane State Foundation, organized the tournament, which also included a silent auction of items, events, and trips.

Contributions were received by the Roane State Foundation to support the effort, said Scott Niermann, executive director. The foundation is a not-for-profit entity that provides financial support for the college’s students and programs. [Read more…]

Help launch Roane State’s new golf program at June 4 fundraiser, Oak Ridge County Club

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Roane State Community College will bring back men’s golf and add women’s golf for the Fall 2018 season.

The effort is led by volunteer Chris Griffin of Oak Ridge, who played golf for Roane State in the late 1970s. Griffin will also serve as golf coach for the 2018-19 academic year.

Griffin has organized a golf tournament to raise funds for the new teams. The tournament will be held on Monday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Oak Ridge Country Club.

The tournament will feature a four-person SWAT format and costs $600 per team (one handicapped division). The entry fee includes range balls, green fees and cart, on-course refreshments, and lunch.
Business sponsorships starting at $100 are also available through the Roane State Foundation.

“Coach Eddie Liskovec was the men’s golf coach during my career at Roane State and was instrumental in ensuring our collegiate experience was a positive one. I hope I can provide the same leadership to these upcoming 2018 student athletes as was provided for me and my teammates while at Roane State,” Griffin said.

For more information, contact Chris Griffin at [email protected] or sign up at www.roanestate.edu/golffundraiser

Centennial Golf Course names new general manager

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Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has completed its management transition at Centennial Golf Course and has announced the new general manager: Mike Callender.

Callender has 18 years of experience in the golf industry, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. He is a certified Class A PGA Professional with 10 years as a head professional and is certified in golf operations, the release said.

“I am very excited to make Centennial Golf Course the place to go in East Tennessee, not just for golf, but also for business meetings, casual outings, and eventually dining,” Callender said.

“Our goal is to establish Centennial as one of the premier public golf courses in the region, and the addition of Mike Callender to the team as general manager will help us get there,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. “With his leadership and the ongoing reinvestment by the city, we are now poised to provide a quality experience for all golfers in the greater Knoxville region.” [Read more…]

Roane State to add men’s and women’s golf teams for fall 2018

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Chris Griffin, who was a member of the Roane State golf team when he was a student in the late 1970s, has volunteered to coach a revived squad, which he intends to compete in collegiate tournaments beginning in the fall of 2018. (Photo by Roane State)

Chris Griffin, who was a member of the Roane State golf team when he was a student in the late 1970s, has volunteered to coach a revived squad, which he intends to compete in collegiate tournaments beginning in the fall of 2018. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A Roane State alumnus with fond memories of his days on the college’s golf team wants to make those experiences available to current students as well as those who enroll at Roane State in the future.

Chris Griffin of Oak Ridge has volunteered to be the coach of a revived men’s golf squad and to also launch the college’s first-ever team of women golfers.

Current high school golfers and Roane State freshmen will be invited to try out for the squads—composed of between five and seven members each—and Griffin said plans are for competition tourneys to begin in the fall of 2018. [Read more…]

UT students studied how to use Centennial for more than golf; hear their recommendations Tuesday

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Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A team of graduate business students at the University of Tennessee have studied ways the city can use Centennial Golf Course for more than just golf, and the students will present their recommendations on Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public.

The graduate students are from UT’s Master of Business Administration, or MBA, program. They will present their recommendations from a recent “Innovations in Practice” project to the City of Oak Ridge at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

There has been discussion of how to increase revenues at the golf course, including at Oak Ridge City Council meetings when the city has been asked to provide more money for the golf course.

A press release said the study of Centennial Golf Course took the group of four MBA students approximately seven weeks to complete. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge: Rudolph birdies final hole to claim first AJGA victory

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Oak Ridge Country Club (July 27-30, 2015)

Olivia Cason of Owensboro, Kentucky, and Goodman Rudolph of Cordova, Tennessee, take home their first AJGA titles after being crowned champions at Oak Ridge Country Club. (Photo courtesy American Junior Golf Association)

 

Cason tops Girls Division in final AJGA tournament

By American Junior Golf Association

Goodman Rudolph of Cordova, Tennessee, tapped in for birdie on the par-5 18th hole to secure the victory with a final-round 5-under-par 67 at the Under Armour/Scott Stallings Championship, which was in Oak Ridge from July 27-30.

Olivia Cason of Owensboro, Kentucky, finished her AJGA career in style at Oak Ridge Country Club, getting up-and-down on No. 18 to win her first AJGA tournament.

Rudolph, the grandson of five-time PGA TOUR winner Mason Rudolph, carded seven birdies during the final round to win the tournament by one stroke. The rising high school junior finished with a tournament total of 11-under-par 205 over a contested Boys Division leaderboard. [Read more…]

Big Ed’s Memorial Golf Tournament on April 24 helps Community Mediation

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CMS Big Ed's Golf Tournament

Pictured above from left are Katy Jett, Enrichment Federal Credit Union; Jon Harris, Big Ed’s Pizza; Valerie Hansen, Golf Committee; Melissa Neusel, Big Ed’s Pizza; and Willow Reed, Community Mediation/Golf Committee. (Submitted photo)

 

Golfers! Spring is finally here, and so is the 14th Annual Big Ed’s Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, April 24.

Online registration is available through the website: www.peacefulresolution.org. Registration forms are available by calling (865) 463-6888 or e-mailing [email protected]. Early registration is due by Thursday, April 16.

The Big Ed’s tournament is a 14-year-long tradition in Anderson County. It combines a great day of golf at the beautiful Oak Ridge Country Club with an active commitment to youth and families in our area, a press release said. The Tournament honors the community spirit and caring of “Big Ed” Neusel, founder of Big Ed’s Pizza, and David Neusel, and their belief in giving to others while seeking recognition from no one. [Read more…]

Girls Inc.: ‘Fore’ the girls!

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Girls Inc. Golf Classic

Girls Incorporated of Oak Ridge is hosting its 18th Annual Golf Classic on Friday, May 1, at the Oak Ridge Country Club.

This year’s Golf Classic will feature a Hole-In-One Car Prize sponsored by Sexton Automotive, first and second place team prizes, division prizes, prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive, and a putting contest, a press release said.

“Our fun day on the course will include refreshments and snacks as well as a fabulous dinner from the Oak Ridge Country Club,” the release said. [Read more…]

Tennessee state parks offer special discounts to veterans

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Frozen Head State Park

Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg is pictured above. (Photo by Tennessee State Parks)

Veterans Day designated a Free State Park Day for Tennessee veterans

NASHVILLE – Tennessee State Parks announced Tuesday it will have its annual free state parks day for all Tennessee veterans, offering one free night of camping and/or a complimentary round of golf with appropriate identification. Veterans Day is Monday, Nov. 11.

“On Veterans Day, we honor the many brave men and women who have served our country,” Deputy Commissioner Brock Hill said in a press release. “The state parks family invites all of Tennessee’s veterans to visit us on Nov. 11 and enjoy a day in one of our beautiful parks.”

A few of the parks closest to Oak Ridge include Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, and Big Ridge State Park in Maynardville. (See the Tennessee State Parks website for information on all the parks.) [Read more…]