Chris Cupit
Rivermont Golf & Country Club Owner/General Manager
Hometown: Alpharetta, Ga.
Chris Cupit
Rivermont Golf & Country Club
Owner/General Manager
Hometown:
Alpharetta, Ga.
Cupit File
● Georgia State Golf
Association President-Elect
● Played collegiate golf at
Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia
● In college, played against David Duval, Billy
Mayfair and Phil Mickelson
● Two-time (1987-88) Charlie Yates Cup award winner (Academic
Achievement) at Georgia Tech
● Atlanta Junior Golf member
in the late 1970s
● Began playing golf at age 6
Dream
Foursome: Chris, his father, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods
Hobbies: Reading about golf, its architecture and
history
Favorite Sports Team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite Golfer(s): Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods
Favorite Golf Course(s): Rivermont Golf & Country
Club; Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club; Peachtree Golf Club
(Atlanta); and National Golf Links of America (Southampton,
N.Y.)
A Conversation
with Chris Cupit...
What's your fondest memory of Atlanta Junior Golf?
I played a lot of great golf
courses. I would have to say, when I was age 10, I hit this
great shot at the 15th hole onto the green at the Atlanta
Athletic Club. I was probably 40-feet away, and I had an old
bulls-eye putter. Well, I made the putt and my playing
partners, and I, we all went nuts! It felt like it was yesterday.
I think I was so excited, because I kept thinking about playing
on the same course where Jack Nicklaus played the U.S. Open the
year before.
How much do you play much these days?
I really don't get to play that much. I think as I have
gotten older, I don't find as much time to play. I used to play
a lot of amateur tournaments, like the mid-ams, and open
qualifying events. I do play in some four-ball tournaments each
year, but I don't play nearly as much as I used to play.
How has Atlanta Junior Golf benefited you the most?
From my first experience playing the game, I think it taught
me the basics of golf. Things like how to carry your golf bag,
where to stand on the green, how to tee a ball up, marking a
golf ball, etc. It was constantly learning the rules and
etiquette of the game.
Back in those days, we used to receive plaques for winning. If you finished near the top, the plaque would be big. When I got a little older, and my game improved, my dad would ask me, "Did you get big one [plaque] or small one [plaque], today?"
What was your experience
like playing college golf, especially at two top Division I
programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference?
I played high school golf, and Atlanta Junior Golf. At the time,
the American Junior Golf Association hadn't developed, so I
played a few Georgia State Golf Association sectional events,
and some PGA sectional tournaments. There wasn't as many
opportunities as there is now to play.
My experience playing junior golf helped me prepare to play golf at two great schools. I got a chance to practice and travel with the teams. When I was in college, I played against guys, like David Duval, Billy Mayfair and Phil Mickelson. Since I also performed well in the classroom, I was recognized by Georgia Tech as the Charlie Yates Award winner.
As a golf course owner you
stay very busy. But you seem to be involved with a lot of golf
organizations such as the Georgia State Golf Association, as
well as with us here. It's amazing. Tell us about it.
Well, I do serve a variety of organizations. Obviously,
the GSGA and Atlanta Junior Golf and the USGA. I also serve on
the executive committee with the GSGA and for the Yates
Scholars. I help officiate and I'm on the committee for the U.S.
Mid-Amateur. I like to help officiate tournaments like the men's
and women's amateur qualifying. Since I'm not playing as much
anymore, I'm officiating more, and I really enjoy that.