Around The Commonwealth
It was just giving back and wanting to be a part of the game and wanting to learn more about the game . And the best way to do that is by volunteering .”
— LEE COBLE
when Tiger ran away with it . Then I got to play Pebble . It ate me up a little bit , but I can ’ t complain . So many fond memories . Also , just working with the guys . The friendships you develop along the way , we still stay in touch with each other . It just brings back memories .
Another was Pinehurst when Payne Stewart won in 1999 . I was greenside with the TV crew there , and I saw him make that putt and do that famous pose . And that pose is on my wall . It was a gift from my team when I retired from IBM in 2004 .
ABOVE : Lee Coble works at a U . S . Open .
BELOW : Coble ’ s impressive display of
USGA memorabilia .
VG : What were some of your fondest memories of your time as VSGA President ? LC : In an attempt to grow the game , we changed the senior age from 55 to 50 . We caught a lot of flack . But the level of play and participation skyrocketed . Another thing I calculated was that between One- Days and championships , we had 365 days of tournament play during a year at the VSGA . Just a wonderful thing to see .
VG : How important is the growth of HBCU golf to the overall health of the game ? LC : It ’ s extremely important . It ’ s important for people to see that student-athletes and African American golfers are a part of the game and can be a big growth part of the game . And it ’ s just as important to see them play and get an education and earn degrees .
THE LEE COBLE FILE
USGA ( 2 )
• Member at Stonehenge Golf & Country Club
• Head golf coach at Virginia Union University , an HBCU in Richmond
• First Black President of the VSGA ( 2012-13 )
• Recipient of the USGA ’ s Ike Grainger Award in 2018 ( for 25 years of volunteer service to the USGA )
vsga . org