Not many people have travelled further to take their place in the Black Desert NI Legends field at Galgorm Castle than Ryan Kartchner, who balances professional golf with a role as Managing Director of Golf Development at Reef Capital Partners, the firm responsible for the creation of the Black Desert Resort in southern Utah.
Famed for its picturesque setting, amidst beautiful, red, sandstone cliffs, an ancient black lava field that the course navigates through, and regular snow-capped mountains in the distance, Black Desert only opened its fairways in 2023 and has already played host to a PGA Tour and an LPGA Tour event.
“It’s a company that’s growing and it’s growing pretty fast right now,” Kartchner said of Reef Capital and Black Desert, “and we’re looking for some global partnerships with people that also have similar standards to what we think we offer.
“We came over here and looked at Galgorm as a group and the courses that they have, with the view to possibly do something possibly with them in the future, so this was kind of a no brainer for us.
“At Black Desert, we already host a PGA Tour event and LPGA tour event and so, as we look to grow, this was a really good fit for us.”
A long-time PGA Professional who came close to qualifying for the Senior US Open this year, Kartchner is looking forward to testing himself against some of the sharpest operators on the Legends Tour, though he admits that he isn’t setting his expectation levels too high.
“It’s a fantastic field,” Kartchner said. “I’m still a little bit new to seniors golf having just turned 50 a couple of years ago, but I’ve been trying to play as much as I can. I missed out by a couple of shots at US Open qualifying, but it’s been really fun to connect with these guys over here.
“I attend the Masters a lot with friends and family and to see some of these guys. And then last night I was having a few drinks with Ian [Woosnam]. They’re awesome.”
For somebody used to desert golf, it’s been something of a rude awakening for Kartchner this week, especially since he’s been blessed with great weather on his previous trips to Northern Ireland.
“It’s all part of the fun,” he joked. “We got here last Saturday and it’s been fantastic actually. All the times that I’ve been here before, I’ve been very, very lucky and had really good weather, but we’ve got some of the full Irish experience I would say last couple days.
“The golf course here is in immaculate condition. Obviously with the rain now, it’s a little softer this time, but I think it’s playing as good as I’ve seen it, and you can definitely tell that it’s tuned up for a tour event.
“I just want to have a really good time. I want to represent us well, I guess, but I really don’t have a lot of expectations for this.
“I’m nursing a little bit of a knee injury, so it’s all about having a good time and we brought a pretty good group of people here including some of our investors, so we’re showing them Northern Ireland and parts of the island, so we’re just looking for all of us to have a good time.
“And it’s gonna be hard not to.”
Tickets are available online or on the gate, and cost £20. Under 16s go free.
Visit www.legendstour.com to buy
