VSGA‘s Golf in the Commonwealth Podcast

Dottie Pepper - Major Champion, Broadcaster & Golf Ambassador

We’re taking a quick break from the meet the hiker series to celebrate the recent Virginia Golf Hall of Fame ceremony where we inducted seven amazing individuals who have left their mark on golf in Virginia over the course of their careers, a few of which are even still shaping the game, Kandi Comer, Wayne Jackson, David Partridge, Richard Smith and Wynsol Spencer are all members of the 2020 class which was delayed induction due to the pandemic and Moss Beecroft and David King are members of the 2021 class. We’ll have audio from some of those speeches in upcoming episodes. Our sponsors for this year’s induction ceremony are Hourigan Construction, Lansing Building Products, Markel, Marsh McLennan Agency, TSW and Virginia Green. Big thanks to all of them for their support of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame. For today’s episode though, we had the opportunity to talk with Dottie Pepper who was with us to celebrate the induction of her friend Kandi Comer and also serve as the emcee for the event.

Meet the Hiker - Brian Wright

This is the fifth in our meet the hiker series and an opportunity to meet our hiker Brian Wright…Brian was one of our at-large hikers who voluntarily signed up for this challenge. Brian lives in the Richmond area and recently joined Lakeside Park Club…when we first put out the opportunity to sign up as a hiker to the VSGA membership, Brian was the first onboard and has been super gung-ho throughout the process…stay tuned after the break too because the first part  of the conversation is before the hike and the second part is after the hike and is a great recap.

 

Thanks our amazing sponsors and donors who’ve helped us raise over $50,000 right now to support Youth on Course efforts here in Virginia. Obviously walking 100-holes in a day takes strength and endurance and our friends at Adams Performance have come on as our official fitness, training and recovery sponsor. You may recall me having Dr. Kyle Adams on the podcast earlier in the season. Kyle himself is TPI certified and his team works with a ton of athletes and golfers ranging from guys who play in VSGA Super-Senior events to kids playing high school golf. Learn more about getting your athletic edge at AdamsPerformanceRVA.com. We also have apparel donations from our friends at Cutter & Buck and Turtleson. Both Cutter & Buck and Turtleson will be outfitting our hikers for this challenge and when you make a Cutter & Buck purchase through VSGA.org/store, a portion of the purchase in donated back to the VSGA so please check that out and use promo code VSGA25 for 25% off regular priced items across their site. And lastly our friends at GolfDom in McLean, Virginia. Buddy Christensen, owner of GolfDom, is another former guest on the podcast and GolfDom has a huge selection of equipment, apparel and services for golfers at every stage of the game. We’re grateful for their support and hope you’ll visit GolfDomGolf.com to shop their site or learn more. Big thanks to our friends at Srixon for donating gloves and balls for our hikers and post round the hikers will enjoy the new transfusion canned cocktail from Fore Craft Cocktails. If you’re looking for Fore Craft Cocktails’ canned transfusion you must be 21 and up and please enjoy responsibly.

Meet the Hiker - Glenn Gray

This is the fourth in our meet the hiker series and an opportunity to meet our hiker Glenn Gray…Glenn is the most veteran of our hikers with this being the fourth time he’s participated in the 100-Hole Hike. Before we get to the conversation though, we want to thank our amazing sponsors and donors who’ve helped us raise over 30 thousand dollars right now to support Youth on Course efforts here in Virginia. Obviously walking 100-holes in a day takes strength and endurance and our friends at Adams Performance have come on as our official fitness, training and recovery sponsor. You may recall we had Dr. Kyle Adams on the podcast earlier in the season. Kyle himself is TPI certified and his team works with a ton of athletes and golfers ranging from guys who play in VSGA Super-Senior events to kids playing high school golf. Learn more about getting your athletic edge at Adams Performance RVA dot com. We also have apparel donations from our friends at Cutter & Buck and Turtleson. Both Cutter & Buck and Turtleson will be outfitting our hikers for this challenge and when you make a Cutter & Buck purchase through VSGA.org/store, a portion of the purchase in donated back to the VSGA so please check that out and use promo code VSGA 25 for 25 percent off regular priced items across their site. Thanks to our friends at GolfDom in McLean, Virginia. Buddy Christensen, owner of GolfDom, is another former guest on the podcast and GolfDom has a huge selection of equipment, apparel and services for golfers at every stage of the game. We’re grateful for their support and hope you’ll visit Golf Dom Golf dot com to shop their site or learn more. Big thanks to our friends at Srixon for donating gloves and balls for our hikers and post round the hikers will enjoy the new transfusion canned cocktail from Fore Craft Cocktails. If you’re looking for Fore Craft Cocktails’ canned transfusion you must be 21 and up and please enjoy responsibly. As we mentioned, our guest this week is Glenn Gray, Glenn works in the golf industry for Buffalo Groupe and connects regularly with heavy-hitters across the industry and supports organizations like Youth on Course. He’s also a member of the VSGA Board of Directors and plays a lot of his golf at Lakeside Park Club but as you’ll hear, Schoolhouse Nine is a special place for him…with that, here’s our conversation with Glenn Gray.

