Charlie Anderson, elected Saturday as the 34th president of the Georgia State Golf Association, has made a big impact on the game since he moved here from Long Island to attend Oglethorpe University.
Upon arriving at school in 1973, Anderson learned the school had no golf team. So he put together the proper paperwork and got the team approved. “To tell you the truth it was because I wanted to play golf,” he said.
The budget was non-existent, so Anderson bought a dozen golf balls and handed each player one of them with a word of admonition: “Don’t go near the water.”
The team practiced and played at Chastain Park, and Anderson will usually go back there four or five times a year – often with his twin brother – to play. Part of it is nostalgia, and part of it is because he loves the course.
Things have changed a bit at Oglethorpe since then – the Stormy Petrels have won two national championships under coach Jim Owen and are one of the nation’s top Division III programs – but Anderson’s leadership and sphere of influence has continued to grow.
He began his service with the GSGA as a rules official in 2009 and has since spent five years on the executive committee and was chairman of the championship committee the past two years. He was president of the Atlanta Athletic Club from 2002-03, was part of the club’s executive committee for the 2001 and 2011 PGA Championships, and served as co-chair, along with his pal Glenn Cornell, for the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship.
While most of the heavy lifting with the GSGA is done by the staff, the president gets to help guide and drive the agenda. Anderson, 70, said he wants to make sure all of the state’s scheduled competitions are conducted – “and do it safely” he said – and that golf would become more accessible to women, juniors and non-traditional golfers.
Anderson pointed out that rounds of golf increased by 35 percent in 2020 – about 900,000 additional rounds than 2019 – and that the game has an open window for growth.
“It’s such a great game, and the minute you hit a ball and get it airborne, you start getting excited,” Anderson said.
Credit: Steve Colquitt
Credit: Steve Colquitt
Georgia’s Don building on record start
The No. 6-ranked Georgia women get their turn at the 49th annual Florida Gators Invitational starting Sunday. They tied for third in the season-opening LTWF Heroes Invitational and placed three in the top 15. The highlight was an 11-under team score in the second round – the second-best round in school history -- that featured a school-record 64 from Caterina Don.
Don competed in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open and is one of three Bulldogs to receive an invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She finished third and was joined in the top 15 by teammates Jo Hua Hung and Jenny Bae.
“The competition is high,” Don said. “We have five players, and the next two that didn’t qualify (for the Heroes Invitational) are both going to Augusta. That just shows how competitive we are as a team and how hard it is to compete for the team. We have a lot of good players who can play good. It builds your confidence that once you get there you’ve played good just to get there.”
Credit: John Weast
Credit: John Weast
Around the campus
Trent Phillips was named SEC Men’s Golfer of the Week after he finished as co-medalist and helped No. 3-ranked Georgia finished second at the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. Phillips finished 11-under 199 to collect his second career win. The Bulldogs tied with Auburn at 24 under, five shots behind the host Gators. Davis Thompson and Connor Creasy tied for 11th for Georgia. …
Georgia Southern finished 12th at the Gators Invitational, with Mason Williams tied for 24th. The Eagles play at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee starting Friday. …
Georgia Tech will compete in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, its fourth tournament of the spring, at the Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif. The Yellow Jackets are led by Connor Howe and Noah Norton, a two-time all-ACC selection. That duo has 118 of the young team’s 160 competitive college rounds. ...
Georgia State had its tournament at Houston’s cancelled this week because inclement weather. … The Georgia State women had their first event shortened to 18 holes because of bad weather and defeated Dayton in a rare dual match. Petra Duran and Mahina Leveau were co-medalists at 76.
Miscellaneous
Since 2004, U.S. Kids Golf has recognized the best coaches with the Top 50 Kids Coach Award. Among the criteria considered are experience, innovation, creativity, communication, parental engagement, organization, devotion and growing the game. Georgia instructors who made the list include Rachel Clopton of Bobby Jones Golf Course, Richard Degree of Sugar Creek Golf Course and Nix Duncan of Cherokee Town and Country Club.
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