At The Cradle Solstice, Pinehurst celebrates the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, by playing our shortest course, The Cradle, from sunrise to sunset.
If you were following us on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday, Dec. 21, you got a pretty good feel for the event, which began with the first tee shots at 7:21 a.m. and finished with the last shots being made when the horn sounded as the sun dipped below the horizon at 5:09 p.m.
In total, 13 players participated in the Cradle Solstice, raising money in a variety of ways – flat donations and sponsors, or donations based on number of holes played, birdies made and holes-in-one.
We’ll take a look at the individual numbers in a moment, but the most important number is that we’re hopeful we’ll raise between $27,000-$30,000 to benefit the Eastern and Central Food Bank of North Carolina, PGA Reach and Young Life of the Sandhills. We’ll know more in a couple of weeks as the donations continue in, and will share the final tally then. The Cradle Solstice raised just over $20,000 in 2018.
But yes, the actual numbers are staggering. Take a look:
Total Holes Played:
3,297
(2,025 in 2018)
Total Rounds:
363
(223 in 2018)
Total Birdies:
542
(326 in 2018)
Total Aces:
8
(4 in 2018)
Total Shots:
10,194
Scoring Average:
3.092
What these players each did on The Cradle was remarkable. Here are their individual totals:
Kelly Mitchum:
Total Holes: 404
Total Rounds: 44
Total Birdies: 123
Total Aces: 3
Total Shots: 1,120
Scoring Average: 2.772
Robbie Zalzneck
Total Holes: 360
Total Rounds: 40
Total Birdies: 68
Total Aces: 1
Total Shots: 1,032
Scoring Average: 2.867
Ben Bridgers
Total Holes: 279
Total Rounds: 31
Total Birdies: 55
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 806
Scoring Average: 2.889
Luke Davis
Total Holes: 210
Total Rounds: 23
Total Birdies: 32
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 691
Scoring Average: 3.290
Kurt Battenberg
Total Holes: 206
Total Rounds: 22
Total Birdies: 28
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 650
Scoring Average: 3.155
Lee Pace
Total Holes: 189
Total Rounds: 21
Total Birdies: 27
Total Aces: 1
Total Shots: 591
Scoring Average: 3.127
Ray Washington
Total Holes: 162
Total Rounds: 18
Total Birdies: 5
Total Aces: 1
Total Shots: 601
Scoring Average: 3.710
Hailie Sandor
Total Holes: 283
Total Rounds: 31
Total Birdies: 8
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 1,084
Scoring Average: 3.830
Brian Anderson
Total Holes: 254
Total Rounds: 28
Total Birdies: 30
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 754
Scoring Average: 2.969
Will Huntley
Total Holes: 207
Total Rounds: 23
Total Birdies: 38
Total Aces: 1
Total Shots: 592
Scoring Average: 2.860
Robin Humphrey
Total Holes: 189
Total Rounds: 21
Total Birdies: 5
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 689
Scoring Average: 3.646
Justin Bode
Total Holes: 162
Total Rounds: 18
Total Birdies: 28
Total Aces: 0
Total Shots: 482
Scoring Average: 2.975
Kelly Mitchum, a lead instructor at the Pinehurst Golf Academy, is the organizer of the event. But there were several local organizations that helped in a wide variety of ways. They include: Pinehurst Resort, the USGA, Clean Juice, Pinnacle Design Builders, Chef Warren’s, Workhorse Fitness and Yoga, MCH Consulting, Huntley Design Build, Inc., Bode Chiropractic and Justin White, Inc.