Meet the Hiker - Don Bostic

This is the third in our meet the hiker series and an opportunity to meet our hiker Don Bostic. To-date Don is leading the way in our fundraising and if he exceeds $10,000 raised will earn a trip to Pebble Beach with other hikers from across the country who reach the same benchmark. Don actually lives in Florida but is coming to Virginia to hike and support the VSGA which is amazing! He’s the executive director of The Friars Golf Club, a club that hosts events at courses across the country with folks who just love golf. Events range from venues like Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst to closer to home places like The Homestead and an upcoming event at Golden Horseshoe.

Meet the Hiker - Josh Stueve

This is the second in our meet the hiker series and an opportunity to meet our hiker Josh Stueve. Before we get to Josh, we do want to thank our amazing sponsors and donors who’ve helped us raise over $23,000 right now to support Youth on Course efforts here in Virginia. Obviously walking 100-holes in a day takes strength and endurance and our friends at Adams Performance have come on as our official fitness, training and recovery sponsor. You may recall me having Dr. Kyle Adams on the podcast earlier in the season. Kyle himself is TPI certified and his team works with a ton of athletes and golfers ranging from guys who play in VSGA Super-Senior events to kids playing high school golf. Learn more about getting your athletic edge at AdamsPerformanceRVA.com. We also have apparel donations from our friends at Cutter & Buck and Turtleson. Both Cutter & Buck and Turtleson will be outfitting our hikers for this challenge and when you make a Cutter & Buck purchase through VSGA.org/store, a portion of the purchase in donated back to the VSGA so please check that out and use promo code VSGA25 for 25% off regular priced items across their site. And lastly our friends at GolfDom in McLean, Virginia. Buddy Christensen, owner of GolfDom, is another former guest on the podcast and GolfDom has a huge selection of equipment, apparel and services for golfers at every stage of the game. We’re grateful for their support and hope you’ll visit GolfDomGolf.com to shop their site or learn more.  So…like I said before, our guest this week is Josh Stevie, Josh lives in northern Virginia, works in DC and plays golf all over Virginia and the United States. You may have seen him on Instagram as DC Linksouldier or in the catalogs for the Oceanside, California brand Linksoul. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Josh during my time with the VSGA and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation with Josh Stueve.

Meet the Hiker - Kent Holubar

Part of the fundraising effort for Youth on Course is the annual 100-Hole Hike where staff members, volunteers and friends play 100 holes of golf in a day, walking, and raise money from their friends, family, colleagues, networks, etc to support Youth on Course here in Virginia. Kent Holubar is one of our hikers. Kent has been with the VSGA for more than a dozen years and as manager of junior golf for most of that time, Kent has a unique perceptive on the value and importance of growing the game through programs like Youth on Course.

BONUS - Interviews from Final Round of 2021 State Open of Virginia

In this bonus episode of Golf in the Commonwealth, we have interviews with Bryce Corbett, a rising sophomore whose final round 62 tied the competitive course record and earned him a third-place finish. We also have a conversation with Independence Golf Club's Director of Golf, Drew Clements. Drew and his staff managed so many of the operations that made the 2021 State Open a success and finally we have a conversation with 2021 State Open of Virginia Champion Evan Beck. Evan is now a two-time winner of the State Open of Virginia, having claimed his first title in 2010.

BONUS - Interviews from Round 1 of 2021 State Open of Virginia

The 2021 State Open of Virginia presented by Virginia Lottery began Friday at Independence Golf Club. The field of 144 had great course conditions and scored well on the fast greens. Post round interviews include 2020 champion Mark Lawrence, Jr., 2010 Champion Evan Beck. Lawrence and Beck are both one shot off the lead held by our third interviewee, Robb Kinder. Our final interview of the episode is with PGA Tour journeyman Dick Mast. Weekend television coverage by WTVR CBS 6 News. The 2021 State Open of Virginia is supported by Truist, Virginia Lottery, Delta Dental of Virginia, Pleasants Hardware Since 1915, Tee It Up RVA, Landscape Supply, Inc., Peebles Golf Cars & Powhatan County, Virginia.

State Open of Virginia Preview

The VSGA's Matt Pochily and Chris Lang visit with five competitors in this week's State Open of Virginia presented by Virginia Lottery to hear about the state of their games, how the course has changed since the event was last held at Independence and what to expect at the event. In this episode, you'll hear from four-time State Open champion Jay Woodson, former Director of Golf at Independence Golf Club Elliott Wilson, 2010 State Open champion Evan Beck, 2019 State Open champion Jack Montague and defending champion Mark Lawrence, Jr. The 2021 State Open of Virginia is presented by Virginia Lottery and supported by Truist, Delta Dental of Virginia, Pleasants Hardware, Tee It Up RVA, Landscape Supply,  Peebles Golf Cars & Powhatan County. ⁣

BONUS - 108th VSGA Amateur Bracket Breakdown

Matt Pochily and Chris Lang of the VSGA breakdown the bracket for the opening round of matches in the 108th VSGA Amateur Championship hosted at the Country Club of Petersburg.