Rams golf team enjoys lavish trip to Sage Valley on rise to the top in CIAA
Members of the Winston-Salem State University golf team reveled in a “once-in-a-lifetime” golf trip at a world-renowned, private golf destination.
They enjoyed two rounds at Sage Valley Golf Club on Feb. 27 and 28, including a head-to-head victory over Morehouse College, course-side cottage accommodations and fine dining.
The Sage Valley course, which has been ranked among the top 100 in the country by multiple national magazines, is in Aiken County, South Carolina, not far from Augusta National Golf Club, home of the legendary Masters Tournament.
Sage Valley features spectacular rolling topography reminiscent of Augusta National. The layout, designed by Tom Fazio, is meticulously maintained and mowed in geometric patterns, lined in pine straw with greens outlined by bright white sand bunkers.
Off the course, the experience was just as lavish. The corndogs were made with lobster,” WSSU senior Tyler Thomas gushed, as an example of the lavish experience. “In all honesty, it’s the closest thing to heaven on earth for golfers. It was amazing all the details they paid attention to … on the course, the cottages and the food.”
WSSU and Morehouse enjoyed a practice round before battling the next morning in a dual match, won 5-1 by the Rams. WSSU’s Cameron Lutterloh won his match, 6 and 5 (clinching after 13 holes), and completed his round with an impressive 66.
“From the moment we arrived and put a tee in the ground, it was a magical event,” said WSSU coach Charles Penny II.
The experience could represent the upward trajectory of the Rams golf program. Before the Sage Valley trip, WSSU finished second in the Arcis HBCU Championship in Florida. “We have been one of the best teams I have ever seen in the CIAA,” Penny said.
When Thomas, a Chicago native who didn’t take up golf until the COVID-19 epidemic, arrived at WSSU in 2023, he joined a program that “had to recruit football players” to fill the team.
He recalls that some of the team members couldn’t break 100. This spring, making WSSU’s starting lineup required breaking – or at least threatening – to break par.
A beginner only a few years earlier, Thomas dedicated himself to golf. He shot rounds of 75, 75 and 71 in team qualifying to earn the final spot at Sage Valley.
Penny, hired in fall 2021, credits recruiting, helped in large part by increased funding from outside donors, with the Rams’ vast improvement. When Penny took over, he could provide the equivalency of about 1.5 full scholarships. Now, the Rams can offer the Division II maximum of 3.6 scholarships.
WSSU leadership introduced Penny to an anonymous donor who wanted to help the golf program. That support included setting up and paying for the Rams’ trip to Sage Valley.
“I was approached by leadership that the donor wanted to provide what was needed have a successful program,” Penny said. The same donor had a friend that became a benefactor of Morehouse.
“We hope to continue the event as long as course will have us and donors support it,” Penny said.
This year, WSSU practices mostly at Bermuda Run Country Club’s two courses – the longer East course will be a site this spring for an NCAA Division I Men’s Regional hosted by Wake Forest University.
In Division II, the top 10 teams in each region qualify for regional play. WSSU ranked ninth in the first set of rankings.
“It’s amazing how the power of the dollar can help,” Penny said.
