More than a century after its 1901 founding, there are several important dates in NCGA history that stand out more than others.
May 19, 2025 will always be one of those special days.
On what was dubbed NCGA Opening Day, over 100 NCGA past presidents, current and past Board of Directors members, media and golf dignitaries gathered under the sun to celebrate the opening of the new 18-hole course at Poppy Ridge designed by architect Jay Blasi and the new The Ridge 9 course.
Among the festivities was a ceremonial ribbon-cutting performed by 2025 Poppy Holding Inc. Chairperson Susan Morse and 2025 NCGA President Kevin Peyton. There were ceremonial inaugural tee shots by the ‘Sensational Six’—Poppy Holding Inc. COO Steve Schroeder, 2024 Poppy Holding Chairperson John Dodsworth, Poppy Ridge GM Brett Armstrong and Blasi, Morse and Peyton.
Under Blasi’s direction, the new 18-hole course takes advantage of the bold, rolling landscape and long-distance views. Key to the project was creating a venue that would challenge the world’s best golfers while being enjoyable for players of all abilities.
“The new 18-hole golf course has been re-imagined,” explained Blasi. “It is completely different from the old concept, so it’s a new and thrilling experience for all. I would suspect that first-timers are taken by the beauty of the site and the surrounding vistas, and that they appreciate how the golf course fits the landscape. For regulars who played Poppy Ridge many times prior to the project, I would hope that they appreciate the newfound walkability, playability and variety of the layout.”
As NCGA CEO Joe Huston noted, the goal of the project was to not just make improvements to the course, but to make it “great for our members.”
“We have over 220,000 members across the NCGA, and this is their home course,” Huston said. “There was a lot of anticipation building up to this event.”
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