Old Hickory, Tennessee
The Black Sheep Open
- 5
Rounds - 72
Holes - 16
Matches - 2
Cottages - 3
Nights on property
The Order of Play
Four Days, Five Rounds
Three full rounds and two nine-hole afternoons — 72 holes across both courses. Everything else is gravy, bourbon, or both.
- TravelRoll into Old HickoryCottage check-in, drop the bags, loosen up
- 3:00 PMGeneral’s RetreatRound 1 · Nines 1–2
- DinnerHickory Sticks GrillOn property — burgers, wings, cold ones
- NightFire pit & putting greenBourbon, cigars, and the Sheep Shootout
- 9:00 AMGeneral’s RetreatRound 2 · Nines 3–4
- MiddayTurn & refuelGrill at the clubhouse, reset the legs
- 3:00 PMPresident’s ReserveRound 3 · Nine 5 — nine holes only
- DinnerPlayer’s choiceCall it on the day — grill again or head out
- 10:00 AMPresident’s ReserveRound 4 · Nines 6–7
- 3:00 PMGeneral’s RetreatRound 5 · Nine 8 — nine holes, the rematch
- SettleCards in, money outChampion crowned, skins counted, debts paid
- NightDowntown NashvilleSteak, whiskey, and questionable decisions
- AMCoffee on the porchRecap the ones that got away
- Check outCottages clearedSweep the fridge, find your headcover
- HomeHead for the barnChampion drives home with the flock
The Battlegrounds
Two Courses on the Cumberland
Thirty-six holes of Tennessee river bottom — one a tree-lined classic, the other a wetland brute that stretches to 7,200 yards.
Built in 1986 by Gary Roger Baird and home to the LPGA Sara Lee Classic from 1988 to 1999. Tree-lined, walkable and fair — voted Best Golf Course in Nashville. This is where we open and where we close.
Denis Griffiths’ wetland layout winds through 300 acres of protected marsh along the Cumberland River. Golf Digest has it in Tennessee’s Top 10. Bring extra balls and a short memory.
The Flock
The Field & The Strokes
One hundred percent of handicap, all weekend, no negotiating at the first tee. Every man picks his own tee, so his course handicap is figured from the rating and slope of that tee — which is what makes a blue card and a white card comparable. Here is what each man plays off either way.
| Player | Index | Off Blue | Off White |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Sullivan | 5.0 | 5 · 4 | 2 · 2 |
| Dave Frissora | 6.9 | 8 · 7 | 5 · 5 |
| Garnet Wahlund | 8.2 | 8 · 7 | 5 · 6 |
| Chad Fuller | 10.4 | 11 · 10 | 8 · 8 |
| Jeff Rose | 11.9 | 12 · 11 | 9 · 9 |
| Bill Kiefaber | 19.5 | 21 · 20 | 17 · 18 |
| Michael Garcia | 20.3 | 23 · 21 | 19 · 19 |
| Mike Basso | 21.1 | 23 · 22 | 19 · 20 |
Course handicap at each tee — General’s, then President’s
Due Thursday, September 10
Pick Your Tee
Blue or white — your own call, and the same tee on both courses. Choose on the Tees tab of the scorecard and every stroke in it recalculates on the spot. Anyone who hasn’t picked by the Thursday before we leave goes off the whites. Yardage, then course rating and slope.
| Tee | General’s Retreat | President’s Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 6,419 · 71.1/128 | 6,443 · 70.4/124 |
| White | 5,890 · 68.4/121 | 6,056 · 68.8/121 |
The Draw
Eight Nines, Sixteen Matches
You stay in your foursome for all eighteen — only the partnerships flip at the turn. Inside each foursome your twosome plays the other twosome straight up: net better ball, $20 to the winning pair, $10 a man. Across nines one through seven you partner every other man in the field exactly once. Strokes appear on the live scorecard once every man has picked his tee.
Nines one through seven use all 28 possible partnerships exactly once. Saturday afternoon’s closer brings four of them back for a rematch — Chad & Jeff, Rob & Michael, Mike & Bill, Dave & Garnet.
The Games
$150 In. $1,200 Up For Grabs.
One entry fee covers everything: sixteen head-to-head matches, the overall net championship, gross and net skins, and Thursday night’s shootout. Every dollar in goes back out.
Head-to-Head
Two matches every nine — your twosome against the other twosome in your foursome. Net better ball. Ties split the $20.
