Influencing youth and giving back to the game of golf.
No better way to describe the legacy of 2015 Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame inductees Tommy Joyce, Jr. and Rufus Spiers.
Joyce and Spiers became the 43rd and 44th members of the elite group honored November 17th during the formal induction ceremony in front of over 160 attendees at the Roanoke Country Club.
Spiers, who attended the 2014 banquet where his longtime friend and playing partner Bill Shrader was inducted, died last December on his 87th birthday. His daughter and son, Susie Spiers and Steve Spiers were on hand last month to receive their father’s award.
“I think he was hoping to be chosen one day,” Susie Spiers noted prior to the induction. “He loved golf, loved the kids and practiced all the time. My Dad lived in a split-level house in Southwest Roanoke County and even hit balls in the house. He would start in the lower level and chip up the steps to the main level. His goal was to chip the balls into the couch in the living room. We worried about divots in the carpet.”
“He destoyed a couple of coffee tables, knocked the legs right off them,” Steve said with a chuckle. “I swore to him I’d never tell my Mom.”
In the 50s and 60s, Spiers was one of the top amateurs in the state.
“In 1998, the first year of the VSGA Super-Senior Tournament, Rufus finished second,” Shrader said as friends reminisced before the ceremony. “He finished second again in 2001, then won it in 2002.”
Shrader knew Spiers all the way back to their days at Jefferson High School where they both played football.
“Rufus was a good athlete, and played guard on the Jefferson team,” Shrader said. “He developed into a very good golfer. I played golf with him for years, and the thing I remember most was how he was impeccable with the rules, and even more conscious of them.”
Spiers had a passion for teaching the game to kids and being an ambassador of the game.
While he typically played at Blue Hills, Spiers worked in the pro shop at Roanoke Country Club and became a big part of the First Tee Roanoke Valley youth golf programs. Spiers and Shrader joined forces to conduct clinics through local public school physical education programs.
“Rufus Spiers was a volunteer at First Tee from the time it opened up,” First Tee programming director Mack McClung said. “He volunteered on a consistent basis, often three or more times a week. We’d have an event and Rufus would show up an hour early to set it up, then stay an hour after to help close it down. He loved the kids and I would call him a disciplinarian. Rufus was quick to correct anyone who wasn’t paying attention. He was big on respect and was big on following through with the importance of respect by everyone.”
“Rufus likewise got a lot of respect from the kids and they loved him,” McClung added. “During a clinic, he’d be down on one knee helping the kids with their swing. I was lucky to play some golf with Rufus and he was very humble. He never talked about himself or his accomplishments.”
Roanoke Country Club golf director Steve Prater has fond memories of Spiers.
“I came to Roanoke Country Club in 2005 and Rufus worked for me in the pro shop,” Prater recalled. “The membership loved him to death. That year we had an agreement with two other clubs using our course. Somebody would walk in the pro shop and Rufus would tell me, ‘that’s one of our members, or nope, that guy’s from another club.’ He was also the heart and soul of the volunteers with the Scott Robertson Memorial each year at RCC. Rufus was all about golf and helping the kids. He loved golf with a passion. Rufus will be dearly missed.”
Joyce also made his mark by giving back to the game through young golfers.
Fifteen years ago, Joyce was the driving force behind the organization of the Roanoke Valley Junior Golf Tour.
“Back then I asked myself, ‘What could I do for junior golf,'” Joyce said during a November interview in the Hunting Hills Country Club dining room where he currently serves as the club’s general manager. “The Roanoke Valley Junior Golf Tour was formed and it’s been a huge success. We now have around 20 tournaments throughout the year. We currently have about 140 members, with 30-60 kids playing per tournament.”
“It’s exciting to see where we’ve gone,” Joyce noted. “Blacksburg High School won three state championships a few years back, Salem won one and most recently, Hidden Valley in 2014. Most of those high school players came through this program. Players like Lanto Griffin and Fielding Brewbaker have come through this program and gone on to take their games to much higher levels by playing professionally.”
“At age 11-12, many kids are already saying, ‘I’m a baseball player, a lacrosse player or a basketball player,'” Joyce adds. “It’s important to start kids off with golf when they’re 5 or 6. Make it fun and develop relationships to get them interested in golf.”
Joyce also gives credit to Roanoke Country Club’s Steve Prater and Hanging Rock teaching pro Roby Roberson for donating their time and providing instruction that allows the kids to experience the game of golf.
Joyce grew up in Bassett, Va. playing golf and learning the game at Lynwood Country Club in Martinsville.
“My dad put the first club in my hand and I’d go out to play with his friends and buddies at Lynwood,” Joyce said. “I was about 9 years old and learning the game with these older guys. Learning to be a gentleman. At Lynwood I also met golf pro Wayne Haley, who had a huge influence on me and was my golf teacher, always offering advice on my game.”
Joyce was one of five Henry County golfers at that time who went on to play Division-1 college golf, Joyce at VCU under coach Jack Bell.
Bell was key in helping Joyce with summer jobs and funding tournament play while traveling to amateur tournaments.
After a four year college career at VCU, Joyce turned pro in 1991.
“I played on the mini-tour, chasing the dream,” Joyce said.
Joyce became an assistant pro at Myrtle Beach’s Quail Creek before getting his first head pro job in the early 90s at Cypress Bay in Myrtle Beach.
“I gradually became a director of golf, then became more involved in the business end, eventually becoming director of acquisitions for potential new clubs mostly in the Myrtle Beach area,” Joyce noted.
It was at this time that Joyce was approached by former Roanoke College and Virginia Tech basketball coach Charlie Moir about the head pro opening at Salem’s Hidden Valley Country Club.
“I moved to Hidden Valley in 1999 and stayed there 13 years,” Joyce said. “I decided to pursue other opportunities and came to Hunting Hills in 2012 as its general manager. Hunting Hills wanted to focus on a family atmosphere, so it gave me the opportunity to be involved with the youth and the kid’s programs here.”
Joyce’s involvement with youth has led to him receiving many honors along the way. U.S. Kids Golf recognized him as one of the Top-50 Kid Teachers in America in 2004, 2006 and 2011. Joyce was named the Middle Atlantic Professional Golf Association’s Golf Professional of the Year in 2008, its highest honor.
Joyce is married to wife, Kristy, and they have a 9-year old daughter, Kendall, and son Trey, 11.
Bill Turner
