Up & Coming Weekly

September 11, 2018

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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14 UCW SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Cumberland County Golf Championship celebrates 50 years by EARL VAUGHAN JR. COVER STORY Editor's note: e Cumberland County Golf Championship has been postponed due to Hurri- cane Florence. We will announce new dates soon. History. Prestige. Family. ose are words heard over and over again when you talk to golfers, sponsors and friends of the Cum- berland County Golf Championship. e long-running staple of the golfing community in Fayetteville and Cumberland County marks its 50th anniversary this weekend, Sept. 14-16, at Gates Four Golf & Country Club with the 54-hole flighted competition for men and the revamped 36-hole edition for women. Here's a preview of this year's tournament, looking at the history and sharing the thoughts of some of the best players and major sponsors as to why this event has been a must on the calendar of the coun- ty's golfers for so many years. e history Chip Beck has competed in some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including the Masters and the U.S. Open. But some of his fondest memo- ries on the golf course were back in the late 1960s when he took part in the earliest days of the CCGC. "It was one of the most fun events I played in all year,'' Beck said. "It wasn't very expensive to get in, and it had the biggest trophies I ever saw. I think they were the biggest trophies I ever got.'' What made it extra special for Beck was the com- petition, going head-to head with friends like Jim Adams, Ernie Massei, David Canipe, Andrew Stiles and Chris Newman. "It was like (being) king for a week,'' he said of winning. "You got to be king amongst your buddies. We had a lot of fun with it.'' Beck said golf has always held a special place in both the state of North Carolina and in Cumberland County, which are among the reasons he thinks the county championship has survived all these years, even through some lean periods. "What better way to spend time with your friends,'' he said. "It's nice to see how you compete on the city and county level.'' It was those early experiences in the county championship, Beck said, that helped motivate him in his pursuit of a career on the professional tour. "You have a sense of ... that relaxed concentration and joy that comes from playing a high level of golf,'' he said, "Playing with your friends, playing in your community. I just felt it was the emotion and feeling I'd like to have and that I tried to carry on through all my golf. If you don't want to be there, it's not going to happen for you.'' Robert Wilson, currently the golf pro at Cypress Lakes, remembers a time when the county champi- onship was held on two courses at the same time. ere were leaderboards on the course and people were kept updated on how the field was doing. He praised Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman for his recent involvement in the tourna- ment and an effort to restore the event to the glory days of the 1980s. "e better golfers in each division in Cum- berland County mark it on their calendars and wouldn't miss it,'' Wilson said. e sponsors Billy Richardson of e Richardson Firm and Mac Healy of Healy Wholesale are both strong supporters of the Cumberland County Golf Championship and cite similar reasons for their commitment. Richardson said he grew up watching golf- ers play in the CCGC every year, citing Chip Beck, Chris Newman, Billy West and Mike Williford as people he watched hone their skills in the tournament. "e quality of golf here (and the rivalries through- out the years) for a community of this size is amaz- ing," he said. "It's such a good thing for the communi- ty. Being a small part of reviving the tournament, and especially of celebrating 50 years of it, is our privilege. As long as Up & Coming Weekly is sponsoring and participating in it, we plan on being a sponsor as long as they ask us to." Healy's business has been in Fayetteville since 1978. He said his family always watched the CCGC with great interest and that he was glad to be approached about being a sponsor because of the tournament's great tradition. "Part of it is giving back to the community,'' he said. "is is amateur golf as its best. ese guys are businessmen or lawyers or sell insurance or whatever the case may be. To all get together in a great fellowship once a year like that, it's a thing you want to be involved in from a business standpoint. It's what Fayetteville is all about. e locals have an opportunity to showcase their wares.'' Healy said there is great golf opportunity available here, with good public and private courses. "e community has always embraced golf,'' he said. "We don't have to pay the Pinehurst No. 2 rates to get out and play a round of golf here. at's what makes it so appealing to everybody.'' e Everyman concept is a big part of the success of the CCGC, Healy said. "e guy bagging groceries is as likely to win the darn thing as a guy that practices every day and has lessons." Wally Hinkamp, who owns Hinkamp Jewelers, has feelings about the tournament that are deeply personal. His brother, the late David Hinkamp, was a former champion of the CCGC, and Wally said it held a special place in his brother's heart. "He was a pretty good athlete, but golf was his passion,'' Wally said. David got his first golf lesson from the late Julius "Jack" Willis back at the old Green Valley Country Club in the early 1970s. "From that day forward, he was in love with the game of golf,'' Wally said. David won the tournament in 1986, and Wally said it remained a special memory for David until his un- timely passing. "He knew all the guys in the tourna- ment,'' Wally said. "ey were all buddies and played together all the time. It was like getting a big group of friends (together) on a Sunday and playing against each other. at's the reason it was so special. It was people they personally knew and not just strangers.'' Wally said he hopes Bowman and the many other sponsors of the CCGC will continue to work to make it the great event it once was. "It's always been a well- run event, and it's held a special place in my family's heart all these years and will continue to,'' he said. e women In previous incar- nations of the CCGC, a separate competition was held for women at a dif- ferent time and location. Since last year, the women have been competing on the same dates and course as the men. at will continue this year with one major change. e women will play 36 holes versus 54 for the men. DeeDee Jarman, deputy director of athletics at Methodist University, suggested the change to 36 holes for the women to Bowman in an attempt to increase participation. "e average age of the female golfer these days is 50 and above,'' Jarman said. "Some women may not be able to withstand the heat and physical demands of playing a three- day tournament.'' Jarman added that it makes logistical sense for the women to play at the same time and location as the men. "e committee is not doing double work and it's a big showcase for area golfers,'' she said. "I think it's a big draw that both are being held at the same time. is being the 50th year – it's going to be a great event.'' She also saw it as an opportunity to continue bringing the women's tournament back while giving them a chance to share the spotlight with the men. "I would like to see the females be just as strong,'' she said, referring to the men marking the 50th anniversary of their tournament. "We want to make sure the women feel involved and connected, not (like) just tagalongs. Let's get the field as strong as we can and support this tournament.'' e players Billy West and omas Owen represent both the old and the new in CCGC history. Owen graduated from Terry Sanford in 2007 and put up a fierce battle with West last year before West took the title. It was a special win for West, who won the tourna- ment 20 years earlier and wasn't sure if the time had passed for him to have another opportunity at taking the championship. "is is my home golf tournament,'' said West, who serves as district attorney for Cumberland County. "I said it when I started playing it when I was 16, almost 30 years ago, and I'm still saying it. I think it's because Chip Beck, two-time winner of the CCGC DeeDee Jarman, Methodist University deputy director of athletics September 14 th -16 th C H A M P I O N S H I P C L A S S I C A nn i vers ar y

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