80TH ANNUAL JACK OLIVER INVITATIONAL

The Jack Oliver Invitatio nal 80 years of celebrating the legacy of sportsman Jack Oliver

STORY BY CARY T. BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY LOWNDES COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

For 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

James Dowling (l) and Dr. Tex Eldridge (r) present trophy at VCC to Cobby Ware at Jack Oliver Invitational.

1950’s crowd of spectators at the Valdosta Country Club to watch the Jack Oliver Tournament.

Country Club.” From there, Jack Oliver Invitational was born. Labor Day during the ’60s and ‘70s in Valdosta was all about the tournament. Hundreds of golfers would ascend to Valdosta for the tournament, the Saturday night fried chicken buffet, and Belle Oliver’s speech to promote the event. With a waitlist and more than 192 golfers, it was indeed the golden age of the event.

Mr. Oliver’s grandson, Jack Jr., carries the name on today. As a sophomore in high school, he won the state championship for Valdosta in 1959. He finished second in the state amateur in 1965, and he and his father John were the only two to win the SEC championship in golf as UGA sophomores at the time. Carrying the Oliver name was not always easy for Jack Jr., within the community, as well as playing in his namesake’s event. When asked about the pressure, Jack replied, “If the tournament had been held in Thomasville under the name Joe Blow, I probably would’ve won more than twice.” Billy Oliver, Jack’s cousin, has also been a vital part of the Oliver legacy. His involvement with GSGA and his love of the “Old Course” at the Valdosta Country Club are undeniable. It truly is “a golf family.”

A total of 41 different golfers have claimed the Jack Oliver’s prized Frank Eldridge Trophy over the tournament’s 77-

year run, including 15 multi-time winners. Billy “Dynamite” Goodloe Jr.’s nine tournament victories, including seven in a row from 1948-54, are the most consecutive wins in the history of the Jack Oliver. Frank Eldridge has won the tournament seven times, and Nic Daugharty has won the event six times. Guy Whidby, Sam Hogan, and Kevin Blanton (from Moultrie) have three victories, respectively. Growing up around the club, Nic Daugharty remembers his mom dropping him off at the club as a junior during the tournament week and seeing all the prizes stacked up in the lounge. Watching some of the great moments in the tournament’s history, such as two-time winner Scott Hay hitting under the tree on Bellemeade number two to ten feet and going on to shoot the course record 63, was terrific. “Having my family and friends watching from the large galleries was exciting,” Daugharty says. “I would follow Hay and Whidby in the tournament and wanted to compete with them.” When Sam Hogan started playing in the Jack Oliver, it was a four-day event with qualifying for the championship flight. With the large fields at the time, it was a big deal for him to qualify for the flight. “On the last day of the tournament, everybody would follow the leaders on the back nine. I remember always wanting to be in the last group on Sunday to be able to play in front of the big crowd. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that several times. Although the tournament doesn’t have quite as big a field, it’s still exciting to be in the last group on Sunday afternoon.”

With a wide and varied field from across South Georgia and North Florida, it’s no surprise past champions have hailed from all different walks of life. From MidAmateurs to some of the best collegiate golfers, the trophy is genuinely up for grabs year to year. The event has endured the test of time, and 2020 marked the event’s 80th anniversary. Jack Oliver, Jr. marked the occasion by donating $1000 to the VSU scholarship fund for the school’s golf team in the name of beloved VCC Club Member Ron Hogan. The character of the Oliver family lives on from generation to generation, and just like the tournament, that legacy continues to endure.

1953 Tournament: Frank Eldridge, Johnny B. Lastinger, Archie Griffin, David Waldron, George Smith, Connie Ferrell, and an unidentified participant in the 1953 Jack Oliver tournament.

Family of Golfers: Bob, Max, Jack, Billy, and John Oliver at the state golf tournament in Radium Springs in 1929. John (“Jack”) won the tournament.