- July 14, 2025
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The annual Open Championship Tournament returns to Stoneybrook West Golf Club on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22.
The Open Championship is available to all handicaps, ages and the general public. Prices are set at $100 for juniors (18 and under), $150 for members of the club and $200 for non-members.
“The challenge that I’ve had here at our club is making sure everybody understands that it’s open to the general public,” said Rocky Hodge, owner and general manager of Stoneybrook West Golf Club.
Hodge loves that the club is in the Stoneybrook West community and available to the residents who live there, but he’s struggled in the past with the misconception that it’s only for that select community.
Stoneybrook West Golf Club’s 7,101 yards and 72-par course, underwent construction in June of 2022, and reopened in September 2023. Six months after construction, the club hosted its largest event, the annual Stoneybrook West Golf Club Open Championship Tournament, and drew out 75 golfers.
As of now, the 2025 tournament has 65 golfers who’ve signed up, and Hodge is hoping to push that number to 100 through enhanced prizes and better golf course conditions.
“Last year we were open for about six months and our golf course was starting to come along condition wise,” Hodge said. “Our conditions are much better than it was last year, so I think that will certainly help get more people out here.”
For Hodge, the inclusion of the tournament brings him a new level of excitement. He’s always had a passion for courses that include everyone — the public, different levels and ages.
“When I had the opportunity to run my own (tournament), this was something that I really got excited about and getting the people that we had last year and having the event and the awards after and dinner, it was a great achievement,” Hodge said.
This year they are working on creating a grab-and-go breakfast style, but Hodge said the final decision on that still is to come. He intends to provide a more elaborate buffet-style dinner than last year’s tournament that participants can enjoy while awards are given.
“I think the event itself, a lot of the people that played in last year raved about it,” Hodge said. “Once we advertised about it, it was something that people (would say), ‘Hey I heard that was good last year so hey let’s go.’”
To prepare for the tournament, Stoneybrook West follows what it does on a weekly basis. The club hosts multiple smaller events every week including junior and ladies group lessons, weekend scrambles and one-day tournaments.
But in anticipation for its largest event, the club is focusing on the details of the conditioning of the golf course itself, from the fairways to the greens. Hodge is emphasizing a focus on that because in an event golf course, conditions play a big role in how people react to it.
“When you have the golf course condition where you want it to be, and we are really pleased where we are now, the golfers obviously give you that feedback, and it’s obviously a very rewarding situation,” Hodge said.
It’s a special reward to Hodge when people talk to him directly or through text, email and social media, to express they haven’t played at the course in a while and are glad they came out to play because they had a lot of fun.
Hodge said the extra aspects he adds during an event can help to boost the feedback he receives as well. It’s important to provide dinners and have a place for players to sit down and talk about their rounds, watch TV and simply hang out.
Another factor Hodge is taking into account for this year’s Open Championship is the weather conditions.
“We were here last year in April, this year, we’re more into June,” Hodge said. “Being in Florida, the afternoon, potential showers can sometimes hinder and also make it different than what someone had this morning on their golf day. So this gives the same conditions to every single golfer.”
To accommodate the larger turnout that’s expected for this year’s tournament and higher chances for afternoon showers, Hodge is implementing a shotgun format playing style.
In the shotgun format, each group of golfers will start on a different hole and continue until they play all 18. Also each golfer has the same conditions because they will all start and end at the same time.
“It certainly gives us a more consistent game for everybody,” Hodge said.
Hodge aims to make it as consistent as possible for everyone, and with the two-day tournament, it’s easier to regulate if everyone has the same conditions. He said it’s more challenging to regulate changing weather in a four-day tournament.