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What a journey it’s been.

Earlier this year, myself and a few others decided to take a leap of faith, and Sideline Pass magazine was born.

This undertaking hasn’t always been a smooth one, there are challenges that arise with any new undertaking, but last month the debut edition of Sideline Pass was unveiled, and I’m proud of what our team accomplished.

The stories covered the gamut, from high-school football, to professional baseball, to college and professional athetics, to youth baseball, and on and on.

With the stories in place, we needed someone to design the magazine, and Sara Arnold did an outstanding job in that department, and our publisher, Ida Durand, has been there every step of the way, providing whatever was needed, and her support is incredibly appreciated, and Kane Bradfield has been out there promoting it like only he can.

Here’s the thing.

As pleased as we were with the first edition, there’s no time to rest or sit back and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, because there is always the next deadline looming.

So, soon enough, it was back to work, and I believe we’ve put together another edition of Sideline Pass that our readers will enjoy. It was so much fun putting these stories together, and it’s a joy to be able to talk with coaches and student-athletes, and find out more about their lives, and get to know them.

Those who choose this profession do so in part because of a curiosity, an interest in people, and that is no doubt the case for me.

Everyone has a story, and this magazine will give us a way to tell them.

In addition to this magazine that will come out once a month, I’m also pleased that we’ll be able to offer more up-to-date media offerings as well.

Our social-media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) offer an ideal way to get out up-to-the date news and stay connected with the community.

Also, we’ve started a website, sidelinepass.net, and that allows us to provide that much more information, whether I’m covering a game, or previewing a big event, or writing about the individuals who thrill us with their athletic exploits.

The idea is to make Sideline Pass, through its various offerings, the leader for local sports in this area.

I hope you enjoy this edition, and we’re already at work on the next one, and our goal is to see Sideline Pass grow, evolve, improve, and be something this community can be proud of for a long time to come. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support.

Editor Kevin Eckleberry

Beall Dental Center (706) 882-2597 (706) 882-2597

Troup County’s Influence on Golf

A 1925 exhibition match at LaGrange, Georgia’s Highland Country Club captures, left to right, Harold Callaway, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, and Watts Gunn. Credit: LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce

Few places outside Scotland have had as much impact on the world of golf as Troup County, Georgia.

Though golf only came here after World War I, the number of people associated with Troup County who have made important contributions to the game, internationally, is phenomenal.

Donald Ross, the most noted name in course design, came to LaGrange in 1922 to personally supervise construction of his course plan for Highland Country Club. He also assisted in designing the course at the American Legion in 1947.

Lionel and Harold Callaway, English born brothers, were among early professionals at Highland Country Club. Lionel is credited with inventing miniature golf, the golf practice net, and the Callaway Handicap System.

Harold was the first professional at Highland Country Club, employed at the suggestion of Donald Ross. Harold is one of the few men who actually beat Bobby Jones, and did so in a match at Highland Country Club in 1924. Harold was a name on the professional circuit but best noted for his career as a golf instructor, which he did for 29 years at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Among his students was Babe Zaharias, who won 41 professional events, including 10 that predated the LPGA. Harold’s wife was Martha Greer, who was Miss LaGrange in 1929. Her mother was one of the Troup County Cleaveland family.

Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr. frequently won the club championship at Highland Country Club as a teenager. His international contribution to the world of golf began in 1982 the year Ely bought an interest in Hickory Stick Golf USA. He liked a unique specialty club they manufactured. The following year, Ely bought out his partners and renamed the company Callaway Hickory Stick USA, serving as CEO and President. In 1986, the company was the first to use computer controlled milling machines to ensure uniform flatness on putter surfaces. In 1988, the company was renamed Callaway Golf.

Callaway Golf introduced the revolutionary driver, Big Bertha the first wide body, stainless steel wood, in 1991. The next year the company went public, offered on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ELY. The line of Big Bertha Irons was unveiled in 1994 and Callaway Golf Ball Company was started in 1996, the same year that Callaway Golf became the world’s largest manufacturer of clubs.

Robert “Bobby” Jones, one of the most prominent names in golf played in LaGrange many times from the 1920s on. Bobby Jones was the only man to ever win the Grand Slam of Golf Championship in a single year. He was perhaps an inspiration for his second cousin, Ely R. Callaway, Jr. who was a repeat champion in the 1930s. He founded the Augusta NationalGolfclub in 1933 and the Masters TournamentTournament in 1934.

Byron Nelson played in LaGrange many times. He set a new course record of 64 at Highland Country Club in 1946. Walter Hagen played in LaGrange in a match with Bobby Jones in 1925.

Allen Doyle of LaGrange is the “winningest amateur since Bobby Jones.” He has won the PGA Senior Championship twice; the @U.S. Open twice, beating Tom Watson in one; the Players’ Championship, where he beat Jack Nicklaus; the Charles

Schwab Cup for leading winner in a single year; the Georgia State Amateur at least 8 times; and the Walker Cup Trophy as well as countless other tournaments locally and nationally. He was the leading force behind creation of the First Tee program too.

