By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
It’s official. Finally.
The sign on Madison Pike says it all – Tin Cup Golf.
Owners C.J. and Terri Hyde waited weeks for that sign – and this week the new owners of what was formerly Ft. Wright Driving Range – saw it displayed for all to see. They purchased the facility in March of 2020, “But we didn’t want a name change until we did some renovations,” C.J. said.
Perhaps the biggest change of all was C.J. getting back to daily work.
“I was an airline pilot, and retired when I was 65,” said C.J., who was born in Peoria, Ill., and ended up in the Tri-state since his dad worked at Procter and Gamble. “Well, two months after I retired, I noticed the place was for sale.”
Enter Terri.
“She actually talked me into buying the place and making major renovations including new bays with heaters.”
And speaking of ideas, well it was Terri again who decided on the name change.
“I said, ‘Let’s watch Tin Cup,’ and that’ what we called it.”
Tin Cup is a 1996 American romantic comedy and sports film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo. Costner received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He plays Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy is a former golf prodigy leading a generally aimless existence. He owns a ramshackle driving range in West Texas, where he drinks and and hangs out with his pal Romeo Posar and their friends.
Certainly not what you’ll expect to see at the Tin Cup in Ft. Wright with C.J. and Terri.
“We had some major issues at the start,” said New Orleans native, Terri. “The range was in a flood zone. We had to raise the structure, in order to get an OK for the purchase.”
C.J. says he can top that problem.
“Our major challenge at first,” he said, “Was getting golf balls. We were in the thick of the COVID pandemic and they were nowhere to be found.”
But as luck would have it, he says, a Calloway salesperson had some 48,000 golf balls – yup, 48,000 – from a driving range in Texas that was going out of business.
“I jumped at it,” said C.J., “Not that we needed that many, but where else could we get them if we needed them?”
And if the COVID pandemic seemed to be a problem for some, Terri says, “actually, it was good for us.”
How’s that?
“Everything was shut down; but people could be outside. People could play golf, and they did. We developed a new group of young kids, and they stayed with us.”
Those kids aren’t the only ones.
Tin Cup instituted a Wednesday and Thursday night league.
“Our Wednesday league has eight teams, and we have 11 in for Thursday nights,” C.J. said.
Tin Cup, he says, is the only driving range in Kenton County.
“There’s one in Hebron and World of Golf in Florence, both in Boone County,” he said.
The warmer weather has certainly helped the weekend golfers making the trek to Tin Cup.
“We’re open seven-days-week, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.,” C.J. said.
And even the celebs have found their way to Ft. Wright.
One in particular – Cincinnati native Kevin Hall who participates on the PGA Tour. Kevin attended St. Rita School for the Deaf. At two-and-half years old, he contracted a devastating bout of H. Influenza bacteria. He lost all hearing from the illness but otherwise suffered no lasting health effects.
“My nephew works at St. Rita’s,” Terri said, “And told Kevin about us.”
Michael Mayer, the tight-end for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders – and a grad of Covington Catholic High School – is also a frequent visitor to Tin Cup, says C.J.
“We’ve had Bengal players here all the time,” he said.
Terri says they spread the Tin Cup name on their Facebook page, Twitter (X), Instagram and their web site – TinCupGolfNKY.com.
Now they have their new sign to tell the world.
I feel like I paid for that sign as often as I was down there practicing from 2014-2023. Extremely happy with what C.J. and Terri have done with the property.