CHRIS LANG ( 2 )

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Mechanicsville ’ s Bert Wilson , a member at Lakeside Park Club , was the recipient of the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award . As a Rules official , Wilson worked 22 events , spanning 42 days on a golf course . He ’ s also the Rules liaison for the Virginia High School League , which held two golf seasons ( spring and fall ) in 2021 due to the pandemic ’ s cancellation of the 2020 season .

Additionally , Wilson served as captain for the Virginias team for the Virginias-Carolinas Junior Boys ’ Matches . He is a member of the VSGA Board of Directors and serves on the Competitions , Finance , and Governance Committees .

SERVICE TO GOLF Janet Phillips , a Richmond native and graduate of James Madison University , was the 2021 recipient of the Service to Golf Award . Phillips , a PGA / LPGA teaching professional and the coach at St . Catherine ’ s School , began her teaching career at Windy Hill Sports Complex in Midlothian in 1989 , back when it had only a driving range , batting cage and mini golf . The property grew to include a regulation 9-hole golf course and a 9-hole par-3 course . She sold it in 2021 but remained in teaching .

Phillips became a PGA member in 1998 and an LPGA professional in 2000 . She earned the VSGA ’ s President ’ s Award in 2006 , and in the same year , she was named the LPGA National Professional of the Year .

GROW THE GAME AWARD In 2017 , the VSGA Grow The Game Award was created to recognize the positive impact and efforts made to grow the game of golf in Virginia . For the first time , the award went to an organization rather than a single person — Belmont Golf Course in Henrico .

By now , Belmont ’ s story is familiar to most reading this magazine . The current Belmont facility was the original site of Hermitage Country Club , and the A . W . Tillinghast designed course opened for play in 1917 . Hermitage moved to a new property in Goochland County in 1973 , and Henrico County took over management responsibility of the original course .

Through the years , rounds decreased and course maintenance costs increased . The course fell into disrepair , and the county began exploring non-golf options for the property . Community members banded together to save the course . Then , The First Tee came into the picture . In 2020 , the First Tee of Greater Richmond partnered with Love Golf Design to transform the course into a modern golf facility , featuring

LEFT : Bert Wilson is a valuable Rules of Golf resource for both the VSGA and VHSL . RIGHT : Janet Phillips has more than 30 years of teaching experience .

a 12-hole championship layout — holes 7-18 of the original property — along with a six-hole short course and a 18-hole putting course .

With The First Tee ’ s support , Belmont has committed to strengthening the character of the golf community in Richmond by welcoming players of all ages and skills to find their entry point into the game .

PRESIDENT ’ S AWARD The 2021 President ’ s Award was presented posthumously to Bill Millsaps , a giant in the Virginia media landscape , winner of the Red Smith Award , former VSGA board member , and Virginia Golf Hall of Famer .

Millsaps died in 2020 after a battle with cancer , a year after his induction to the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame . His impact was felt in the pages of this magazine , as he led the Virginia Golfer Editorial Committee and later became the chairman of the VSGA ’ s marketing and communication committee .