Tad Moore of LaGrange hand makes and markets golf clubs that are used by leading professionals. Some of his clubs can sell for $3,000 and are coveted possessions used in national and international golf events. He was a Director of the Georgia State Golf Association.

Suzanne Jackson of LaGrange among finest women’s golfers and the first woman to serve as rules official at men’s tournaments, including the Masters.

Taylor Hall, while a student at LaGrange High School, won the U. S. Junior PGA Championship, played on the U. S. team at the Junior Ryder Cup, and at the Junior Masters, among other feats.

James Minniefield of LaGrange won the Southern Amateur Colored Golf Championship in 1935. Hicks Broughton of LaGrange won second place at the Southern Amateur Championship in 1935 and was champion in 1936.

Dick Cline, one time professional at the American legion won the Georgia Open in 1961.

Among the many local players who have played in National Golf Tournaments include: David Daugherty, National in 1977 & Georgia State Four-Ball 1986;

Lane Williams of LaGrange, appointed Tournament Director of the Georgia State Golf Association in 1986.

Brothers Brent and John Holmes of LaGrange began winning golf championships at aged 8 and 10. In 1993, Brent became course superintendent at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, the first green golf course in the Middle East and host of the Desert Open. The same year, John became superintendent at Deering Bay Yacht and Golf Club in Miami working for Arnold Palmer and Jeb Bush. Today, John’s company, Atlas Turf head-quartered in LaGrange with offices in Hong Kong, supplies turf to courses world-wide, works closely with major course architects, and develops grasses to grow in places not previously amenable to grass. Brent’s company supplies golf courses all along the Eastern Seaboard.

LaGrange, Georgia is thought to be the only town on the Earth that was home to both the U. S. Senior Champion (Allen Doyle) and Junior Open Champion (Taylor Hall) in the same year.

TROUP COUNTY GOLF COURSES AND CLUBS

As early as 1916, the local newspaper, the LaGrange Reporter, listed “Golf Links” as something missing in LaGrange. Other items on their wish list were a Club House, Public Park, Hotel, and Auditorium. Local investors built the first course on Vernon Road after World War I, just east of Lee’s Crossing where LaGrange Internal Medicine and several WellStar offices are located. A few years later, Highland Country Club was constructed off Ben Hill Road, now called Country Club Road today. In 1939, Edward Swanson Pinckard built a course on Hamilton Road where, in 1947, the American Legion developed a course. The Fields Golf Club, in southern Troup County, began in 1990. The course for First Tee, on LaFayette Parkway, started in 2006. Hogansville had a golf course that once boosted lights for nighttime golfing. The course for West Point’s Riverside Country Club is located several miles east of town in Chambers County, Alabama.

LaGrange Country Club was the first country club and golf course in LaGrange, and opened about 1919. An antebellum Greek Revival house with four plastered- brick columns, built by Benjamin H. Cameron for Wiley H. Sims served as their clubhouse. The house, enlarged in 1923 by Daniel Lumber Company, included a club room 18 by 44 feet with a dance floor, kitchen, reception room, and dining room. Men had locker rooms with showers on the first floor. Women had parlors and dressing rooms on the second floor. The club had tennis courts and planned to construct a lake for swimming and other sports, but was almost exclusively a golf club. John A. Baugh, Jr. was President. Miss Mary B. Nix succeeded George H. Crossley as Secretary/Treasurer in 1923. Board members included LaGrange Mayor, Sanford H. Dunson, Jr., and County Historian, Clifford L. Smith. . Membership, open to women and men, reached over sixty in 1923. Prominent members included: Hatton Lovejoy, Dr. Frank M. Ridley, Jr., Henry D. Burks, T. B. Wilhoite, Robert Hutchinson, Samuel P. Rakestraw, Jesse T. Carter, and Dr. Wallace H. Clark.

Dinner/Tournaments and Town Challenge Tournaments with West Point and Newnan were popular for several years before the club closed about 1925. When the City of LaGrange acquired the property in 1926 it included a California style bungalow, a well with a Japanese shelter, and the clubhouse. The 194 acres included one of the best streams in the county and rolling hills. In 1923, Georgia Atkinson Bradfield won the 18 hole women’s championship and broke the course’s nine hole record with a 49. In their second annual tournament, some of the competing teams were mixed, men and women. In 1924, at a tournament in Newnan, players from LaGrange, who represented both LaGrange and Highland Country Clubs, were: Cason J. Callaway, Chilton W. Coleman, Talley B. Moncrief, Grady Kensington, Barney Mayer, William T. Culpepper, and William H. Jones. They tied for second place against eight other cities, including Atlanta and Columbus.

