The Tennessee high school golf state championships have abandoned Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro for financial reasons.
Also, the TSSAA will begin trying to recoup some of its annual losses by charging for admission at the tournaments, which are moving to Willowbrook Golf Club at Manchester.
“We had significant fees in Murfreesboro,” TSSAA assistant executive director Matthew Gillespie said Monday. “We had to look at other options, and there are a lot of parameters that had to be met with hotels and restaurants and the like. The proposal we got from Willowbrook was one that’s very suitable.”
Gillespie said the cost of the course – nine days over three weeks – at Old Fort would have been $30,000 this year. Other expenses would have pushed the total costs to $40,000 for the three championship tournaments.
Willowbrook had a lower price, and an $8 per day admission fee will help the TSSAA coffers at least a little bit.
“Golf was the only sport where we didn’t charge an admission for the state championship,” Gillespie said. “The goal is to break even, but I don’t think that’s realistic.”
The move to Willowbrook brings the championships a bit closer to home for Chattanooga-area teams. Several region and district tournaments have been played there in recent years, and a handful of squads including Signal Mountain and Walker Valley will play in tournaments there over the next two weeks.
“I try to get the kids an opportunity to play at the playoff courses,” Walker Valley coach Bob Williams said. “Hopefully we’ll have some kids going to state, so it will be an advantage.”
Some will play regional and district tournament even closer, such as the District 5-AAA and Region 3-AAA championships at Valleybrook. Those tournaments will remain free for admission.
But not the state championships.
“In the end, every parent will pay that 8 bucks,” Signal Mountain coach Wes Moore said. “If you charge at every other event, golf should probably fit in that same category.”