The Lynchburg club is steeped in Virginia golf tradition
by ARTHUR UTLEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS ( 2 ); COURTESY OF BOONSBORO
BOONSBORO COUNTRY CLUB is celebrating 100 years of playing a prominent role in the history , tradition and culture of golf in Virginia .
The Lynchburg club has produced great players such as Virginia Golf Hall of Fame members Vinny Giles and Donna Andrews ; Virginia State Golf Association Amateur winners Jimmy Watts , George Gosey and Ned Baber ; VSGA Open champions John Bruce and Dr . Rick Bendall ; VSGA Senior Amateur victors Watts , Jim Alexander and Ed ( Judge ) Evans .
Five Boonsboro members have worn the mantle of VSGA president . That is the most by any one club in the association .
H . M . “ Bunny ” Blankinship was the eighth president on the all-volunteer board of directors in 1959-60 . Charles Hancock led the way in 1969-70 ; G . Ed Key Jr . served in 1981-82 ; Giles was president in 1989-90 and Grant Key held the post for two terms ( 2003-05 ).
Blankinship , inducted into the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame in 2022 , played a major role in the growth of the VSGA . In the early 1960s , members of the VSGA Executive Committee ( some of the better players ) wanted to expand services and outreach beyond golf championships . Blankinship was chosen to lead the expansion and was given the title of Executive Secretary . He served 10 years from 1962 until his death in 1972 .
How Blankinship got the nickname “ Bunny ” is a mystery . “ I doubt we will ever know ,” says BCC Centennial Committee chief Malcolm Sydnor .
Boonsboro has played host to 23 VSGA tournaments through the years . The first was the 1940 State Open won by Virginia Golf Hall of Fame member Chandler Harper . Boonsboro member Jimmy Watts was the low amateur .
The VSGA Amateur will be held at Boonsboro for the third time June 26-30 . Jack Hamilton of Newport News won the 1947 tournament . Jimmy Watts was the medalist . Steve Marino of Fairfax defeated Keith Decker in the 1999 event .
Because of the association with the VSGA , Boonsboro has always taken great pride at doing the very best job they could whenever we were hosting those events . It was a great honor and privilege for me to be involved in a small way in those events . We have that history and that culture , and it ’ s one of the things that made the job so great for me .”
— John Comninaki , who followed Phil Owenby as head professional in March 1985 and retired in 2017 , just shy of 33 years of serving the membership
Vinny Giles spent his formative years at Boonsboro Country Club .
vsga . org M AY / J UNE 2023 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 23