Hickory, NC – March 3, 2024: Another record has fallen at the Putt-Putt Fun Center in Hickory, NC, this time it was the two-course best ball tournament record that has stood for a number of years and is the most recognized by locals since best ball has been predominantly played at the location for many years.
Best ball is a format where any two individuals can form a team and compete together, with the lowest scores being recorded for each team as they vie against other teams. The record was surpassed during a two-round, 36-hole event that took place at the venue on February 10, 2024.
Richard Miller of Hudson, NC, and teammate Bryan Deal of Valdese, NC, achieved the lowest two-course score ever recorded in a best ball tournament at the location in its history, scoring a 44, breaking the previous record of a 46 that was set years ago by Dwight and Ann Hall of Vale, NC, who still participate in these tournaments. Over the years, the record has been tied by four others, Ned Houston and Stuart Starnes, current manager Jim Havner, and his former teammate Greg Miller.
Interestingly, out of the four courses at the location, this tournament happened to be held on the exact same courses where the record was set years ago, course four, which will be getting some much-needed upgrades this upcoming season, and course one, a course where PPA and APA events are currently held.
As they entered the tournament, Miller and Deal aimed to maintain a certain level of consistency, although they encountered more challenges than they had anticipated. They completed their first round on course four with a score of 24 as they aced the last hole before moving on to the final round on course one.
It would be this next round that would help put them in the record books. After missing hole seventeen on course four, the pair would demonstrate a display of skill and teamwork, as they wouldn’t miss again until hole fifteen of the final round, hitting fifteen straight consecutive hole-in-ones. They would finish the round acing sixteen out of eighteen holes on the course for a score of twenty and complete the two-round event with a total score of 44, securing them a first-place victory.
Just recently, in January 2024, the all-time single-round tournament record was broken by Deal and his eleven-year-old great nephew Kaiden Whaling of Hickory, NC, who together hit a remarkable score of 19 acing all but one hole on course one, Whaling, also happens to be Miller’s grandson.
The Hickory Putt-Putt Fun Center has been open for more than 50 years. The putting tournaments are public and open to everyone. You can find out more information about these tournaments and other events by contacting the company on their website: https://puttputt.com/hickory-nc
