The Piankatank River Golf Club in Hartfield celebrated its 25th anniversary in business last Wednesday.

In 1996, then owners John and E.G. Fleet opened the club with only the first nine holes open to golfers, with the back nine opening in October. On Saturday, the course held a 25th Anniversary Celebration Tournament to mark the occasion.

When construction began in 1994, John Fleet said that he wanted the golf course to stand out from others. He said that in the 1990s, a lot of courses were opened and so many were similar in design.

Most had holes that were identical to each other which created the courses without character, he said. To avoid that, he made sure that no two holes on his course were alike.

Fleet said the front nine feature seven streams and springs along with dynamic changes in elevation. The back nine holes move to the river and were made to be a links style course. He said the 18 holes flow with the land instead of making the land conform to the course, wh...