For Immediate Release
RE: Zoar Memorial Amateur
(Zoar, OH) The annual Zoar Memorial Amateur Championship is slated for May 28 and 29th at Zoar Golf Club. The 36-hole tournament features some of the best amateur players from Ohio and surrounding states. The 2021 Champion, Dylan Kauffman from Sugarcreek is unable to defend his title this year so the Champions Crystal is up for grabs. In the Senior Division, Matt Bitikofer from Strasburg is returning to defend his title.
Past champions also returning include Eric Crone, Brad Baker, Rob Schustrich, Dave Clarke, and Aaron Crewse.
As is the tradition, the tournament will honor and remember those who have contributed to the game of golf.
This year’s Honoree is Dr. Barb Easlick. Barb was raised in Dover, Ohio, and was a three-sport star at Kent State University. Upon graduation, she worked at Bent Tree Golf and Racquet Club in Sarasota, Florida, and began her quest to join the LPGA Tour coming close several times. She worked with PGA Professionals Johnny Kindred and David Leadbetter then came home to Dover and became the golf instructor at Zoar Golf Club for over 25 years.
She also served as the women’s basketball coach and started the softball program at Malone University before becoming a Full Professor in the School of Business. Dr. Easlick was inducted into the Malone Hall of Fame in 2002 and retired from Malone University in 2015 after 30 years of service. Today she spends her Winters in Wildwood, Florida and her summers in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The Zoar Memorial also would like to remember the career of Mr. Max McConnell of Coshocton. Max owned and operated the hardware store in Roscoe Village.
He started caddying at Hilltop GC in 1936 when most players tipped a nickel. He finished 2nd in the state amateur championship in 1940. Max won the county championship, known as the Tribune Tournament in 1938 at age of 16, winning 5 more times over the coming years. When asked why he never turned pro, he said, “It was considered a gypsy life back then and the winners made very little money.”
Max used to volunteer to teach women’s golf lessons for the Coshocton Recreation Department. One time after a lesson on chipping, a lady called Max at home and told him, “I tried to chip the way you taught me and I scored 10 strokes worse than I normally do.” Max replied, “You didn’t do it the way I told you to or you would have taken 10 strokes off of your score.”
Max McConnell was also a WWII War Hero. He was awarded the Bronze star, Silver Star, and a Presidential Citation for “unselfish gallantry on the battlefield as a medic.” Max was credited with helping his platoon receive the Presidential Citation, mentioning his leadership enabling the men to stand strong while fighting five days straight with no sleep.
Max and his wife Mary Ann had three children. Mark was the PGA professional for 22 years at Sewickley CC in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he spent 6 years at St. Clair and 5 years at Hickory Flatt GC, Cynthia played at The Ohio State University from 1974-78 and taught in the Dublin School system, and Craig is currently in his 28th year at Oak Shadows GC after spending 5 years at Union CC.
The first round of the Zoar Memorial starts at 11:30 at Zoar Golf Club.
Each Memorial Day Weekend, Zoar Golf Club holds the Zoar Memorial. This 36-hole competition for the amateur golfer also honors and remembers those players that have significantly contributed to the game of golf.
The 2021 Honoree is Greg Goodrich.
Goodrich is widely regarded as one of the premier Champion Golfers of the region. He won six Tuscarawas County Amateur Championships from 1964 to 1971. He was the winner of six Clay City Opens from 1963-1985. Greg was also the winner of over 100 tournaments in Tuscarawas County and around the state.
Most players go an entire lifetime without a hole in one, Greg has had six in his career!
His past has also included serving as a Golf Professional, Greens Superintendent, and Director of Golf at 3 different golf facilities in the ’80s and ’90s.
Goodrich commented on his honor at Zoar Golf Club by attributing his success to his family and fellow golfers. “I have had an unbelievable career in golf, it’s a great game. I have played with the best and I am thankful for the friendships I have made.”
Goodrich was born and educated in Dennison, Ohio. He furthered his Education at Kent State University and Columbus Business University. He is currently the President and owner of Goodrich Enterprises. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1982.
Also, the local golf community remembers Roy Kennedy, a past Champion Golfer.
Kennedy won the Tuscarawas County Amateur in 1968, The Clay City Open
in 1970 and numerous other amateur tournaments in Tuscarawas County.
Roy also competed annually in the Ohio Public Links and
Ohio Amateur championships.
