Crooked Creek

You’ll Always be Welcomed Back

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Whether you’re a tour pro or a weekend duffer, the bottom line is that golf should be fun. At the end of the round (well, most rounds at least), you should be able to say that you had a good time.

One course where it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll enjoy yourself is Crooked Creek in Hendersonville, North Carolina. A par 72, 18-hole regulation length public course, it’s not easy, but not too difficult, either. It measures 6,652 yards from the longest tees.

Crooked Creek first opened in 1968, and was designed by Alex Guion and Stewart Gooden, the uncle of longtime owner Marc Gooden. Marc Gooden became owner in 1984 after leasing the course for a few years. Tommy Laughter has been at the course for 28 years, and has been general manager for the past 20.

When you first arrive at the course, you’ll notice that the clubhouse blends in nicely with the adjacent residential community. It’s a welcoming, comfortable environment. The golf itself follows that same path. “This is a place where the local guys can get a chance to talk about stories of the past or just enjoy the company of the day,” Laughter said.

The typical golfer at Crooked Creek varies, Laughter said, depending on the time of year. “In the summer, we’ve got the Florida folks. It’s become a tradition for a lot of them—they enjoy it and look forward to coming back here every year,” he said.

On the other hand, there are a number of golfers who come to the Creek almost every day. “And then we’ve got the working guys who can only get out here on the weekends,” he added.

Crooked Creek is well-known for its golf leagues. The Crooked Creakers (an average age of 75-80) play on Wednesday mornings. The Sandlappers is an 18-hole league that plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays (average age of around 75), and then there’s the Dogfighter Men’s Golf Association, which features golfers ranging in age from 30-90.

For 50 years prior to the pandemic, Crooked Creek hosted the Apple Jack tournament, which featured some of the top amateur players in the Southeast.

Once you get out on the course, you find some holes that are tough and some that are tougher than they look. Laughter says the most difficult hole might be No. 10. It’s a par 4, 435 yards from the back tee. Shot placement is a skill that comes in handy here.

“You have to be precise off the tee,” Laughter said. “You’ve got a bunker on the right of the fairway, and a hazard on the green,” and another a bunker on the left.

His favorite hole is No. 13, which he described as being a bit deceptive. “You go up there thinking you’ll make it in three, and you wind up with a six,” he said. No. 13 is a longish 481 yards—par 4.

Speaking of par 4s, a couple of them start the proceedings, with No. 1 measuring 413 yards, and No. 2 clocking in at 370 yards. The course’s first par 5, at 545 yards, comes on the third hole, Then players catch a bit of a break on No. 4, which is a 140-yard par 3. The rest of the front nine features three more par 4s (Nos. 5, 7 and 8), another par 3 (No. 6) and closes out with the longest hole on the course, a 541-yard par 5.

After the turn, you can look forward to five par fours, a pair of par 5s and a pair of par 3s.

It’s a good mix, one that will likely challenge you and bring a few smiles to your face.

Golf instructor Kayla Sciupider agrees with that assessment. “It’s a good, fun place to play,” she said. “The conditions are good, and the greens are fast.”

Naturally, course conditions are important for an instructor like Sciupider, who works with Operation 36, a national teaching program that wants to introduce one million new golfers to the game shooting even par for 36 holes by 2025.

Sciupider, of Asheville, said she really appreciates the cooperation she gets from Crooked Creek and the value it offers. “This is a really special public course,” she said. “And it gives you a lot of bang for the buck.”

Crooked Creek is indeed an economical venue. You can play 18 holes for just $30, including the cart. After 2 p.m., rates drop to $25.

While the course has a regular clientele and is a favorite among locals, there has been a celebrity sighting or two over the years. Laughter said that in the early days of Crooked Creek, Max Baer Jr., better known as Jethro Bodine on “The Beverly Hillbillies” television show in the 1960s, played in a pro-am there (despite his bumbling TV persona, Baer was actually a proficient golfer and had been a good athlete in high school).

But you certainly needn’t be famous to enjoy yourself at the Creek. And you’ll always be welcome back.

“We just like to say that we look forward to the next time,” Laughter said.