Pine Valley members Steve Silcott ( left ), Marlon Gunter

( center ) and Sam Stone enjoy camaraderie on the golf course .

MICHAEL CARNRIKE

n VSGA parlance , the Pine

Valley Golf Association is known as a “ social golf group .” As such , the club is not tied to a particular golf course and similar groups make a habit of bouncing around and playing a variety of courses . That was not always an option for Pine Valley members who trace their history back to a time when many of their golfers faced discrimination both inside and outside the game .

Today , the PVGA boasts nearly 70 members including more than 40 golfers who maintain a Handicap Index . Marlon Gunter , a longtime telecommunications professional , is in his second year as the group ’ s president and recently reflected on the impact the club is making in and around the Roanoke Valley .

“ I joined Pine Valley ( Golf Association ) in 1996 ,” says Gunter . “ A friend ’ s father ( Howard Morgan ) encouraged us to join the league to help improve our skills . He was a past president of the Association . Frankly , he was just trying to encourage some younger golfers to join the organization .”

Gunter can relate as he sees the club ’ s aging membership as one of its biggest challenges . In an effort to introduce the game to younger participants , the members of Pine Valley started a golf camp earlier this year .

“ We ’ re trying to provide access and exposure to kids who don ’ t normally have such an opportunity ,” he says . “ We had approximately 40 kids come out during the summer . We had two sessions in which we taught them skill sets and a little about golf and the rules . It was very successful and then at the end we actually collected enough golf clubs from Pine Valley members and other people around the Roanoke Valley that we were able to give these kids sets of clubs . Every person doesn ’ t have golf clubs just laying around , especially when we ’ re talking about the inner-city youth .”

The club has partnered with a local academy — Rebound Roanoke — to assist with the camp .

“ We ’ re going to try and keep a relationship with those folks because their prime goal is to help youth with their academics and things of that nature . It will help introduce those kids to the game of golf .”

In addition to community outreach , Pine Valley conducts a robust event schedule . Probably the most popular feature is its league play — weekly four-ball , match-play competitions — which start in mid-April and run through August . A championship playoff is conducted in September and is the culmination of nearly five months of play . “ I was really glad to see the changes in the Handicap system ,” says Gunter . “ It has helped us this year try to even the playing field for the league .”

Millicent “ Nickey ” Wright also appreciates the change . In addition to helping maintain the club ’ s membership roster , Wright has also served as handicap chair for the last six years and is a key member of Pine Valley ’ s leadership team . “ The World Handicap System is both easier and better to administer ,” she recently remarked . Not much for self-promotion , Wright has been playing golf for 57 years and has a history with the club that runs a little deeper than most . “ I went to school and grew up with some of the guys , so it was like renewing old times when I joined Pine Valley .”

According to Gunter , the club ’ s roster ranges from about 22 years of age to several members who are pushing 80 . “ I ’ m very proud to say that my son ( Myles ) is a member of Pine Valley . He ’ s been playing about five years . One of the concerns we have right now , and one of the reasons why we put on the golf camp , is we need to try and get a little bit younger to make sure Pine Valley keeps growing . We ’ ve got a lot of members probably in the 65 to 80-year-old range . We ’ re trying to get a lot younger and be more diverse , especially with females .”

As part of its schedule , the club also conducts monthly tournaments that begin in March and run through the fall . Highlighting the competitive schedule are a couple of marquee events in June and July .