He was born and educated in Gnadenhutten, retired from the railroad, and passed in 2015. Roy was a WWII veteran.
Goodrich commented that Roy, “…will always be remembered as a tough competitor and had tremendous ball-striking ability.”
The 2020 Zoar Memorial Champion was Eric Crone in the open division, while Brad Baker won his 4th title in the senior division.
The Zoar Memorial tees of Saturday morning at 11:30 and concludes on Sunday afternoon.
Each Memorial Day weekend, Zoar Golf Club holds the Zoar Memorial and despite the coronavirus pandemic this year’s event will go on.
The 36-hole competition for amateur golfers will also honor and remember those players who have significantly contributed to the game of golf.
It has long been said that golf was a gentlemen’s game. In spite of the beer-drinking events, the “you da man” crowds, and the fist-pumping inappropriate language from Tiger Woods, golf is still played by gentlemen and ladies.
This year Zoar Golf Club will recognize and honor one of the true gentlemen of golf: Harold Shade.
Shade has played golf for more than 70 years starting as a caddy in the late 1940s. Although his high school did not have a golf team, he and a college buddy helped form the first golf team at Alderson Broaddus University, where he lettered for four years.
Shade started and coached the first golf team at the former Scio High in 1963.
In the mid-1960s, Shade played in golf leagues at Big Bend and Green Valley and claimed the Clay City Open. On the first hole of that tournament, he recorded his first hole-in-one.
In 1969, he became the Assistant Dean of Kent State University at Tuscarawas, a position he held for 11 years. During those years, his golf teams won seven regional championships. He also conducted golf instruction through the continuing education program until becoming Dean of the campus in 1980.
During the next several years, Shade would go on to win eight state tournaments as a member of the Knights of Pythias. At one time, he held the course record at Green Valley and Atwood with scores of 63, shooting a 30 as part of each of those scores.
In the early 1970s, Shade had a leadership role in the TDGA and in the mid-70s won the Class AA level in a playoff.
He later became a member of Union Country Club in Dover, where he served on its Board for years and President for two years. In the late 1990s, Shade and Steve Stokey won the Green Coat Tournament. He also was a member of two UCC Oldsmobile Scramble teams that qualified for the nationals in Florida.
In his career, Shade has posted six holes-in-one. At 81, he plays most of his golf at Five Waters in a scramble format and goes with that group to other courses on Fridays.
This year, the local golf community also remembers Jim Hawk, who passed away in 2018.
Hawk was also respected for his demeanor while playing and working in golf. He was known for being honest, caring and a wonderful family man. His ability to run heavy equipment boded well as he did years of free work for several golf courses in the area.
The players will tee off at 11:40 a.m. this Saturday with the final round on Sunday.
Under the Tuscarawas County Health Department and golf course COVID-19 rules, the competitors will play their round, scores will be posted online and no other functions usually associated with tournament play and the event will be permitted.
Only walking spectators will be allowed, and social distance rules will be enforced.
For Immediate Release
RE: Zoar Golf Club’s Memorial Tournament
Sugarcreek native James Troyer and the late Tuscarawas District Golf Assn. secretary Warner Kopp will be honored during the Zoar Golf Club’s Memorial Amateur Championship on May 26-27.
Aaron Crewse won the 2017 open division, which features the best golfers from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Brad Baker captured the senior division championship.
The annual 36-hole tournament is open to any low-handicap amateur in Ohio and surrounding states. Golfers ages 50 and over compete in the senior division.
In addition, the tournament serves to remember and honor the significant contributors to the local and regional golf scene.
This year the tournament’s “In Honor” recognition goes to Troyer, 80, who started playing golf when he was just seven years old.
Troyer owned, managed, and served as superintendent of the Sugarcreek Golf Course from 1977 through 1997. The course, now Willandale, is Ohio’s eighth oldest.
During the course of his playing career, he won 110 events, including the Tuscarawas County Amateur Championship three times.
He was a regular contender in the Tuscarawas District Golf Assn. the annual competition, which featured seven tournaments on seven different courses: Big Bend, Green Valley, Hickory Flat, River Greens, Sugarcreek, Wilkshire, and Zoar.
During a particularly successful year, Troyer won all seven events.
While at Sugarcreek Golf Club, Troyer started a junior golf clinic and tournament, which served as entries into the sport for many young athletes.
