It all started back in 2010 in Austin, Texas. While competing in the prestigious Harvey Penick Invitational at Austin Country Club, Chris Schmidt got the idea to bring a similar top-flight amateur golf tournament to Chattanooga.
"I just thought Council Fire needed something like that tournament," Schmidt said. "So we took pieces of events from all across the country to come up with the blueprint for the Chattanooga Choo Choo Invitational. After seven years, it's become pretty successful."
It's become so successful that 53 different universities were represented among the 92 entrants when this year's tourney began Monday.
And when Jake Maples overcame tricky windy conditions well enough to close with a stunning 67 on Wednesday for a three-stroke victory that earned a deep blue crystal vase and a $700 gift certificate, the Georgia Southern senior's first thoughts were directed at Schmidt, the tourney chairman.
"Oh, the people," Maples replied when asked what he most liked about the event, which he was playing for the third time. "Mr. Schmidt is one of the best guys I know."
A touching nod to the late Penick's son Tinsley - who passed away in March at the age of 80 - may be one reason all these college kids think so much of Schmidt.
"When you would come off the 18th green at the Harvey Penick for the final time, Tinsley would be there to greet you and thank you for coming," Schmidt said. "I swore that if we started a tournament here, I would do the same thing. I always have and I always will."
The Council Fire layout also draws a lot of praise from its competitors.
Mark Wiedmer"The greens are always phenomenal," said Dalton State senior Ben Rebne, a former standout at Heritage High School in Ringgold. "If you miss, it's on you."
Full disclosure: Rebne's father, Richard, is the longtime pro at Council Fire. The younger Rebne wasn't the only one with high praise, though.
"The greens are great. The whole course is really good," said Steve Frazier, a Cincinnati resident whose son Steve is about to begin his sophomore year at Wisconsin.
"They just need to remove," he continued as a smile formed on his face, "that tree on No. 3."
He then quickly added: "The tournament is very well run."
Ethan Hagood finished second to Maples with a 54-hole score of 209. Two strokes behind him and tied for third were Jacob Arnett, Sam Goldasich and Kyle Vance.
Hagood, a sophomore at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, liked everything about his time in the Scenic City save his runner-up finish.
"It's my first time," he said. "I loved the golf course and I love downtown Chattanooga. We went to the Terminal last night and I had these amazing pot roast nachos. I'll definitely come back."
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer Connor Nolan, a native of Southern California, came back to the South for college after competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Honors Course a few years ago.
"I fell in love with the area, with the coaches, with the golf courses," he said Wednesday after finishing 11 strokes out of the lead. "Everything is so relaxed here. California is so stressed, the freeways and all."
What food has he embraced that has surprised him?
"Fried okra," the political science major said. "I didn't know what that was when I got here."
But he knew he liked the chance as a Moc to play twice a week at Council Fire, which he said "is always in good shape and the greens are good."
Thanks to some pretty good politicking by amateurgolf.com founder Pete Wlodkowski, success in the Choo Choo Invitational also brings with it world points from the R&A.
"Pete visited us one day," Schmidt said, "and really liked our vision for this event. We owe Pete a lot."
We are a city that too often has lost our best sporting events to bigger, more prosperous locales. The Southeastern Conference women's basketball tournament. The NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision title game. The TSSAA Spring Fling, to name but three.
Schmidt's vision for the Choo Choo's future doesn't include a move.
"When we started, we had 80 players and most of those were from Tennessee," he said. "This year we had 92 from more than 50 different colleges. We start sending out invitations in November. Our goal is to make this an amateur major."
If the winner's view of the event is any indication, the Choo Choo is well on its way to being just that.
A Ping All-American and a Jack Nicklaus Award finalist, Maples figures to one day earn a living in the sport, where his business management major should come in handy.
But as he headed to the Council Fire pro shop to spend his gift certificate on "lots of shirts for my uncles, my dad and my girlfriend's family," he also had a message for Schmidt and all the volunteers who have done so much the past seven years to make this tournament special.
"I look forward," he said with a smile, "to coming back next year."
Given our town's sports event history, we all should be happy we have an event respected enough and successful enough to have its participants want to come back to the Scenic City again and again.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.