Highland Country Club was chartered January 31, 1922 as a family center to include golf, swimming, tennis, social events, and other recreation. Fuller E. Callaway and his son, Cason J., took the initiative. The former donated the 207.16 acres so that the $40,000 raised by the 53 stockholders could all go into construction and development. The list of original investors includes all those who were prominent in the founding of LaGrange Country Club earlier. They employed Donald Ross to design the course and he came to LaGrange to personally supervise. The architectural firm of Hentz,Adler & Shutze and Reid designed the first, one story clubhouse, which burned in December of 1924. Neel Reid designed a replacement clubhouse that included a second story to serve as a guest house for Callaway-Truitt Mills. The opening day, July 3, 1923 included an exhibition match that brought “big golf in my own backyard” according to Barrington J. King inin 1923. Bobby Jones, the 1922 Southern Amateur Champion, beat Perry Adair, the 1923 Southern Champion, and professionals Harry Stephens of Druid Hills and Howard Beckett of Brookhaven.

The Neel Reid designed three story clubhouse, featured a beautiful port-cochere with four square columns, was replaced in 1966 by a structure of modern design. In 1995, architect Skip Smith redesigned the current, greatly expanded clubhouse that is reminiscent of Churchill Downs. Newman Construction Company completed Smith’s design in a $1.9 million renovation.

Regular tournaments include club championships, the Skin Edge Tournament, and the Highland Classic, a regular stop on the Woman’s Professional Golf Tour. Other golfing events at Highland Country Club date back to one held by the Rotary Club in 1924. Today, tournaments and scrambles are a major source of fund-raising for organizations including the Heart Association, LaGrange Hospice, Boys & Girls Clubs, Cancer Society, and a myriad of civic organizations. Highland was rated among the toughest 25 courses in Georgia in 1985.

Baxter L. Schaub Post, American Legion was founded in 1919 by returning veterans of World War I. Soon after World War II, the group began planning to build a 9 hole golf course and clubhouse on Hamilton Road. The 107 acre site covered the same area once developed as a golf course by LaGrange native Edward Swanson Pinckard. Ben Roberts, civil engineer, made the topographical survey for the course and J. B. McGovern, course designer from Wynnewood, Pa., came to LaGrange to investigate the property. McGovern had been associated with Donald Ross for 25 years and Ross collaborated with him on the models. Beecher Hills Construction Company of Atlanta built the course at a cost of $31,000. Opening day was August 20, 1947. The directors included Post Commander John Bryant, Elmo Bradfield, Charles Gibson, Coley Glenn, Jr., Hugh Campbell, and Horace Richter.

Max McKay leased and operated the course from 1960 to 2005. He developed and made many changes including the addition of a pro shop. Widening of Hamilton Road in 1983 called for changes that expanded the difficulty factor on the last four holes. The Legion and its course closed in 2013.

The Daniel Sherrer Invitational Championship, long time annual event held at Legion Course, began in 1974. In 1980, McKay created Industrial Summer Leagues with 75 players representing 10 companies. Leading the Hillside Cotton Mill team the first year was Allen Doyle, who had won the Georgia State Amateur Tournament the two previous years.

The Fields Golf Club opened its first 9 holes in 1990 under the name Rosemont Hills Golf Club. The developers hoped the course would rival nearby Callaway Gardens at half the cost to players. The club sold memberships but was open to the public until a certain number of memberships were sold. Owners, Frank W. Gill, Jr. of Woodbury, and Dr. Bill Couch of Pine Mountain, set the opening of the second 9 holes for January of 1991. It was the maiden effort of course designer Mike Young, now a world renowned course designerdesigner from Watkinsville and featured rolling links similar to traditionally Scottish fairways. From its highest elevations of 900 feet, players could see Pine Mountain. The course occupied 131 of the site’s 231 acres which also offered 50 to 60 lots for building homes. Vance Smith Construction Company of Pine Mountain did the grading work. The facility included a 5,000 square foot clubhouse and events center with a grill, dining rooms, locker rooms, and pro shop. Rosemont Hills became the Fields by 1999 and in 2006 was refurbished and re-opened under the name Overlook Golf Club. IN 2012, the name became The Fields Golf Club.

First Tee of Troup County began in 2004 spearheaded by Allen Doyle, the winningest amateur since Bobby Jones, to teach golf and life lessons to youth aged 5 to 18. In 2005, the Golf Channel shot a documentary on the program. A special course for the program opened in 2006 on LaFayette Parkway.

Pinckard’s Golf Course developed on Hamilton Road about 1939 by Edward Swanson Pinckard. He operated the course, also known as LaGrange Golf Course, until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941. He died in 1945 of pneumonia, after serving in the South Pacific. The American Legion developed a new course on the same location, on Hamilton Road, in 1947.

Written by F. C. Johnson, III, County Historian, Troup County Historical Society Archives and Legacy Museum on Main

1936 - Ely wins the first of four consecutive club championships at Highland Country Club in LaGrange, Georgia. Photo: media.callawaygolf.com

LAGRANGE FOOTBALL

When LaGrange head football coach Matt Napier began laying out his plan for the 2021 season, he knew how important it was going to be to have a well-rounded quarterback who could expertly run his offense.

Napier examined the roster, weighed his options, and decided that someone who was a wide receiver a year ago was the man for the job.

Tae Snead, a play-making pass catcher on the 2020 team that won eight games and reached the second round of the state playoffs, was moved to quarterback, and he spent the offseason preparing to lead the offense.

Napier was confident Snead had everything it takes to succeed at that position, and the second-year head coach was proven right.

Snead has enjoyed an exceptional season in helping lead the Grangers to a winning record and a spot in the state playoffs for the second straight year.

“He’s a special player,” said Napier, who has helped turn around LaGrange’s program after spending 15 seasons as the offensive coordinator at Callaway High. “He brings a competitiveness that helps the people around him be able to raise their level of play as well. He’s just executing at a high level. He’s continued to improve from game one until now. We’re excited about him.”

Snead showed what he is capable of in the first game when he had a touchdown pass and a scoring run in a 24-6 win over Upson-Lee.

Snead has dazzled defenses with his accurate passes whether he was in the pocket or on the move, and he’s also a threat with his legs, as he has shown on numerous occasions as he showed in a win over Columbus

when he ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run.

It helps that Snead is surrounded by explosive offensive players, including wide receivers Kobe Jones, Tristan Smith and Magic Johnson.

“There are some dynamic play-makers out there,” Napier said. “Tristan and Kobe have really come on to do well, and Magic’s such an explosive player. He brings quickness that makes him a threat, and he’s a great route runner.”

Snead, whose relationship with the wide receivers was no doubt enhanced since he played that position a year ago, has nothing but belief in the players he throws the ball to.

Photo: Kevin Eckleberry

“One thing I have is confidence in my receivers,” Snead said. “I know if I underthrow the ball they’ll get it, if I overthrow the ball they’ll get it. I just have trust in them.”

LaGrange also has gifted running backs in Asa Leath, AJ Tucker and freshman Malachi Render-Fannin, and the offensive linemen have been up to the challenge as well.

“We’ve got a great backfield, and it all starts up front,” Snead said.

Snead is also a tough player, capable of withstanding the physical toll that comes with being a quarterback.

In a loss to defending region-champion Carver, Snead had to leave the field late in the game with an injury, but he returned a few plays later, hobbling, just to be there with his teammates.

The Grangers fell short that night, but Snead’s ability to be a team leader was likely enhanced by his willingness to play while hurt. “He’s got a lot of heart,” Kobe Jones said. “He makes me want to keep going.”

Snead, Napier said after the Carver game, is “a warrior.”

“I’ll go to battle with him any day of the week,” Napier added. “He didn’t do everything perfect, but he sure plays hard and plays with that competitive spirit that makes him a difference-maker. We’re excited to have him on our team, and he’s got that warrior spirit.”

How dynamic the offense can be was on display when LaGrange scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions in a 57-14 road win over McIntosh.

“The starting offense, we had seven possessions, and we scored seven touchdowns,” Napier said, reflecting on the performance against McIntosh. “And we were excited about the execution. We still had some penalties, and things we were able to overcome, and we made some big plays. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but we were happy to be able to execute at a high level, and we were able to get a bunch of guys touches, and see a bunch of different guys make plays.”

LEADING THE WAY: Senior defensive lineman Thadd Dixon is one of the most heavily recruited players on the team, and he has shown why this season. stuffing running plays while showing off his speed and athleticism while getting to opposing quarterbacks.

Even when Dixon isn’t making tackles, he’s making an impact on the game, just because opposing offenses have to always be aware of him and he draws so much attention.

“He makes a play without making a tackle. That’s a big deal,” Napier said. “He disrupts, he takes on two blockers, he affects the puller. All those things allow those quick guys to come up and make plays.”

VETERAN LEADER: A strength of LaGrange’s team this season has been the offensive line, and that’s no doubt due in part to the presence of David Pleasants as the position coach.

Pleasants has decades of experience and has been a head coach before, and he specializes in getting every ounce of potential out of the players he coaches.

That has been particularly important the past two seasons with the offensive line seemingly changing each week because of injuries or quarantine procedures.

“Coach Pleasants does a great job of getting those guys ready each week,” Napier said. “We talk about adversity all the time, and you go down a couple of players here or there, and you’ve got to figure it out. With everything we do, you’ve got to be intelligent, and you’ve got to have a good coach at that position. We had a lot of adversity last year and did a great job.”

Dixon has been a force up front,