One of his fondest memories was playing in the Ohio Jaycees Tournament in Columbus. Paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round, he finished in second place at even par. Nicklaus, who was 15 at the time, beat Troyer by nine shots. Troyer said it was obvious Nicklaus was destined for greatness.
Troyer and his wife, Pat, worked as volunteers for the PGA at the Energizer Senior Players Championship at the Dunes Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Kopp, this year’s “In Memory” recipient, served as secretary of the TDGA for 30 years. As part of his duties, Kopp organized, scheduled, recorded scores, kept handicaps, and “ran a good ship.”
Zoar Village Golf Club, a widely acclaimed public course, is located in northern Tuscarawas County at 8229 Dover-Zoar Road just off Rt. 212.
For Immediate Release
RE: Zoar Memorial Championship and Honoree
(Zoar, OH) The sixth annual Zoar Memorial Championship is slated for Saturday and Sunday, May 25th and 26th at Zoar Golf Club. The tournament is a 36-hole medal-play event for the best amateurs from Ohio and surrounding states. There is also a senior division for those over 50 years of age.
Also, the event takes the opportunity to honor and remember players from past years of tournament competition in the region. The 2019 Honoree is John Colombo of Roswell, Ohio.
John, 80, is a lifelong resident of Tuscarawas County and was a regular winner in the Tuscarawas District Golf Association tournaments. His sons: John, Craig, and Chris all inherited his passion for the game. His first win came when he was 15 years old. He started to play golf when he worked at the “old Country Club”, now Union CC, when it was just 9 holes. He said he mowed, raked bunkers, caddied, and played on Mondays.
He remembered the TDGA as a very good and well-run organization by Warner Kopp. Kopp was the recipient of the 2018 “IN MEMORY” recognition. The organization hosted tournaments at Sugarcreek, Wilkshire, Green Valley, Big Bend, Hickory Flatts, River Greens, Union CC, and Zoar GC.
Colombo was a 4 sport letterman at Midvale High School. There was no golf team back then so he enjoyed the track, baseball, football, and basketball. Colombo has the distinction of making the first basket ever in a state tournament in the new St. John’s Arena at Ohio State. Midvale lost to eventual state champion: Ayersville.
This year’s “In Memory” recognition is Jack Matchett, Colombo’s longtime golf partner who passed away ten years ago. Colombo said he was a fun-loving, joke-telling player that everyone enjoyed in their 4-some. “I am pleased that our names will be on the board next to each other,” said Colombo. “I miss him every day.”
The first round of The Zoar Memorial is Saturday. Ian Hardesty is the open division defending champion. Brad Baker won the Senior Division the past 2 years.
For immediate release
ZOAR, Ohio — The third annual Zoar Memorial Amateur Championship will be played May 27-28 at Zoar Village Golf Club.
Jacob Appleby of North Canton is returning to defend his title in the open division while Brad Baker of Warsaw will tee it up in defense of his senior division crown.
The annual 36-hole tournament is open to any low-handicap amateur in Ohio and surrounding states. Golfers ages 50 and over can compete in the senior division.
In addition, the tournament serves to remember and honor the significant contributors to the local and regional golf scene.
The tournament’s “In Honor” recognition goes to Dave Fowler, an Air Force veteran who showed off his golf talents at installations and locations around the world.
Fowler, born in 1938 in Canton, was introduced to the game at the age of 6 by his father when he purchased a junior membership for $16 for him at the Tam O’Shanter golf course. Fowler attended Lincoln High, entering the Air Force after graduation. He devoted 20 years to the service eventually returning to Canton where he landed a job with the Post Office.
In 1959 Fowler competed in the Indian Open in New Delhi. In 1961, he won the base championship at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.
In 1969, he was a medalist in the Lackland AFB Security Services Championship. In 1970 he took charge of the golf course construction at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska. When the project was completed in 1972, Fowler became the manager.
Fowler is a regular on the Zoar range and participates in a number of leagues.
This year the “In Memoriam” honoree is Doran Immel, an avid golfer who passed away last year. Immel was a scratch golfer that grew up caddying and playing at Sugarcreek GC. His love of golf was reflected in the abilities and accomplishments of all four sons.
Doran won 5 club championships at Sugarcreek GC and several at River Greens GC. His last competitive round found him finishing second to his oldest son Tim.
Immel was a founding member of the Tuscarawas District Golf Association. He took home the Champions Trophy many times during his prime. He won the Clay City Open at Big Bend and the Pepsi Tournament at Hidden Valley.
