9-hole heroes

I have been a member of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association since 2010 and joined their Master Greenkeeper ranks in 2016. Their monthly publication is titled Greenkeeper International, and a few years ago, they had a regular feature called Nine-Hole Heroes. The feature would be one or two pages with a brief question-and-answer with the superintendent of a 9-hole golf course somewhere in the United Kingdom.

I loved it. I got my start in this career at a 9-hole golf course, and I have seen the game and the industry come full circle as it relates to the respect 9-hole golf courses receive. There was a time — and I too was guilty — of referring to 9-hole courses as “little.” As in, “I used to work at a little 9-hole course,” as if it somehow wasn’t real golf compared to an 18-hole course. And if you only played nine holes, you had to wait until you played a second nine holes and combine the two scores to produce a score suitable for handicap purposes.

And then … Peter Grass became GSCAA president while he was superintendent of Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Montana. The course started as six holes in 1922 before expanding to nine holes and being incorporated in 1923. Peter is a true 9-Hole Hero.

And then … the USGA began to recognize the impact our fast-paced society was having on one’s time available for recreational activities. They created a slogan, “Play 9,” to encourage time-crunched folks to at least play nine holes in order to squeeze in more golf. In 2024, you can now post 9-hole scores for handicap purposes.

There are 9-hole golf courses that are revered on social media for their architecture and even have cult followings. Winter Park Golf Course in Winter Park, Florida, just outside Orlando, and Sweetens Cove Golf Club in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, outside Chattanooga, are just two that come to mind.

Anthony Pioppi has written two books celebrating 9-hole golf courses. His first book, “To the Nines,” released in 2006, and “The Finest Nines,” released in 2018, shine the spotlight on lesser-known golf courses, some of which were designed by America’s most renowned golf course architects.

The inspiring cover story Lee Carr wrote about Marine veteran Jarrod Taylor, superintendent of Willowbrook Golf Course, is the epitome of what a hero truly is. He just so happens to also be a 9-Hole Hero.

And what if I told you this former 9-Hole Hero is from the same neck of the woods as Jarrod Taylor? I grew up in Castlewood, Virginia, in Russell County. That’s the same Russell County as in the song. I always knew of Willowbrook Golf Course, but never managed to play it back in my day. But I did play high school football against Haysi, the school Taylor attended.

Maybe you know of Paul Carter, CGCS of Bear Trace at Harrison Bay outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Paul grew up across the county line in Wise County, Virginia, home of Lonesome Pine Country Club in Big Stone Gap. Lonesome Pine was a 9-hole course from its inception in 1924 until it expanded to 18 holes in 1967. Paul is also the current secretary/treasurer of the GCSAA.

In fact, the entire region is full of 9-hole or former 9-hole golf courses. Glenrochie Country Club in Abingdon, Virginia, was designed by Alex McKay in 1958. They were known for being the best conditioned nine holes in the region. Glenrochie expanded to 18 in 1989 with help from Dan Maples.

Scott County Park in Gate City, Dan Hall Mountain Resort outside Coeburn, Saltville Golf Course in Saltville, Steele Creek Golf Course in Bristol, Tennessee, and the abandoned King College Golf Course in Bristol provided places to play and served as introductory outlets to this great game. For some of us, they offered introductions to this great industry.

I’m proud to have worked at a 9-hole golf course. I’m prouder still that a 9-hole golf course in the Appalachian Mountains is the home of a true American hero. Looks like where I come from is still producing hard-working folks who appreciate the outdoors and they are being developed to be the next generation of 9- or 18-hole heroes, wherever this great game may lead them.

Matthew Wharton, CGCS, MG, is the superintendent at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky, and past president of the Carolinas GCSA. Follow him on X at @IHCCGreenkeeper.