LOCAL GOLF NOTES: After growing like a weed, popular driving range is closing
After serving two generations of golfers, from great players to the less accomplished, a landmark in the Midlands’ sports world – the Weed Hill Driving Range – closed its doors for the final time Saturday.
“We’ve have a lot of great memories,” Jimmy Koosa, the PGA professional who has operated the Lake Murray Boulevard facility for the past 35 years, said. “But the land is far more valuable than being used for a driving range, and I let the (Weed) family know I was ready for this day. They’ve been great; they gave me the opportunity to make a living at doing something I love, and I thank them for the years.”
The Weed family established the driving range about 40 years ago and ran the facility before leasing the property to first Dick Averiette and then Koosa. But the one-time bean field has been surrounded by a growing metropolitan area, and the property has been sold for development.
In his first brush at what would become his life’s work, Bobby Weed – then a junior at Irmo High – designed the original Weed Hill to work on his game. Little did he know that this would be the first step in a career that brought him an apprenticeship under Pete Dye, association with the PGA Tour and Deane Beman, and the opportunity to consult with Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead in designing the World Golf Village’s Slammer and Squire course. Today, he operates Bobby Weed Golf Design in Florida.
He likely didn’t know what Weed Hill would become, either. There’s no telling how many balls have been hit there or how many golfers would hone their games there or, as Koosa said, how many friendships have been developed there.
“Young and old, men and women, boys and girls ... I call them all ‘Weed Hill graduates’ ” Koosa said. “I thought about this and counted at least 70 ‘graduates’ who made golf their careers either by playing professionally or becoming superintendents or architects. Dustin (Johnson) is the most famous, of course, but it’s not only about the outstanding golfers. There have been so many others.”
Koosa, then playing mini-tours, remembers Bobby Weed coming to him “out of the blue” with an offer to lease the Weed Hill operation. He talked to wife Kris that night, told her he thought “we can make a living doing this” and said “yes” the next day.
With Weed Hill’s closing, Koosa will still have plenty of his plate. He owns two golf specialty stores – one on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington and the other on Two Notch Road in Northeast Columbia. He’s arranging to teach at Charwood Country Club and will give lessons at his stores.
“Operating a small business is all about professionalism and personal service, and that’s what we do best,” Koosa said. “I found that out a long time ago at Weed Hill and it’s just as true now as it was then.”
That’s one more lesson learned at Weed Hill.
Two aces
Scott Brown, the former USC Aiken All-American, earned recognition by making a hole-in-one while paired with Tiger Woods in the final round of the Wyndham Championship in August. Well, he’s back in the spotlight again, this for time making an ace on the 199-yard, par-3 15th hole in Thursday’s first round of the CIMB Classic in Malaysia.
Brown, who lives in Aiken, didn’t receive anything extra for his hole-in-one at the Wyndham other than a high-five and a pat on the head from Tiger. This time around, however, he claimed a plug-in hybrid BMW i8.
No matter where he finishes in the tournament, the long trip has paid off handsomely.
Chip shots
The husband and wife team of Chad and Kadi Meldrum (Aiken) won the SCGA/WSCGA Mixed Team championship for the third time in seven years at Fripp Island’s Ocean Point Links. John and Judy Laehn (Aiken) captured the senior division title. ... Tickets for the RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour tourney set April 11-17 on Hilton Head Island, are on sale at discounted prices through Dec. 18. For information or to purchase tickets, call 843-671-2448 or go online to www.rbcheritage.com.
This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 4:33 PM with the headline "LOCAL GOLF NOTES: After growing like a weed, popular driving range is closing."