LEGACY
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The Jack Oliver Invitational 80 years of celebrating the legacy of sportsman Jack Oliver STORY BY CARY T. BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY LOWNDES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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or 80 years, the Oliver family has been at the forefront of amateur golf in the state of Georgia. In 1924, Jack Oliver was a founding director when the Georgia State Golf Association was officially incorporated. “Crackerjack Shot” was the nickname given the man born Warren Maxwell Oliver on a hunting trip. The “Jack” stuck with him, and the rest is history. Mr. Oliver was known more for this community outreach, mentoring
junior golfers, and his respect for the game, more so than his golf prowess. Club Member June Norwood had hosted a golf invitational at the Valdosta Country Club in 1940. The following year, an editorial in the Lowndes County News suggested the tournament should change its name “in tribute to the finest sportsman ever to lay a spike on the greens of the Valdosta Summer 2020
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