Professional golfer Tom Watson will tee-off the opening of the Watson 9 Hybrid Golf Course at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.

Head Golf Pro, Kyle Easter with Mozingo Lake said the nine hole Hybrid Course was designed by Watson and was named No. 12 by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the top 15 Hybrid Courses in the Nation.

“What’s unique is just the style of course that it is,” Easter said. “It’s just kind of a little smaller version of a championship style course.  It has all of the same features that a large golf course just a little smaller and less intimating.  So beginners, kids, new players to the game can get out and play and have fun with it and not get intimidated by the course.”

The grand opening starts Saturday at the course located just east of Maryville on Highway 136.  From 9 a.m. to 12 free short game clinics will be held then grand opening ceremonies will take place from 1 to 2 p.m.  Five-time British Open Champion Watson will take part in an inaugural round starting at 2:30 p.m.  Then at 4:30 p.m. the first annual Watson youth golf tournament begins.  There’s no entry free and its open to all youth ages 7-17.

“Tom Watson came on board when he heard the plan for it and what we wanted to do up here,” Easter said. “Once his playing career is over kind of one of his goals is to keep growing the game of golf and getting as many kids and beginner golfers into the game as possible.  It kind of just went hand-in-hand in that way.”

After the grand opening on Saturday the course will officially be open for use.

“There’s minimal green fees involved but the nice thing is that every green fee that’s paid to play it 10-percent of that money will go back into our youth golf program,” Easter said.

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