The Seven Lakes Golf Club located in Seven Lakes South was owned by the members until 2015 when a private group purchased the club, making Mike Dooda the Head Golf Professional and later the Club Manager.
Growing up, Dooda was a “die-hard golfer”. He started playing at the age of eight while living in New Hampshire.
Mike Dooda & Al Hann
As a teenager, Dooda decided to make golf a part of his career.
“I decided that if I didn’t play for a living then I would want to work in the field,” he said.
He went to golf seminars in Boston and attended Methodist University in Fayetteville for their five-year Professional Golf Management Program to become a Class A PGA Professional.
During this program, students are required to have four internships – one every summer. Dooda’s last internship was with Little River in Carthage, close enough to Fayetteville for Dooda to commute.
Dooda worked at Little River from 2009 through 2015. It was in 2016 that the new private owners of Seven Lakes Golf found his name and reached out to him regarding a management position.
In September, 2016, Dooda began working as a manager of Seven Lakes Golf Club. Shortly after beginning there, the course greens were redone.
“The golf course conditions are always held to a high standard,” he said.
Dooda works with Superintendant Kyle Brown to manage the club.
One of the unique features of Seven Lakes Golf is the All-Inclusive Golf Package. This package includes breakfast, lunch, and two drinks in addition to a round of golf.
The club also offers Full Memberships which come with priorities such as rates, priority tee-time booking, and special party and event invitations.
Recently the club hosted a Member Appreciation Party to display their appreciation for their members and to give back to them.
On top of the All Inclusive package, Loyalty Club Members are offered discounted green fees and merchandise rewards based on how many rounds they play.
“The more you play, the more Loyalty you show, the more you are rewarded,” Dooda said.
For those who want extra hours of practice, there is a Practice & Play Club. These individuals pay a price of $19 per month for unlimited range and practice balls as well as discounted rates.
Barb Beck & Restaurant Manager Monica Keating
With this deal, a round of golf costs $15 after 12:00PM, $10 after 2:00PM, and is free after 4:00PM.
“People think there’s some sort of catch with this,” Dooda said. “But there’s not.”
Over the summer, the Club will begin its Monday Night Golf Club Series for evening golfers. There is a 5:30PM shotgun start and teams play nine holes each. Free food and drinks are provided to players and a grand winner is announced at the end of the series.
“I’ve been a member here since 2009,” Al Hann in charge of the Club’s building maintenance said. “It’s great, and there are a lot of good people. It’s a tough course; this one is challenging every time I come. I never get tired of it.”
In addition to the numerous golfing opportunities, Seven Lakes Golf also provides new features when it comes to the restaurant.
Seven Lakes Bar & Grill offers southern home-style food to the community. The restaurant is open to all of the community – not just the golfers.
Seven Lakes Bar & Grill has partnered with Moore Home Services to offer $5 food delivery for those in West End on Friday and Saturday from 4:30PM through 7:00PM. Catering and take-out are also provided.
For those who choose to order take-out, discounted drinks and free chips are offered while waiting at the bar. A take-out menu is provided at golf7lakes.com.
Dooda’s goal for the restaurant is to serve more of the Seven Lakes/West End community.
“Come out and watch a game and get a drink,” he said. “We see a lot of the same faces; we’re building relationships. It’s a nice aspect of working in this kind of environment that a lot of people don’t get.”
Chef Carlton Goins
“We’re all family here,” Restaurant Manager Monica Keating said. Keating has been working at the Bar & Grill for over three years.
Daily specials are offered in the restaurant, and Chef Carlton Goins has also begun smoking pork on-site in the Club’s new Traeger Smoker. One of the popular specials is the Friday night fish and chips.
To order take-out or to schedule catering, call the Bar & Grill at (910) 673-1100. The Bar & Grill is open Monday – Thursday 6:00AM – 6:00PM and Friday & Saturday 6:00AM – 7:00PM or until the last customer has left.
To schedule a tee time or to ask for details about membership, call the Golf Shop at 910) 673-1092. The Seven Lakes Golf Club is currently open from 6:00AM – 6:00PM. The Club is located at 124 East Devonshire Avenue in Seven Lakes South.
