Rome’s Stonebridge Golf Club is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, and the most significant part of that celebration will be the retirement of bonds used to finance the development of the course three decades ago.
Retired City Manager John Bennett said that one key to the course’s location was working out an -arrangement with Berry College to acquire enough acreage for the course and its eventual residential communities. “I think the other key factor was that there were no other public golf courses,” Bennett said. They were primarily private or semi-private clubs, so the deal with Berry and their golf team made the arrangement attractive.” The former city manager also said that several city commission members back in the early 90s were clearly in favor of developing the municipal course after attending a National League of Cities meeting.
The course was designed by the late Arthur Davis, a renowned golf course architect. The inherent natural beauty of the landscape in the shadow of Lavender Mountain inspired the layout. The club is certified as a Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. The 18-hole championship layout plays from 5,463 yards using the green tees to 6,732 yards from the gold tees. In 2004, city leaders decided to turn over management of the course to Billy Casper Golf, now a subsidiary of Troon, the world’s largest professional club management company.
Former Rome Middle School band director Wade Williams said the thing he likes the most about Stonebridge is the staff. “The people in the clubhouse are great, you walk in, and they know you by name,” Williams said.
Brian Farrer, golf coach at Berry College, sings the praises of long-time course superintendent Chris Snyder. “It’s probably one of the most consistently well-conditioned golf courses that we get to play year-round,” Farrer said. He knows how to grow grass. He knows how to keep the bad grass out of there. For us to be able to walk around, the rough and everything, there’s no grass that’s not supposed to be there.” The Berry coach said that when you hit the fairways, you expect a decent lie, which you get at Stonebridge. He also said the greens are always immaculate, not too fast, or slow, and very consistent.
The signature par-five ninth hole draws many comments from out-of-town players who may not have played the course previously. These comments relate to the relatively straight shot into the green, which can lead to an eagle or a shot that went awry, got wet, and resulted in a 12.
The course has always been highly rated by those who play it. Still, it received a significant boost in 2010 when the Bentgrass greens were replaced with hybrid Bermuda grass, which is more tolerant of the whims of the weather in Northwest Georgia.
David Hoyt has been the course manager for almost a year and is planning many big things for Stonebridge in 2024. Significant improvements are in store for the practice range, which generates close to $100,000 annually in revenue. All-weather mats are being installed to hit off of.
The course will also host a couple of playing ability tests for anyone interested in becoming certified as a Professional Golf Association member. There are very few members of the PGA in Northwest Georgia, and Hoyt is one of them.
Hoyt has also brought HOPE to Stonebridge. HOPE is an acronym for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere. The program is designed for veterans with any number of disabilities. Hoyt told city leaders in February that the Veterans Administration views golf as a highly therapeutic activity for veterans who may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or Traumatic Brain Injury.
Big changes are also on the horizon for the clubhouse at Stonebridge. Architects are being engaged in designing some of the proposed improvements to the clubhouse. Physical work is expected to occur late in 2024 into the first quarter of 2025.
With work on the practice range and clubhouse taking precedence this year, replacing the irrigation system on the course has been pushed back a year or so.
Commissioner Jamie Doss calls the golf club “one of our crown jewels.”
For more information regarding Stonebridge Golf Club, please visit romestonebridge.com.