Doran Immel spent many years promoting the game of golf through his positive attitude toward all he encountered.
The Zoar Memorial is open to any low-handicap amateur.
Zoar Village Golf Club, a widely acclaimed public course, is located in northern Tuscarawas County at 8229 Dover-Zoar Road just off state Route 212.
The second Zoar Memorial Amateur Championship will be played May 28-29 at Zoar Village Golf Course. The annual 36-hole tournament is open to any low-handicap amateur in Ohio and surrounding states.
The tournament also will feature a senior division for those over age 50. In addition, the tournament serves to remember and honor the significant contributors to the local and regional golf scene.
This year the In Memoriamhonoree is Joe Ungvary Sr. of Cuyahoga Falls. Ungvary, playing at numerous venues over several decades, won a host of tournaments including the 1993 United States Senior Amateur Championship, his crowning achievement. Ungvary is a member of four halls of fame, which are Orange High School, Summit County Sports, Northeast Ohio Golf, and Ohio Golf. He also excelled at basketball and served as a high school coach, heading up the program at Clevelands John Adams High for five years. He died of cancer in 1999 at the age of 61.
The tournament’sIn Honor recognition goes to Chuck Smith of Naples, Florida, formerly of Delaware, Ohio, who played in amateur golf tournaments throughout the eastern U.S. During his amateur career he won 26 club championships and qualified for 12 United States Golf Assn. championships, winning 14 state titles in Ohio and North Carolina.
The Zoar Memorial is open to any low-handicap amateur. Last year’s winner was Tyler Maranville of Hartville, who has turned professional. Dave Clarke of St. Clairsville is the defending senior division champion.
Zoar Village Golf Course is located in northern Tuscarawas County at 8229 Dover-Zoar Road just off state Route 212.
For Immediate Release
RE: Zoar Memorial Amateur Championship
DOVER, Ohio — The inaugural Zoar Memorial Amateur Championship will be played May 23-24 at Zoar Village Golf Course.
The 36-hole tournament is open to any low-handicap amateur in Ohio and surrounding states. The tournament also will feature a senior division for those over age 50 this year.
In addition, the tournament also will serve to remember the significant contributors to the local golf scene.
This year In Memoriam are brothers Larry and Ernie Frank, and Honorees will be William Kobel and Glen Apple.
Larry Frank was the brainchild behind the development of Zoar Village Golf Course. Hailing from a large family, Larry in 1973 approached his brothers, including Ernie, his sisters, and others with the idea of building a golf course in northern Tuscarawas County.
Larry ultimately assumed the position of general manager when the course opened in 1975. He held that title until his untimely death in 2007.
Ernie, a retiree from the Soil and Water Conservation Service, was instrumental in identifying the many parcels that would become the course. He served as a Zoar Village Golf Course board member and adviser until his death in 2014.
Kobel served as Zoar’s first superintendent while handling similar duties at Union Country Club in Dover, where he served from 1971 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1987.
Kobel learned his craft while a student in the University of Massachusetts’ renowned Stockbridge School of Agriculture turfgrass management and science program.
In addition to Zoar and Union Country Club, he did stints at Mayfield Country Club in South Euclid, Hawthorne Valley Golf Club in Solon, Darby Creek Golf Course in Marysville, and Bangor Municipal Golf Course in Bangor, Maine.
He also served as president of Northern Ohio Golf Course Superintendent Assn. in 1985.
Apple, a retired teacher from Medina, has won numerous amateur events. He is considered to be the consummate “gentleman golfer” and now serves as an instructor at summer camps for chapters of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
Apple’s golf resume speaks for itself:
–Four-time state champion, four-time runner-up, and two-time senior champion of the Ohio Public Links Assn. annual tournament.
–Three-time runner-up of the Ohio Golf Assn. State Amateur Tournament and five-time champion of the Ohio Golf Assn. Mid-Amateur Tournament.
–Four-time match play the champion of the Northern Ohio Golf Assn.
Apple is a member of the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame, the Ohio Public Golfers Hall of Fame, the Northern Ohio Golf Hall of Fame, and the Columbus Golf Assn. Hall of Fame and the Medina County Hall of Fame.
Zoar Village Golf Course is located in northern Tuscarawas County at 8229 Dover-Zoar Rd. just off Rt. 212.