Earlier this year, Reynolds Lake Oconee entertained a group of golf industry leaders headlined by PGA Tour stars Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose for a 15-inch cup tournament15-inch cup tournament hosted by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. The event was the kickoff of a commitment of up to $5 million over the next 5 years to support the Hack Golf initiative. Hack Golf is run in conjunction with the PGA of America to make the game of golf more appealing, accessible, and most importantly, fun, for new players.
At the April 14 event, Garcia recorded a score of 30 playing nine holes with the 15-inch cups installed at the Oconee golf course, while Rose shot a score of 33. Previous experiments with the 15-inch cups have produced faster rounds, lower scores, and a lot of entertainment. What typically takes a golfer 4.5 hours to play a round of golf is now only taking 3.75 hours, with a solid 10-stroke improvement in overall scores.
“It’s very unique,” said Garcia in a recent interview for PGA.com after the event. “It’s a great concept to promote the game of golf for beginners, maybe youngsters, and to keep it fun and also make it faster. That definitely makes a big difference.”
Since the TaylorMade-adidas event, an increased interest has spiked at Reynolds Lake Oconee over the summer, and many events have incorporated this new concept into play. On June 30, The Bruce Arians 2014 Celebrity Golf Classic used the oversized cup on the par 5, tenth hole at the Oconee course. Nine of eighteen holes at the National golf course were also converted for the recent ‘6 of Each Tee’ member event on August 15. The Reynolds Lake Oconee Men’s Golf Association (MGA) will also convert 1 hole on the back nine and 1 hole for the front nine for their September 13 MGA Play Day event at the Plantation golf course.
This fall, Georgia State Representative Mickey Channell will utilize 15-inch cups on all 18 holes during his annual golf tournament at the Great Waters golf course on October 21. “While this is a true golf tournament, I want it to be a fun outing for the participants,” says Channell. “I am excited to incorporate this unique golf concept into the tournament this year, and hope it will lighten the mood and make for a more exciting day of golf.”
The excitement surrounding the 15-inch cup continues to gain followers here at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Times are changing at faster rates, and this initiative could be just the spark to capture new participants to the sport. Whether you are new to the game or not, this concept is sure to bring a unique twist to your round and shave a few minutes off that total round.
