The Place
The 2024 Cavie Cup will be hosted at Hermitage Golf Course in Old Hickory, TN. Hermitage features two golf courses, a pro shop, a restaurant, a banquet facility, and cottages all on the property. It has been recognized as one of the top public golf facilities in Tennessee, recently ranked the number one public golf course in Tennessee by five different publications.
The General’s Retreat course, built in 1986 by course architect Gary Roger Baird, hosted the LPGA Tour’s Sara Lee Classic from 1988 to 1999. With its beautiful setting along the Cumberland River and a variety of tee placements, golfers of all skill levels enjoy the golf, scenery, and hospitality offered at the course. It features a mix of wide, generous fairways and tighter, more demanding holes, catering to various strategies. The layout boasts four strong par 5s, three of which—Nos. 8, 11, and 16—offer exciting risk-reward opportunities with water in play.
The President’s Reserve course, built in 2001 and designed by architect Denis Griffiths, trails through 300 acres of natural Tennessee wetlands and along the banks of the Cumberland River. Playing up to 7,200 yards, the President’s Reserve caters to a diverse range of golfers, providing both challenge and enjoyment depending on the player’s skill level and preference. The course offers wide, forgiving fairways with few doglegs, allowing players to hit a variety of shot shapes. There are plenty of risk-reward opportunities, including the reachable par-5 18th—hugging the water on the left for a chance to get home in two or playing safely out to the right for a likely three-shot hole. Many holes play along the scenic Cumberland River.
We have reserved and will be staying in five of the eight luxurious cottages built in 2016. With a private putting green, bunker area, and fire pit, Hermitage Golf Course lodging offers some of the best views of the property. Each cottage is designed with a great room, two bedrooms (2 queen beds in each), kitchenette, two bathrooms, and a screened porch. Other amenities include granite countertops, luxury linens, 3 flat-screen TVs, and wireless internet. Cottage guests also have access to a private putting green, bunker, and fire pit/waterfall area.
The Tournament
This year’s Cavie Cup will consist of four rounds of golf, two at each of the courses. The competition committee has decided that we will play from the Blue tees at both courses, while our Senior Cavie Cuppers (60 and older) will play from the White tees. Both courses play roughly 6,400 yards from the Blue tees and around 6,000 yards from the White tees, which is slightly longer than last year, but we wanted to keep it simple and not play a combo set of tees.
We have 20 golfers on the trip this year, making each round worth ten points towards the cup. The first three rounds will be two-man rounds that will consist of two nine-hole matches. The final round will be an 18-hole singles match. Round details are as follows:
Round 1:
- Course: General’s Retreat
- First Tee Time: 8:00 AM
Match 1 – Front Nine
Format: Two-Man Shamble Match Play
In a two-man shamble, each player on the team hits a tee shot. The team selects the best tee shot, and each player completes the hole from there. We will use the USGA-recommended allowance of 85% of the course handicap, playing off the low player. Only the best net score of the twosome will be recorded. Each nine-hole match will have one point on the line for a total of 5 points available. In the event of a tie, the point will be split.
Match 2 – Back Nine
Format: Modified Alternate Shot Match Play
In the modified alternate shot format, each player on the team hits a tee shot. The team selects the best tee shot, and the player who did not hit it takes the next shot. The team alternates shots until the hole is completed. The team with the lowest number of combined net strokes wins the hole. The USGA-recommended handicapping for this event is 60% of the low player and 40% of the higher player. Each nine-hole match will have one point on the line for a total of 5 points available. In the event of a tie, the point will be split.
Round 2:
- Course: President’s Reserve
- First Tee Time: 2:36 PM
Match 3 – Front Nine & Match 4 – Back Nine
Format: Four-ball Match Play
Each golfer hits his own ball throughout the round, but only one score per team is recorded on each hole. After each hole, the best scores of both teams are compared, and the team with the lowest net score wins the hole. Full course handicaps will be used for this round. Each nine holes will be its own match, with 5 points available for each nine.
Round 3:
- Course: President’s Reserve
- First Tee Time: 8:00 AM
Match 5 – Front Nine & Match 6 – Back Nine
Format: Two-Man Scramble Match Play
In this format, two teams of two players each compete following match play and scramble rules. Both players on a team participate in every shot, starting with both hitting from the tee. The team then selects the best shot and continues by playing their next shots from that location. This process repeats until they hole out. The USGA-recommended handicapping for this event is 35% of the low player and 15% of the higher player. Each nine holes will be its own match, with 5 points available for each nine.
Round 4:
- Course: General’s Retreat
- First Tee Time: 2:30 PM
- Format: Singles Match Play
Match play is a form of play where a player (or players) plays directly against an opponent (or opponents) in a head-to-head match. You win a hole by completing it in the fewest number of strokes and win a match when you are winning by more holes than remain to be played. You (or your opponent) may concede a stroke, a hole, or even the match. Full course handicaps will be used for this round. This will be one 18-hole match per pairing, with one point on the line for each, and a total of 10 points for this session.
Winning the Cup
With 40 points on the line this year, it will take 20.5 points to win the cup. In the rare event of a tie, if the course allows, the captains will select two players from their team for a two-man scramble one-hole playoff. The playoff will continue until one team wins a hole. If the course does not allow that, we will set up a putting contest on our private putting green to decide who will be drinking from the cup.
Other Stuff to Know
We will arrive at Hermitage on Thursday, June 27th. Check-in time is 4:00 PM, but if anyone arrives early to play golf or practice, they will hold your luggage until the room is ready. If you haven’t yet discussed travel plans, please let me know if you need help setting up a carpool. I will be flying in, so we need to ensure someone has room to haul me home!
We made some money on the Cavie Cup merchandise, so combined with the money Charlie saved us on this year’s polos and a donation from Bob Huppert, CPA, we will provide lunch between rounds both days. Hermitage will set up a buffet-style lunch for us in their event room.
The menu for the restaurant includes breakfast all day, but my contact mentioned they no longer offer daily breakfast. I will follow up for details. If no breakfast is offered, bring some granola bars or something similar, as there are no kitchens in our cottages. Dinner is available at the restaurant, or you can order GrubHub or go out. I’m sure some of us will want to go downtown on Saturday night.
Lastly, since everything is in my name and on my credit card, here are the extensive rules they sent along for the cottages:
HGC Cottage Rules
- HGC Clubhouse and Cottages, including screened-in porches, are non-smoking facilities. Smoking inside cottages or screened-in porches will result in a minimum $250 cleaning fee.
- Prohibited Items:
- Candles
- Grills
- Pets
- The host shall have no responsibility for lost, stolen, or abandoned items.
- Coffee, cups, creamers, shampoo, conditioner, soaps, and trash bags are only provided for the first night’s rental. Cottages are not stocked with dishes, flatware, bottle openers, or similar items. Please plan accordingly. Daily cleaning service and restocking of amenities are not included in the rental amount. Changing sheets and towels, room cleaning, and/or restocking amenities is subject to a $75 fee and must be scheduled 10 days prior to your arrival. Report any problems in your cottage on your arrival date. If not reported, we must assume any damage or loss occurred during your occupancy.
- The renter agrees to indemnify the host and hold the host free and harmless from any damages or claims of any nature against the host caused by or due to the action or inaction of the renter and all individuals in the renter’s party and their guests. The renter understands they will be liable for any damages negligently caused.