Let’s start by learning a new word. “Tamahka” is the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal word for alligator. Tamahka Trails Golf Club is one of the wonderful amenities at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, LA, and believe me, this course has some bite. The course has received numerous accolades including “Top 10 Courses in Louisiana” in 2015 and 2016 by Golf Digest and a three-time host for U.S Open Qualifying. They are also a proud member of Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail. Tamahka Trails was designed by Lakeland, FL native Steve Smyers who took the natural contours of the property and created one of the best…
Author: David Theoret
David Theoret
The Golfin’ Guy aka David (or Dave, but never Davey) Theoret grew up in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, where it was naturally assumed he would play hockey. Beginning at the age of 3 and continuing into his late 30's, he did just that. However, after one too many pucks to the head, he realized that golf was a lot easier on the body and took the game up. Whoever said hockey players were slow? Since that time, golf has become his passion – just ask Belinda. From 2003 until 2009, David ran the sales and marketing department of TravelGolf Media and took his team to over $1M in annual advertising revenue. While at TravelGolf, an editor told him he had a flair for writing and the lightbulb came on. He started writing articles about anything golf related: courses, destinations, resorts, shoes, apparel, equipment and training aids and sending them to websites and magazines. At first, his articles were picked up by a few golf websites and magazines, but the number steadily grew – enough that he could call it a career. Most days he’s on a course somewhere, either working or playing. Actually, to him playing IS work. Occasionally you’ll find him on the practice range reinforcing bad habits. David plays to a 12 handicap - unless there is money involved in which case it goes considerably higher. He currently resides in Fairfield Glade, TN with his wife Belinda and their two "kids," Duncan and Paisley.
When it comes to deciding where to tee it up, golfers in the Charlotte, NC area have a lot to choose from. And for players who choose The Divide Golf Club, they won’t be disappointed with all the club has to offer. The Divide is one of 11 clubs in the Carolinas managed by Pinnacle Golf Properties. PGP is highly regarded in the industry and specializes in every facet of course operations and facility management. They offer new clients realistic projections and objectives and have a passion for the game – and business – of golf. The Divide Golf Club…
Ever since the Stonebridge Golf Club in Gretna, LA opened for play in 1984, it has been the centerpiece of the Stonebridge subdivision and comes with a fascinating history. In 2003, the country club complex was purchased by Ed Haddad, who had plans to refurbish the golf course and all of the amenities. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina derailed those plans in 2006 and in 2013, the entire project was placed into bankruptcy. Dunnick Group, the project management company for Stonebridge purchased the property but continued to operate the club on a shoestring. Management of the club was subbed out to several…
I’ve always had a fondness for golf clubs with three 9-hole layouts, it’s like having 3 18-hole golf courses at your disposal. Each course seems different when played as the front nine one day and the back nine the next. And for me, the course never plays the same way twice, whether I play it every day or once a year. Such is the case with the River Club of Mequon, a private club in the northern Milwaukee suburb of Mequon, Wisconsin. River Club offers three distinct nine-hole layouts with numerous challenges and Midwestern beauty amidst the southeastern Wisconsin scenery.…
Del Ratcliffe, Managing Partner and COO of Pinnacle Golf Properties in Charlotte, NC, has an interesting story to tell about one of the company’s managed properties, Highland Creek Golf Club. Del’s grandfather was a very prolific moonshiner/bootlegger back in the days just before prohibition and well into it. The success of his moonshining business allowed him to open a premier steakhouse in uptown Charlotte. Upstairs from the restaurant was a speak-easy with gambling operations. The location of his moonshining operation is now the 16th hole of Highland Creek GC and remnants of the original stills are still visible to this day.…
Over the past 10 years, The Golfin’ Guy’s travels have taken us to over 400 golf clubs including more than 100 private clubs. Each of these private clubs has something that makes them special in their own right; maybe it’s the practice facility, the practice area, or dining. Maybe it’s a memorable hole. There’s one particular club in Monroe, LA that seems to do everything right, especially listening to their members. In a town best known for Delta Airlines and the Biedenharn Candy Company, the first bottlers of Coca-Cola and Delta, Bayou DeSiard, a private country club in Monroe, Louisiana…
Almost 100 years ago, local railroad and coal magnate John Sutphin Jones was looking for something that would be a good compliment to his Granville Inn. He decided that a golf course would make the most sense, so he hired world-renowned Scottish golf course architect Donald Ross to design and build his golf course. The new Granville Golf Course opened for play in 1925 and is still very popular to this day. The Granville Golf Course – better known these days as Denison Golf Club – has long been recognized as one of the best public courses in the Midwest. …
What do you get when you mix golf and bourbon? For most players, it’s a forgettable score, but in Kentucky, it’s a winning combination for tourists! Here, you can mix the golf courses at several Kentucky State Parks with nearby members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and create memorable results. The Kentucky State Parks have a lot to offer golfers with challenging and scenic golf courses all over the state. Many offer lodging and several are within easy driving distance of each other. The Kentucky State Parks website has made it easy for you to plan your next round of…
As Florida increases in appeal to those searching for warmer weather year-round, housing in and around many of the major cities is getting harder and harder to find. And when you do find something, there’s a good chance it will be priced out of your budget. Traffic is in a league all its own; just make sure you leave yourself enough time to get anywhere. Amenities in the Sunshine State such as golf are getting expensive too; it’s not uncommon for a so-so course to command daily greens fees in the triple digits. That severely limits many people – especially…
Depending on your perspective – or favorite season – Crystal Mountain is either a ski resort with 59 well-groomed downhill runs or a golf resort with 36 holes of championship golf. Yet, regardless of the season, it’s one of Northern Michigan’s best resorts. Crystal Mountain has the most unique history of any resort I have ever written about. It began as a school project when a geography teacher at Benzonia High School tasked his students to find the best place in Benzie County, MI to start a ski area. After much research and debate the class determined the Buck Hills…