The Annual Georgia-Florida Golf Rider Cup was played at the 7781 yard Kinderlou golf course in Valdosta, Georgia on July 9-10, 2016. The lush, tree-lined landscape of Kinderlou Forest has today become the setting today for South Georgia’s most desirable and unique residential golf communities.
The previous five tournament Cups were won by Georgia golfers, however, this year the Florida group brought out their “big guns” to the tournament and succeeded in taking their win back to North Florida.
l-r: Dumas Bennett, Gregg Powell (Valdosta’s coordinator of The First Tee),
Addie Cobb (acclaimed golf trainer and African American Golf Hall of Famer)
and Eric Moss (Valdosta resident golfer) photo credit: Al Cobb
Now aware of what they are up against, the Georgia golfers have immediately began a search for “scratch” Georgia golfers, hopefully, to help them retrieve the Cup in 2017.
At the tournament, 75-year-old Dumas Bennett of Valdosta was named as the top golfer. Dumas, ” Ben” as he is known, is a former Golf Manger at Valdosta`s Moody Air Force Base and a retired army infantryman with two combat tours in Vietnam. He was clearly the most accurate golfer on the course for two consecutive days, showcasing his skills and decades of playing experience.
The next Valdosta Rider Cup will be held in Georgia, at a date yet to be determined.
Developed by the Langdale Company, the Kinderlou golf course came about from the Kinderlou Forest that rests on a portion of several thousand acres of land which the company began acquiring in 1950. For years, the land was utilized for its timber by the fifth generation family forestry business before the idea for a luxury golf course development began to form.
The shaded streets, lined with magnificent homes, surround an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by PGA professional Davis Love III. Dedicated in April 2004, Kinderlou Forest is as much a thriving, growing community today as its namesake community, which thrived on the same lands more than 150 years ago.