- Per match$20
- Per man, per win$10
Low Net Champion
Your own ball, all five rounds, full handicap off each round. Lowest 72-hole net wins the sheep.
- Champion$250
- Runner-up$150
Skins
Run the whole trip. Ties wipe the hole. Each pot is split by the number of skins won by Saturday evening.
- Gross pot$150
- Net pot$250
Sheep Shootout
Chipping and putting on the cottage green after dinner. Cigar in hand, drink in the other.
- Winner$50
- Runner-up$30
Rules of the Flock
- Full handicap, 100%, off the tee you picked. Blue or white, locked in the Thursday before we leave — course handicaps already account for the difference.
- Net better ball, head-to-head. Your twosome plays the other twosome in your foursome. Strokes fall on the card’s index holes.
- If cart path only, lift, clean and place in your own fairway. Everywhere else, play it as it lies.
- Maximum score is net double bogey — par, plus two, plus whatever strokes you get on that hole. Reach it and pick up.
- All accounts settle Saturday before we leave for Nashville. Cash or Venmo, no IOUs.
Keep the Card
Live Scoring
One shared scorecard for the whole trip, open to anyone with the link — no account, no app, any phone browser. Post scores hole by hole from the cart and it settles all sixteen head-to-head matches, tracks gross and net skins, runs the 72-hole champion race and tells each man what he won or owes.
- Open To All
- 16 Matches
- Gross & Net Skins
- Live Leaderboard
- Settle-Up Sheet
Settle Up
The Damage
Two cottages for three nights, split eight ways, plus unlimited golf. Simple math, one payment.
Per Man
- Cottage share2 cottages × 3 nights — $5,970.72 with tax, ÷ 8$746.34
- Unlimited golfBoth courses, Thursday through Saturday$400.00
- Due to Bill by Sept 9Lodging + golf$1,146.34
- Games entryAll four contests — settle on arrival if you prefer$150.00
- All in, per manBefore food, drink, and bad decisions$1,296.34
Group totals: cottages $5,970.72 · golf $3,200.00 · games $1,200.00 · trip $10,370.72. Meals, bar tabs, cigars and Nashville are on your own tab.
Send the lodging and golf money by Tuesday, September 9. Put your name in the note. Games entry can ride along or be paid in cash at check-in.
Home Base
Two Cottages On Property
Steps from the first tee. Each cottage has a great room, two bedrooms with two queens apiece, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and a screened porch — four men per cottage, nobody on a couch.
- 2 Bedrooms · 4 Queens
- 2 Baths
- Great Room
- Kitchenette
- Screened Porch
- 3 Flat Screens
- Wi-Fi
- Private Putting Green
- Practice Bunker
- Fire Pit & Waterfall
Getting There
3939 Old Hickory Blvd
Hermitage Golf Course
3939 Old Hickory BoulevardOld Hickory, TN 37138
615.847.4001
- Downtown Nashville~20 min
- Nashville Int’l (BNA)~20 min
- The Hermitage — Jackson’s home~10 min
- Pro shop hours7 AM – 8 PM
Thursday Night
Bourbon, Cigars & The Sheep Shootout
Dinner at Hickory Sticks Grill on property — burgers, wings, the soft pretzel with beer cheese — then back to the cottages for the fire pit, the private putting green and $80 on the line in the chipping and putting contest.
- Hickory Sticks Grill
- Fire Pit & Waterfall
- Private Putting Green
- Practice Bunker
- $80 Shootout
Saturday Night
Steak In Nashville
Cards in, money settled, then twenty minutes down Old Hickory Boulevard into town. Three candidates — pick one and book it early, Saturday fills fast.
Harper’s
A globally-inspired steakhouse with a raw bar and a room built for a table of eight. Double-cut lamb chops, caviar and chips, and a Best Steakhouse nod to back it up.
Menus & reservationsPrime + Proper
The heavyweight. Dry-aged USDA Prime a minimum of 28 days, Japanese Wagyu, caviar and Veuve, and a Wine Spectator award on the wall. Inside the Grand Hyatt at 10th & Broadway.
Menus & reservationsThe Finch
American grill in the old Union Station Nashville Yards — hanger steak, jalapeño pork chop, tartare and a raw bar. The most relaxed of the three, and the easiest room for a loud table.
Menus & reservations