ROANOKE, W.Va. -- Jim Ward won the 1964 State Amateur, but the golfer from Huntington wanted more for the junior golf circuit.
"He called me at the Parkersburg Country Club and asked me if we would host a junior event, and I said, 'Sure,'" said Top-Flite Junior Tour Chairman Larry Martin. "We started the Tour with four tournaments in 1984."
Twenty-five years later, the Tour has 13 events every summer -- with more than 150 golfers in four age groups -- beginning in early June until the Tour Championship.
On Saturday at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, the Tour will celebrate a quarter of a century with its 25th Anniversary Celebration Party.
"The purpose of this is to thank the courses and everybody who has supported and contributed to the success of junior golf in the state for the past 25 years," said Martin, who is the linchpin of the organization. "The two clubs that have been with us since the beginning are the Parkersburg Country Club and Moundsville Country Club.
"Time and again they have stepped up to the plate. We also want to thank all of the other courses that have hosted events over the years."
The golf courses that hosted Top-Flite events this year were the Golf Club of West Virginia, Greenhills Country Club, Riverside Golf Club, Canaan Valley Resort, Oakland Golf Club, Bridgeport Country Club, Bel Meadow Country Club, Moundsville Country Club, Oglebay Resort, Berry Hills Country Club, The Pines Country Club, Pipestem State Park, Parkersburg Country Club, Marietta Country Club and The Greenbrier.
Among the courses that have hosted past events is Big Bend Golf Course in Tornado.
ROANOKE, W.Va. -- Jim Ward won the 1964 State Amateur, but the golfer from Huntington wanted more for the junior golf circuit.
"He called me at the Parkersburg Country Club and asked me if we would host a junior event, and I said, 'Sure,'" said Top-Flite Junior Tour Chairman Larry Martin. "We started the Tour with four tournaments in 1984."
Twenty-five years later, the Tour has 13 events every summer -- with more than 150 golfers in four age groups -- beginning in early June until the Tour Championship.
On Saturday at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, the Tour will celebrate a quarter of a century with its 25th Anniversary Celebration Party.
"The purpose of this is to thank the courses and everybody who has supported and contributed to the success of junior golf in the state for the past 25 years," said Martin, who is the linchpin of the organization. "The two clubs that have been with us since the beginning are the Parkersburg Country Club and Moundsville Country Club.
"Time and again they have stepped up to the plate. We also want to thank all of the other courses that have hosted events over the years."
The golf courses that hosted Top-Flite events this year were the Golf Club of West Virginia, Greenhills Country Club, Riverside Golf Club, Canaan Valley Resort, Oakland Golf Club, Bridgeport Country Club, Bel Meadow Country Club, Moundsville Country Club, Oglebay Resort, Berry Hills Country Club, The Pines Country Club, Pipestem State Park, Parkersburg Country Club, Marietta Country Club and The Greenbrier.
Among the courses that have hosted past events is Big Bend Golf Course in Tornado.
Saturday's event features a four-man golf "shamble" with a 1 p.m. shotgun start, where all of the approximately 120 golfers will hit a drive. After taking the best drive of the four-man group, each player will hit a second shot and play out his ball.
A cocktail party will begin at 7:15 p.m. followed by an awards ceremony and special presentations to the tour supporters. Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin, along with top teams.
Among the confirmed participants are West Virginia Golf Association President Paul Moran, two-time Amateur champion Tim Fisher, 2007 Amateur champion Anthony Reale "and players who have competed on the tour over the last 10 years or so," Martin said.
Cost is $600 per team, or $75 for dinner for non-golfers with the proceeds going to support junior golf in the state.
"We're going to take all of the money from entries, donations, dinner tickets and raffles and we'll start a junior golf fund through the foundation that will be used for needy junior players, junior golf programs and possibly scholarships," Martin said. "Our purpose is to help junior golf continue to grow."
For more information on the event, go to topflitejrtour.com and click on 25th Anniversary entry form link.
Contact sports writer Rich Stevens at richstev...@dailymail.com">richstev...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4837.
