This week marks 35 Par for the Course columns that have been featured in the pages of the News Journal throughout 2025. While it’s not exactly what I envisioned when I first made plans to launch the series, I think it’s been a pretty good run. With that being said, I am retiring the column… for now.
I am open to reviving Par for the Course at some point, but right now I have to put it on indefinite hiatus for a number of reasons. First, I am about to dedicate a considerable amount of time in the coming weeks to not only wrapping up what is left of the fall sports season, but also to putting together our annual high school basketball season preview special section, which will be included in the paper in about 4-5 weeks. It’s crazy to think that we are already approaching the start of another basketball season, but here we are.
Secondly, when I look ahead to late-2025 and into early 2026, there are a couple of monster tasks that lie ahead for myself and everyone else at the paper. The first is previewing and covering the 2026 legislative session, which also happens to be a budget session. The second is the 2026 election, which will no doubt require a lot of attention over the course of the next 12 months.
When I consider all that I have just mentioned, the simple fact of the matter is that I am going to have to shift some priorities around in the coming weeks. To do so, I am going to have to lay this column aside for the time being.
Before I do so, however, I want to say a few words of thanks. First, thank you to Greg and Suzie Razmus at Cinema Social. They were the very first ones to respond to my inquiries a year ago asking if any local businesses would be willing to sponsor some regular golf-related content in our weekly publication. They have followed through with that for the past 10-11 months, and I can’t thank them enough for their support.
If you have not used the cinema’s simulator suite to play golf, or one of the many other games that are offered, then I highly suggest you do so. I have used it myself on a few occasions, and I have had a blast. To read about my most recent experience, check out last week’s entry in this series.
Next, I want to give a huge shoutout to Bobby Kidd and everyone at Legacy Golf Cars in London for their continued support this year. They, too, have helped to sponsor content in our paper since last winter, and it has been a real pleasure getting to know them along the way.
As a general expert in all things golf, Bobby has served as an invaluable resource throughout this whole undertaking. He also has an incredibly talented son named Brooks Kidd, who is one of the best all-around musicians that I have ever personally seen in our local area. He has performed live recently at Tomahawks in downtown Corbin, at the Old Fashioned Trading Days Festival in downtown Williamsburg, and he was on stage at the Chicken Festival in London just a few weeks ago.
Give Bobby and his crew a call at Legacy Golf Cars to find out about what all they can offer, and be sure to look Brooks up on Facebook to follow along with his musical career. You’ll be glad that you did on both counts.
Finally, an extra-special thanks to Corbin High School boys golf coach Joe Roberts, who was offering me guidance and helping me to map out this column series before it even got started. Joe has been my go-to guy since day one, and I’m sure that I will be calling on him many more times in the future. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who is more passionate about the game of golf than Joe is. He really lives it, and is as genuine as they come.
Other thanks include: Brad Harris, Donnie Caldwell with Wasioto Winds Golf Course in Pineville, Better Golf Practice Place in Lily, Jimmy Walker, Bill Moore with the Southeast Kentucky Junior Golf Tour, and anyone who I have had the chance to interview since the launch of this series. There have been several, and I have learned something new and interesting from each of you.
I look forward to writing about golf on many more occasions in the future, but for now my focus will need to be elsewhere. I still want to encourage folks in our local community to reach out to me if they have a good idea for a golf-related story, though. Please feel free to do that anytime by e-mailing me at tsherman@corbinnewsjournal.com, and I will do my best to follow up.
That’s all for now. Everyone enjoy what remains of the fall season, as well as the upcoming holiday season. Hopefully a new golf cart, a trip to the simulator, some new clubs, and/or some new gear await you this Christmas!
