BOAZ, Ala. – Snead State Community College's Men's Golf Team is excited to announce Cherokee Ridge Golf Club as its home course for the 2023-24 season and beyond.
Parsons Head Coach Sam Holcomb described the partnership between Snead State and the club located in Union Grove as a gamechanger.
"It's a spectacular golf course; I'd say one of the best in the entire state if not the entire Southeast," he said. "We're just so thankful for the generosity of General Manager Pete Sands and the Cherokee Ridge Golf Club to partner with us and really roll out the red carpet for our student-athletes and program as a whole."
Sands, who has been with the club since 2022, said the Parsons would have access to an abundance of resources, including coaching from the club's head professional.
"We're honored to partner with a rising junior college golf program like Snead State's Men's Golf," Sands said. "Before I took over as general manager here, I worked at a course in Florida, and we had a similar relationship with a junior college there. Welcoming these student-athletes to our facilities and treating them just as student-athletes at the University of Alabama and Auburn University are treated at their respective courses, it really boosts the club atmosphere and overall growth through hosting tournaments, which in turn makes a nice economic impact as well.
"As Coach Holcomb and I started having conversations, I knew this was a perfect fit for me. And if it's a perfect fit for me, it's a perfect fit for Cherokee Ridge."
Cherokee Ridge and Snead State Men's Golf Team are set to host the NJCAA Southeast District Preview in late September, followed by the NJCAA Southeast District Championship in the spring.
"This can't do anything but help our program, especially in recruiting," Holcomb said. "Nothing against our past home courses, but these are some of the best facilities this program has probably ever been able to use.
"You add this on top of what our administration is doing over at the old recreation center in Boaz; I'm tickled to death with the direction this program is headed."
Snead State Community College will be leasing the B.B. Sanford / C.K. Gant Recreation Center from the City of Boaz with plans to transform the property into a multi-use, indoor facility for Parsons Athletics. For the men's and women's golf teams, the College will soon install golf simulators to be used for practice when the weather is not ideal.
Cherokee Ridge Golf Club was formed in 1992. The 6,728-yard course was designed by golf course architect, Sammy Dean. The greens are bentgrass and professionally kept, and lush Bermuda fairways make short work of shots from the short grass.
Cherokee Ridge served as host to the Nike (now Korn Ferry) Tour's Alabama Classic from 1994 to 1997.
Among the course's amenities are two putting greens, a practice bunker, a 30-tee driving range and a fully stocked golf pro shop.
Learn more about Cherokee Ridge at cherokeeridgecc.com.
2023-24 Season Preview
Despite learning a new home course and sporting a young roster, the Parsons are hoping to find success on the links in 2023-24 after a pedestrian season one year ago.
Holcomb, entering his third season as head coach, says he's optimistic that his team will be competitive in the race for a district title and NJCAA Championship Tournament berth.
"We've got some talent coming back, as well as a few freshmen that I think could play really well for us," Holcomb said.
Among the team's top returning sophomores are a pair of Pell City natives Austin Burnham and Braylin Hathorn.
Holcomb described Burnham as the Parsons' likely No. 1, when healthy. Currently, he's been sidelined with a broken wrist. In last year's ACCC Championship Tournament, Burnham placed 18th overall. Hathorn followed closely behind, finishing 20th.
The team's third and final sophomore to watch is Brett Barwick, of Guntersville.
Of six freshmen new to the squad this season, Holcomb said he felt Carson Jones and Nate Simpson, both from Boaz, had shown potential to be really good this season.
Other newcomers that could make an immediate impact are Caden Argo, of Etowah; Sean Brewer, of Chelsea; Brodie Garner, of Hayden; and Kane Standridge, of Lawrence.
The Parsons begin their season with the Dan York Invitational at Cross Creek Golf Course in Cullman on Sept. 11-12, followed by the NJCAA Southeast District Preview on Sept. 25-26.
Learn more about Snead State Men's Golf at sneadathletics.com.