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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

With the weather beginning to bring sunny skies as the summer nears, Shelby County is beginning to see the return of its most popular sports.

Despite the Masters Tournament being in the rearview, golf is more back than ever. The 2025 Regions Tradition is returning to Greystone Golf and Country Club’s Founders Course beginning on Wednesday, May 14. The Briarwood Christian Lions boys and Oak Mountain Eagles girls golf teams recently won county championships. Most recently, Ballantrae Golf Club hosted a charity golf tournament benefiting The Arc of Shelby County on Thursday, May 1.

Golf is one of the world’s most demanding and rewarding sports. A sport that can simultaneously bring unparalleled solitude and mind-boggling frustration. This duality is what draws millions around the world and thousands in Shelby County to play the beautiful game on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

I first picked up the game in college at Samford University. I was the last male in my extended family to pick up golf, a self-imposed black sheep, but finally tried it and loved it after years of persuasion from family and friends. It’s a game I love not only to play but to watch, having grown up in the midst of Tiger Woods’s dominance and in close proximity to Augusta National living in Atlanta.

Golf is a sport I love not because it’s easy; I love it because it forces you to bring your best at all times. One bad shot, one misstep and your score could balloon. It’s you and the course at all times, and you better bring your A game.

I’ve been excited to play the courses Shelby County has to offer since joining the SCR staff. Most recently, I had the pleasure of participating in the Leadership Shelby County golf tournament on Monday, April 21 at Timberline Golf Club in Calera.

The beauty of the tournament was not only in the camaraderie of playing with a team and the fun of golf, but the proceeds of the following silent auction raised money for scholarships awarded to youth class graduates.

In my short time here, I’ve been thrilled to see that Shelby County is a place that celebrates golf, whether through outstanding facilities or through tournaments that raise money for noble causes. When time allows, I’m excited to hit the links in Shelby County, taking it one hole and swing at a time as always. I’ll see you on the range.