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Golf House Tennessee is the name given to an ante-bellum house in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee that serves as home of the non-profit "Tennessee Golf Foundation". It houses the offices all of the state's golf associations. The historic house is the focal point of a sprawling complex that administers amateur golf, professional golf, women's golf, junior golf, turfgrass research, and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, among others.
In the late 1980s, Tennessee's amateur golf organization and its professional golf organization were competitors, and their relations were often antagonistic. A particular bone of contention was over which group would secure the potential profits in computerized golf handicapping services. After years of squabbles and frosty relations, an executive, Dick Horton, who had worked for each of these two organizations, with intimate knowledge of both, was able to convince them of advantages of merging operations. The concept, begun about in 1990, required extraordinary fundraising efforts because neither of the merging entities had much money. Philanthropic aid from Jack Lupton and Vince Gill was vital. The project's success in Nashville drew national attention, and served as a model that was later adopted by several U.S. States. The amateurs consisited of the TGA (Tennessee Golf Association); the professionals consisted of the PGA Tennessee (branch of the Professional Golf Association). The combination became the "Tennessee Golf Foundation", which began operations in the Golf House Tennessee facility in 1995. In 2000, the TGA(men) and WTGA (Women's Tennessee Golf Association) merged, making one governing body at Golf House Tennessee for all amateur golf in the state.
The Golf House Tennessee complex includes:
*the
Golf House Tennessee is the name given to an ante-bellum house in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee that serves as home of the non-profit "Tennessee Golf Foundation". It houses the offices all of the state's golf associations. The historic house is the focal point of a sprawling complex that administers amateur golf, professional golf, women's golf, junior golf, turfgrass research, and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, among others.
In the late 1980s, Tennessee's amateur golf organization and its professional golf organization were competitors, and their relations were often antagonistic. A particular bone of contention was over which group would secure the potential profits in computerized golf handicapping services. After years of squabbles and frosty relations, an executive, Dick Horton, who had worked for each of these two organizations, with intimate knowledge of both, was able to convince them of advantages of merging operations. The concept, begun about in 1990, required extraordinary fundraising efforts because neither of the merging entities had much money. Philanthropic aid from Jack Lupton and Vince Gill was vital. The project's success in Nashville drew national attention, and served as a model that was later adopted by several U.S. States. The amateurs consisited of the TGA (Tennessee Golf Association); the professionals consisted of the PGA Tennessee (branch of the Professional Golf Association). The combination became the "Tennessee Golf Foundation", which began operations in the Golf House Tennessee facility in 1995. In 2000, the TGA(men) and WTGA (Women's Tennessee Golf Association) merged, making one governing body at Golf House Tennessee for all amateur golf in the state.
The Golf House Tennessee complex includes:
*the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame The Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame was established in 1991 by the Tennessee Golf Foundation as a non-profit organization. The hall of fame is located at the "Golf House Tennessee" a 21,000 square foot golf complex in Franklin, Tennessee (near Nashvill ...
and exhibits,
* USGA exhibits,
*The Tennessee Junior PGA Golf Academy.
*A full-service dining room
*A nine-hole par three golf course, designed by golf architect Bob Cupp
Bob Cupp (December 27, 1939 – August 19, 2016) was an American golf course designer. He designed many golf courses worldwide and was the president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 2012–13.
Early life
Cupp was born on Decem ...
,
*Dormitories for junior golf camp, able to accommodate 48 juniors and 16 adults,
*An Association History Room that houses trophies and memorabilia.
*A turfgrass research facility which includes over 52 varieties of turfgrass including 17 types of bentgrass.
*Offices of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the Volunteer Chapter Club Managers Association of America, and the Women's TGA (WTGA) among others.
Funding
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
philanthropist and Coca-Cola heir Jack Lupton pledged $5 million to the project, provided that the foundation would raise money from other sources that would create an endowment fund. Thus, the Tennessee Golf Foundation, a non-profit, was incorporated in 1990 with Dick Horton as president.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill played a vital role in the success of Golf House Tennessee. Gill, a scratch golfer, became very interested in raising funds for the foundation. He began hosting an annual golf tournament in 1993 known as "The Vinny" (The Vinny Pro-Celebrity Golf Invitational), whose primary beneficiary is the Tennessee Golf Foundation. As of 2018, tournament had raised over $8 million for Junior Golf to pay for staffing of the golf academy and for "The First Tee" projects and the Vince Gill Junior Tour. Gill received the PGA Distinguished Service Award in 2003, the PGA's highest honor.
See also
References
{{Reflist Golf administrators Golf Foundations based in the United States