The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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July 9, 2009

Legacy lives on

Davis to be remembered at 2009 BNI Memorial Golf Tournament

By Dave Morrison

Joel Davis still remembers the times that his brother, Jeff, let him tag along on the golf course.

“He was 22, 23 and I was 12 or 13,” Davis said Thursday. “And he always let me come along and play. As long as I could keep up and not slow things down, he didn’t mind. And he could have just shooed my off. He really taught me the game of golf.”

And golf, well, that was Jeff Davis’ game.

And Davis is being remembered for his love of the game. The BNI Memorial Golf Tournament is being dedicated to the memory of Davis, one of the best known and well-respected golfers in local golf circles.

Davis passed away in 2006.

A long-time BNI participant, Davis was a 26-year veteran of the West Virginia State Police.

And he golfed “whenever he got a day off, sometimes when he didn’t have a day off,” said his older brother Jim Davis.

“That was his sport. He loved the game so much he went to St. Andrews. He went to Ireland because he loved the game so much.”

“Golf was his life,” said his wife, Peggy. “It really means a lot to us that people thought this much of him to (dedicate the tournament in his honor). I never really liked it. He played but he always made time for us. He’d take us fishing.”

His son Jeff Lee, a baseball player at Shady Spring when he was in high school, admits he doesn’t have the love of golf his dad had.

“It just wasn’t in me,” he said. “He did love golf while we’re (he and his son Cass Lee like to fish and hunt) into outdoor sports.”

Davis started his golf journey as a caddie at White Oak Country Club in Oak Hill, along with Jim.

“That was our introduction to golf,” Jim said. “They taught us how to caddie and we got paid to do that job. For Jeff, he loved it right off. That’s how he got started, as a caddie.”

“I know he was a very popular guy in the local golf community,” BNI Memorial Golf Tournament director Pat Hanna said. “And he was a player. He and Jimmy Jones finished second in the West Virginia Four-Ball Championship (one year). He played golf the right way, the way it is supposed to be played.”

Joel Davis will again participate in the event, an annual rite of summer for the Oak Hill High School teacher.

“It’s always special, but this year a little more so with it being dedicated to my brother,” he said. “He knew a lot of these guys and they meant a lot to him. And they mean a lot to me.”

“Joel’s been a big part of the BNI,” Hanna said. “He’s participated every year I’ve been involved. He’s come close to winning it a couple times. But win or lose, Joel didn’t let it bother him. And I think Jeff was that way. Like Roger Keaton said, ‘Whether he won or lost, Jeff always walked away knowing he had a good time.’ I think they were alike in that way.”

Hanna said his dedication as a public service as a State Trooper shouldn’t go unnoticed, either.

“A lot of times we don’t thank these people as much as we should,” he said.

As one of the all-time good guys, Davis’ legacy on the local links won’t be forgotten.

Still...

“I miss my dad,” said his son, Jerry Lee.

That’s a sentiment shared by local golfers all over the area.

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