Governor Earl Ray Tomblin chipped a few shots on the grounds of the state Capitol Tuesday morning celebrating a state milestone.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the West Virginia Golf Association. It was back in 1913 that the group formed and held the first West Virginia State Amateur Championship at the Fairmont Field Club. The winner was Julius Pollock, Jr., who is also one of two new members of the 2013 class of the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame.
Governor Tomblin proclaimed the year 2013 as the “100th year of golf in West Virginia.”
“Golf is one of those games that you can continue to play throughout your life,” according to the governor. “It is for all ages. Whether you’re like my little buddy Sam over here, who is on the First Tee team, or whether you’re 90-years-old, you can still go out and enjoy a game of golf.”
Sam Goodwin hit a few shots with the governor. The 9-year-old is part of the Golf Association’s First Tee program which is aimed at getting kids involved in the sport.
“Our First Tee program has a very aggressive initiative to be in every school, all 450 elementary schools, by the year 2020,” according to Ken Tackett with the WV Golf Association.
The program is aimed not just at teaching kids about the game but important lessons that go along with it, like character and good sportsmanship.
There are more than 100 golf courses across the state from the most prestigious, like the Greenbrier and Oglebay Park, to public courses like Coonskin and Shawnee in Kanawha County.
The sport has definitely evolved over the past century.
“To hear about how things used to be back in 1913 and to even see what they wore back then and how the game of golf has evolved to this massive entity and the publicity it gets these days,” marveled Stephanie Hatcher with the Golf Association.
After the news conference, the governor showed off his swing and joked he was waiting for an invitation.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make the cut for the [Golf] Hall of Fame this year but I will try for next year!”