Healthy Living, Fitness

The Top 2013 Golf Tournaments of Big Canoe Georgia

Big Canoe Georgia Golf Course
Published on December 16, 2013

The game of golf has evolved quite a bit from its ‘hit the rock with the stick’ heritage. Scottish tales told across shores of the North Sea in St. Andrews describe the origins of golf stemming from a game Scottish fisherman would play while walking from a day’s hard work on the sea towards the warming pubs of Scotland. The addition of targets, in collaboration with a point system, was the beginning of the game as we know it today. Golf course homes at Big Canoe celebrate the Sottish tale by bringing golfers closer together with community tournaments, golfing games, and just for plain fun. 

Golfing has grown to be one of the largest played sports in the United States, and the Big Canoe golf course is keeping the tradition alive with its annual tournaments situated along the North Georgia gated mountain community. The Big Canoe Men’s Golf Association (MGA) keeps competition alive by hosting its annual ‘Ryder Cup’ tournament, a tribute to the prestigious international golf competition. The finest players of Big Canoe participate in monthly tournaments where they are then able to earn a spot on the junior or senior team of the ‘Ryder Cup’ tournament.

This year's Big Canoe Ryder Cup showed the seniors still had it in them. Holding onto the gold for the second year in a row, the seniors took a win at 16.5 to 11.5 on the Big Canoe golf course. The Ryder Cup matchup, an individual pairing of the highest-ranked senior and the highest-ranked junior, was the highlight of the event. Senior James Carter and junior Glenn Manning went head to head into overtime, only for the seniors to come out with the win. A Big Canoe tradition of the Ryder Cup was upheld as the loosing team’s captain put on a “dunce” outfit of oversized ladies’ panties to announce his defeat. 

On the other side of the golf course, the Big Canoe Women’s Golf Association (WGA) took a less competitive approach to the ending of their golf season at the North Georgia gated mountain community. A 9-hole scramble was played on the Creek and Cherokee courses, with awards given to most-improved overall, most birdies, ringers and the 18-hole match-play winners. Patti Toney took home the title as top putter in this year’s Big Canoe Spirit Putting Contest. The successful season was celebrated with a team lunch at the Big Canoe Clubhouse at Lake Sconti.

Golf course homes at Big Canoe inspire the best in players, and allow them to test their skills within the beautiful landscape of this North Georgia gated mountain community. The Men’s Golf Association (MGA) narrowed down the teams for its end of the year tournament by a19-Man Shootout Marathon. The marathon began with anxious members hitting their first drive towards the fairway. Each hole was followed by a player’s elimination until the 18th hole left only two golfers, Alan “The Stalker” Bates and James “Where’d It Go” Carter. After 9 exciting hours on the green, a deserving victory was won. 

Another tournament highlight of the year was the MGA Fall Member/Member held in the shadow of luxurious golf course homes at Big Canoe. The two-man teams truly tested the friendship of the players as each team paired up to go for the win. The rounds lasted 5-hours and included numerous formats; such as best ball of the two for nine holes and alternate shot for nine holes. Tony Tebbut and Fred Williams took home the gold this year with a one-hole playoff on Creek No. 9. 

The qualifying tournaments yielded only winners at Big Canoe. After a long day on the putting green, each member headed off with a smile on their face. The Big Canoe golf course had yet another successful season and a game well-played. Big Canoe is an award winning North Georgia gated mountain community in the Blue Ridge Mountains.