MyTurn by JIM DUCIBELLA
The Power of Volunteerism
Dave Whitener’ s final Eastern Amateur highlights the quiet power of giving back
D
AVE WHITENER OF MIDLOTHIAN IS 95 YEARS OLD, plays golf every day at Providence Golf Club and is infinitely more with it than the young fella who phoned him. His life in golf is testimony to the often-unappreciated power of volunteerism.
Beginning in 1972, Whitener spent 48 years as a scorer for CBS at The Masters. By all accounts, he would have gladly continued had the network not made COVID-related staff cuts.
Whitener, who has volunteered at every Eastern Amateur in Portsmouth since its inception in 1957, announced that the 68th tournament starting late July will be his last.
An Eastern Amateur Staple Over the decades, his role at the Eastern evolved significantly. He ascended from overseeing the press room at Elizabeth Manor to serving on the executive committee to becoming tournament chairman in 1989. Whitener did that thankless work until 1996, when Karl Quinn took over.
“ There is no Eastern Amateur without volunteers,” Quinn said.“ He’ s done everything needed for this tournament. At one point, there was a petition to stop the tournament because it interfered with member play. Dave went to the Board of Directors, and together they agreed that the tournament should continue, that it was good for the club.”
Asked for memories, Whitener immediately mentions the Strange family. Tom Strange won the inaugural Eastern Amateur, outlasting brother-in-law Jordan Ball. He immediately turned pro and went to work at Elizabeth Manor. Whitener’ s relationship with Strange made the 1975 Eastern joyous as Tom’ s son, Curtis, took the title.
“ I knew Curtis since he was a young kid and watched him develop and grow into a fine plyer,” Whitener said.“ The Eastern was Curtis’ first big win.”
Legends of the Eastern More than 100 past Eastern competitors have gone on to play professionally— among them Lanny Wadkins, Ben Crenshaw and Andy Bean. Five Eastern champs have won the U. S. Open: Strange, Scott Simpson,
Dave Whitener with 1974 winner Andy Bean.
Hale Irwin, Tom Kite and Steve Jones.
An impressive list of players came to Portsmouth but failed to win: Corey Pavin, Steve Melnyk, Tom Kite, Craig Stadler, Scott Hoch and Gary Koch, to name a few.
Before he became commissioner of the PGA Tour, Dean Beman was an Eastern regular. An insurance salesman, Whitener said that Beman flew his own plane into Chesapeake, where tournament officials retrieved him. Beman loved the Eastern, winning it four times.
The tournament, while still considered a“ major’ amateur event, has changed quite a bit. Whitener figures that in its golden days, the average age of the entrants was 22, though many were much older. The golf was great, and the postround parties even better.
Whitener estimates the average age of today’ s entrants to be closer to 17.
“ They play, go with their parents to eat dinner and go to sleep,” he remarked.“ Years ago, there were( just) five major amateur tournaments. Today, we get a goodly number of applicants, but it’ s not the same. There are so many other tournaments going on at the same time.”
Despite the famous names who played the Eastern, the player Whitener remembers most never won, but he has a record no one will ever equal.
Bill Harvey finished in the top 10 in’ 59,’ 60,’ 61,’ 63,’ 65,’ 77,’ 78 and’ 80. That’ s right— four different decades.
Harvey, from Greensboro, died in 2013 after qualifying for the U. S. Amateur 18 times and winning three Carolina Amateur titles. But he never took home anything from the Eastern, aside from long nights playing gin with Vinny Giles in the clubhouse.
That’ s not the only reason Whitener remembers him.
“ He’ d drink beer on the golf course, a great drinker,” Whitener recalled with a laugh.“ He would have a golf cart loaded with beer, and he’ d hire someone to drive the cart while he played. But he remained pretty sober during the tournament.”
A Lasting Legacy Part of the Eastern’ s charm will be missing in 2026 when Whitener— the quintessential volunteer— isn’ t manning the 10th tee, welcoming players, chatting them up and encouraging them as he has the last 15 years.
To celebrate his service, Quinn is putting together a display he hopes will feature the signatures of everyone who ever volunteered at the Eastern.
It’ s anyone’ s guess how many that will be, but knowing Whitener, he’ ll have a story about each one.
PHOTOS DIGITIZED COURTESY OF DAVE WHITENER
40 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J U LY / A UGUST 2025 vsga. org