Roanoke Valley Golf Hall Of Fame Begins Championship Weekend; Announces 2022 Inductees

The Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame kicks off their 39th annual golf tournament on Friday, looking to crown a champion in both the men’s and women’s most prestigious golf championship of the year for local amateur players.

The 3-round, 54-hole event, opens at Blue Hills, then moves 30 miles down Route 221 for second-round action at Great Oaks Country Club in Floyd, VA. The final 18 holes will take place Sunday at Botetourt Golf and Swim Club in Daleville. The women’s 36-hole competition takes place Saturday and Sunday at Floyd and Botetourt Country Clubs, respectfully.

The Hall of Fame has also announced their 2022 inductees that include a pair of standouts that have made their mark on local, state and national levels throughout their careers in golf. Phil W. Owenby and Andrew Green will be inducted at the Hall’s banquet to be held in November at Roanoke Country Club.

Phil Owenby

Owenby was born in 1954 in Charlottesville, VA into a family well known in golf circles. His uncle, Ralph Lang, was a PGA golf professional serving Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ralph purchased property in north Raleigh and built Wildwood Country Club, opening in 1962. Shortly thereafter, Phil’s family moved to Raleigh where his parents joined his uncle in managing and operating the club. Phil spent his childhood and school years at the club experiencing every aspect of the private club business along with learning and playing the game daily under the watchful eyes of his father and uncle. His father and uncle were role models for the golf business, etiquette and establishing relationships.

Phil graduated from North Carolina State University in 1976 while a member of the university golf team for four years. He worked for his father and uncle at Wildwood Country Club through his college years and accepted his first position as an Assistant Golf Professional for John Snyder, PGA Pro, at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville. After a three-year apprenticeship and achieving membership in the PGA of America, Phil became the Head Golf Professional at Hunting Hills Country Club in Roanoke in 1979. He was named Head Golf Professional at Boonesboro Country Club and served the membership from 1981-85.

After four years in the retail golf business, Phil accepted the Head Golf Professional position at Roanoke Country Club in 1990. After 10 years with RCC, he went to Richmond and became the Director of Golf with Kinloch Golf Club in 2000, staying at Kinloch for 15 years. After a one-year run as General Manager of Chechessee Creek Club near Hilton Head, SC, he became an independent advisor for several influential companies in the golf industry. With decades of knowledge, passion and experience behind him, Phil began working with Dormie Network in its earliest stages before becoming its Chief Development Officer of the top-level hospitality organization.

Green began his career in golf working as a cart boy at Botetourt Golf Club as well as a member of the maintenance crew. With both sides of his parents centered on agriculture or farming, he developed a keen interest in becoming a golf course architect. He was the fifth man on the Lord Botetourt High School team where his interest in playing golf and caring for courses earned him the coveted 1996 Don Holliday Memorial Scholarship, the largest dollar 4-year scholarship overseen by the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame. While attending Virginia Tech Green was mentored by professors of landscape architecture and the turf department to further his entry in golf course design.

While golf’s Majors have featured course redesigns led by the likes of Robert Trent Jones, Tom and George Fazio, along with Rees Jones, for decades, Andrew Green is now making his mark as well.

After working for 14 years for McDonald & Sons, a golf course construction firm located in the mid-Atlantic region, Green went out on his own five years ago and quickly earned one of golf’s most prominent commissions when he was hired to redesign Oak Hill’s famous East Course, where his exceptional work will be on display during the 2023 PGA Championship.

He also has on his resume a transformation in 2021 at Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course, site of the 1964, 1997 and 2011 U.S. Opens, and where it will host the 2031 PGA Championship and the 2037 Ryder Cup. Other recent redesigns by Green include Inverness Club (in 2020) and Scioto (in 2022), both past U.S. Open sites. His clients have also ranged from public courses like The Preserve at Eisenhower, a unique bunkerless redesign in Maryland to the U.S. Naval Course and the Tour Championship’s East Lake in Atlanta.

Founded in 1973, the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame serves to promote the game of golf in and around Roanoke, Virginia. The Hall of Fame includes 13 public and private courses, provides annual scholarships to 19 area schools and honors outstanding high school players and coaches each season.

Bill Turner

 

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