David Bevell and Russ Fullerton treat every shot seriously. And after 17 years and nearly 1,500 rounds together, they have created a special rivalry that most golfers never experience.

There is no prize money, no spectators, and no TV coverage. Just two retired high school coaches competing at River Oaks Golf Club for a small trophy they bought from a Goodwill store for only $6.

Bevell, 75, and Fullerton, 78, have been facing each other since August 2009, a year after they first played together in the club championship. Both carry sub-4 handicap indexes and play straight up, no shots given. The rivalry is documented by writer Alex Myers in Golf Digest.

"We're good friends, but there have been times where we've played 18 holes and haven't spoken 10 words to each other, except to say, 'good shot' or something like that," Fullerton said. "It gets really, really intense."

The intensity is what makes it work. Neither man plays for relaxation. Bevell, a former youth minister, teacher, and coach, described the game as a grind he has leaned on through a clinical depression diagnosis in the 1990s and a divorce two decades ago.

"To me, golf is a grind and to Russ, too, but there is great satisfaction in competing and hitting a pure shot or making a critical putt," Bevell said.

The numbers behind their rivalry are striking. In a match on July 13, 2012, Fullerton shot 69 and lost by four shots as Bevell posted a career-best 65. Bevell has broken his age 148 times.

Between them, they hold 28 senior and super-senior club championships at River Oaks. The two have witnessed a combined five holes-in-one during their rounds together.

Bevell has kept a record of every golf round he has played since 1988. His notes now fill 10 notebooks and chronicle a 17-year rivalry filled with memories and a trophy far more valuable than $6.

The Coaches Cup: A $6 Trophy That Became Priceless

The Coaches Cup began when Fullerton devised the idea and found a small trophy at a Goodwill store.

To win the trophy, a player must earn six points. Players get one point for the best score over nine holes, so the winner is decided over several rounds rather than in a single match.

Bevell leads the all-time Coaches Cup rivalry, although he prefers to keep the overall score private.

The trophy has become a fun part of their competition. One day, Fullerton sat outside his house near the 17th hole at River Oaks and polished the trophy as Bevell drove by. He acted as if he did not see Bevell until the very last moment.

Over the years, Bevell has celebrated several milestones. He marked his 500th round with a cake and his 900th round with an engraved key chain. But the Coaches Cup trophy remains the prize that matters most to both players.

Bevell's son, Josh, is now a PGA professional in Nashville and played in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The notebooks also record Josh's golfing journey. One entry remembers the day he beat his father for the first time while he was in the 10th grade.

What do you think of Bevell and Fullerton's incredible rivalry? Let us know in the comments!

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Sijo Paul