This collection documents the historical and current activities of the Wake Forest University Men's Golf Team. Wake Forest has had a men's intercollegiate golf team as early as 1941. The records in this collection primarily cover the 1960s into the present. Materials included in this collection include publications, media guides, schedules, correspondence, photographs, and administrative files.
Wake Forest had a men's intercollegiate golf team as early as 1930. Students played informal and loosely organized matches amongst themselves and against local schools. The first recognized season of intercollegiate competition was 1941. The team consisted of both freshman and varsity teams, and, at the time, was coached by the college's Alumni Secretary, Alfred (Al) Dowtin. Like other sports, Wake Forest put the program on hiatus because of World War II, and the sport was resumed in 1946.
During its earlier years, golf was not a very popular sport on campus, but interest gradually increased. The post-World War II team was coached by Johnny Johnston and composed of Sonny Harris, Buddy Behm, Jack Gentry, Tommy Gray, and newcomers Arnold Palmer and Marvin (Buddy) Worsham. The Deacons golf team continued on with moderately successful seasons through the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1960, the team was coached by Horace (Bones) McKinney, who was also simultaneously coaching the men's basketball team. McKinney resigned that year to focus on basketball, and the team was taken over by Jesse Haddock. Haddock was a Wake Forest alumnus and worked in the department of athletics as an equipment manager prior to taking over as men's golf coach. Haddock would go on to coach the men's golf team for 32 years, securing 15 ACC titles and three national titles. In 2016, a golf training facility, Haddock House, was opened and named in Haddock's honor.
Jesse Haddock retired in 1992, and Jack Lewis assumed the position as coach of the men's golf team. Lewis was a Wake Forest alumnus and golf team veteran, winning as the 1968 ACC individual champion. During Lewis's six-year tenure, the Demon Deacons men's golf team made six NCAA appearances.
Jerry Haas was named the head coach for the men's golf team after Lewis's departure. Haas, himself a Wake Forest alumnus, was a second-team All-American in 1985. To date, Haas has coached the Deacons to 46 tournament wins and an ACC title in 2022.
Other notable Wake Forest golf alumni include Curtis Strange, Webb Simpson, Gary Hallberg, Billy Andrade, Len Mattiace, and Lanny Wadkins, among a roster of talented athletes who have contributed to Wake Forest's longstanding intercollegiate golf legacy.
Athletics Department. Men's Golf Records (RG 21.10m), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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Related collections and items available at Z. Smith Reynolds Library that document the Demon Deacons Men's Baseball Team include: