Clarkesville business owner Jarrod Johnson chasing U.S. Open dream

CLARKESVILLE — Between running a sports bar, managing a lodge and carving out practice time wherever he can find it, Jarrod Johnson does not exactly live the life of a full-time touring golfer.

Still, the Clarkesville business owner is now just one stage away from the U.S. Open.

Johnson, owner of The Dugout Sports Bar and Grill and the adjacent Nacoochee Valley Lodge in Clarkesville, recently advanced through local qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Open after shooting a 2-under-par 69 at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.

The Copperhead Course hosts the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship annually and is known for its demanding closing stretch, holes 16 through 18, nicknamed the “Snake Pit.”

Johnson said he tried not to pay attention to where he stood on the leaderboard during the round.

“I had an idea,” Johnson said. “My good buddy Joey Hayes, he’s down there in Florida. He kept up to date with it. I don’t like to know personally, but he was fortunate enough. He was like, ‘Hey, FYI, you probably need a birdie.’”

Johnson eventually advanced through a playoff to secure a spot in final qualifying, the last step before the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

A winding path to Northeast Georgia

Johnson’s journey to Habersham County has taken him across much of the country.

Raised primarily in Montana, Johnson later moved to Arizona, where he became more serious about golf before eventually playing collegiately at Troy University in Alabama.

“Talk about a culture shock,” Johnson said with a laugh.

From there, Johnson’s path continued through Texas and Louisiana before eventually bringing him to Clarkesville.

“I’ll just tell you the life story,” he said. “Went from Montana to Arizona. Arizona kind of more committed to golf during my time there. Then went to Troy. Then Troy to Kerrville, Texas, and then Kerrville, Texas, to Louisiana and then here to Clarkesville.”

Today, Johnson balances competitive golf with owning and operating businesses in Northeast Georgia.

He said his decision to pursue business ownership came largely from watching his parents.

“I was fortunate enough I kind of saved up some money and then followed in the parents’ footsteps,” Johnson said. “The parents owned businesses and were very successful at it. So I was like, hey, I want to partake in this.”

Johnson said his parents remain heavily involved in helping operate The Dugout and the lodge while he travels for qualifying events.

“My dad’s incredibly involved. So is my mother,” Johnson said. “Both two different areas.”

Rediscovering golf

Johnson said he has played in numerous competitive events over the years but never fully committed to chasing professional golf because of the demands of business ownership.

“It’s just been hard to commit because I chose the business route,” Johnson said. “I want to find a foundation and build and do what I can.”

He said balancing golf and business has actually helped his mentality as a competitor.

“At the end of the day, I’m trying to build a foundation here throughout this community in Habersham,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s been so supportive.”

That perspective, he said, allows him to compete without feeling overwhelmed by pressure.

“What we call it is playing with house money,” Johnson said.

Johnson said his game has actually improved since his college years, when personal struggles outside golf made competition difficult.

“I play better now than I did in college,” Johnson said. “In college, I dealt with a few things outside of golf that made playing golf just incredibly difficult.”

He credited much of his recent improvement to swing coach Jordan Dempsey at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

“He’s helped me now for four years,” Johnson said. “He kind of switched around my golf career a lot. He made me really enjoy it a lot more now.”

Practicing between shifts

Unlike many elite amateur golfers, Johnson’s practice schedule revolves around business hours and daily responsibilities.

“Kind of just bits and pieces,” Johnson said. “Out back here, I’ll hit balls, because we’re on seven acres here. Get your butt up in the morning and go practice.”

Johnson said he frequently rotates between area courses and practice facilities, including Chimney Oaks in Homer, Apple Mountain Golf Club and Kelly’s 19th Tee in Clermont depending on how much time he has available.

“If I only have, let’s say, an hour and a half, I’ll drive over there, just hit a few balls, and then come back,” he said.

Johnson currently carries a 5.8 handicap index, making his qualifying performance at Copperhead even more notable.

“Yes, I do think about it,” Johnson said of competing on a PGA Tour venue. “But at the end of the day, it’s kind of like, okay, cool. It happened. Next stage. Short-term memory, basically.”

Golf and business

Johnson said the patience required in golf closely mirrors the long-term thinking needed to operate a business.

“You have to think long term,” Johnson said. “Like the game of golf, nothing happens every night. If you’re making small changes, your body needs time to adjust and everything. It’s just like running a business.”

He said both pursuits require steady improvement rather than immediate gratification.

“In that short term, this matters,” Johnson said. “But what can we do long term to help out everything?”

Chasing the next step

Johnson said his preferred final qualifying site would be Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, though Sarasota, Florida, remains another possibility depending on placement.

The final qualifying stage — often called “Golf’s Longest Day” — consists of 36 holes in a single day.

The 2026 U.S. Open will be played June 18-21 at historic Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island. Previous modern-era U.S. Open winners at Shinnecock include Ray Floyd, Corey Pavin, Retief Goosen and Brooks Koepka.

Johnson said he has never played Shinnecock and is intentionally avoiding looking too far ahead.

“You still got 36 holes left,” Johnson said. “Just gotta get through that first. Then we think about it.”

If Johnson ultimately reaches the U.S. Open, he said he knows the support from Habersham County will follow him north.

“I know a few people from the community are already hoping I get in,” Johnson said. “They want to come watch and everything.”

Johnson said a deep run would mean as much for the area as it would for him personally.

“Habersham kind of gets thrown in the mix a little bit,” Johnson said. “I think it’d be good both for sports in the area and for all the kids in general. Like, ‘Hey, there’s a guy from Habersham that just did that.’”

Despite the growing attention, Johnson said he still feels largely anonymous in his adopted hometown.

“I can kind of blend in,” Johnson said. “No one really knows.”

But for Johnson, the real pressure is no longer about himself.

“Now I’m more in it for just all the kiddos,” he said. “Trying to make a good example for them.”