For the golfers on here
- Thread starter Mog
- Start date
Man, such terrible news. I worked for Brad at the Pines when he was the pro there back in the day. He and his wife always treated me wonderfully. Great guy and a great golfer (he made hitting a golf ball look easy). I feel so bad for his wife and kids.
Several people have mentioned that he was a great guy. I played a lot at both Tygart and Bel Meadows and he never struck me as that. One time I was at Tygart Lake and I didn't know who he was, but I was looking at getting a set of Pings and had already been through a fitting elsewhere so I knew my measurements. Anyway, again, I had no idea who he was, and I was talking to the woman behind the counter and this was before they put a dividing wall between the bar and the counter. It turns out he was sitting at the end of the bar, heard everything I was saying to the woman, and when she walked over to ask him something he told her something (I don't remember what), but he never bothered to address me directly, and certainly not get up and walk the less than 10 feet to where I was standing.
Bel Meadows really went down hill under his ownership. It came under new ownership a couple of years ago and they have done a fantastic job with it. He had really let it go.
Bel Meadows is one of the great layouts in the state. They just never had the budget to maintain it at the first class level that is it's design. I think it was a Robert Trent Jones track, if not mistaken. Some really good holes.
It is a Robert Trent Jones design. It's my "home" course. I pass it on the way to and from work everyday so it's where I stop to play on my way home when the days get long enough.
I haven't played everywhere, but I can't imagine a flatter course in WV. (except Worthington in Parkersburg, but that's not the same kinda course Bel Meadows is)
I like it. I almost feels like 2 different courses. The front is mostly open and pretty much straight. Holes 4 and 5 you have to place your tee shots, but everything else is pretty much bombs away. The back is totally different. A lot more water comes into play on the back, as well as doglegs, so you have to place shots and think your way around it.
It's a night and day difference from when Westfall had it though. They opened the original clubhouse again and put in a bar/restaurant in the downstairs. They cleaned up a lot of the growth along the road to aid in the curb appeal. They are doing better at keeping the fairways and greens mowed. They cleaned up both the driving range and the short iron range and put some yardage flags out there at 50, 100, 150 yards. (this one is right by the road, hit your balls and go get them yourself, the other is a regular range where you hit range balls)
They've also cleaned up a lot of the growth around the creek that runs through the course.They're doing a really good job with it.
It's been 35 years since I played it. It left a positive impression. I think Sam Snead won a couple WV Opens there.
Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but you are wrong. The woman behind the counter you were talking to was probably his wife, so that may have had something to do with it, I don't know. You interacted with him once. I interacted with him every day for two years. Sure, he could have his grumpier moments, but so can you, and so can I.
I can't speak to the conditions of Tygart and Bel Meadows. I've played both, but I haven't played either one since he took over. I can't imagine he would just let them go to crap, though......unless maybe there were superintendant issues. That's not like him at all.
I'll admit that I must be wrong, because I haven't heard anybody else share those feelings. I could have caught him on a bad day, but I thought it was pretty dick-ish for him not to walk 10 feet to talk to somebody that wanted to buy a set of Pings from him. After that, I've probably played at both courses a couple dozen times each where he was present and never had any reason to change my impression. I'm not saying he was always a dick, but he wasn't nice either. Of course, I never went out of my way to try to talk to him again, so maybe if I had I would have a different opinion.
As near as I can tell, he hasn't let Tygart go. Bel Meadows, the new ownership is doing a lot better. When I first started playing there, the proshop and everything was in the main building. Somewhere along the lines something happened and they moved everything to a block building and abandoned the main building altogether for years. When the new ownership took over, they opened the restaurant and everything back in that main building from the block building.
As I've stated, they've also cleaned up a lot of brush and whatnot here and there. That brush isn't part of the actual course, it's stuff by the road adjacent to the course and around the creek. They also removed a dilapidated structure by the pitching/short iron range and removed old equipment and things that just made the place look kinda bad.
I'll admit to being wrong about his personality ... but there is no opinion involved in the condition of Bel Meadows during his ownership compared to now. I saw him there frequently in the years he owned it, but it wasn't as well maintained as Tygart, and with the deal with the clubhouse/proshop and all of that, it really gave the impression that he cared about Tygart and didn't about Bel Meadows.
I recall a story about Westfall in the State Open that was held at The Pines. He was in a playoff against Pat Carter who lost a 3 shot lead on the back 9. On the 16th hole-the first playoff hole, as Carter was addressing his ball to his a chip shot for eagle, Carter heard the sound of velcro as Westfall took his glove off. Carter got really pissed off and the two apparently came close to blows. Westfall loved to pull strings and was somewhat of a gamesman. Westfall went on to win.