Athletics Department. Men's Golf Records
This collection includes materials that document the history and current activities of the Wake Forest Men's Intercollegiate golf team. The team was formally established and recognized in 1941 and has since grown into a high-ranking and highly competitive intercollegiate athletics program. Materials in this collection include administrative files, publications, recruitment materials, photographs, and correspondence.
Biographical and Historical Note
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.
Sources:
- The History of Wake Forest College, Volume II, 1865-1905, 1943, page 321-333. ZSR Special Collections and Archives, http://hdl.handle.net/10339/33246
- The History of Wake Forest College, Volume III, 1905-1943, 1943, page 118-128. ZSR Special Collections and Archives, http://hdl.handle.net/10339/33247
Collection Overview
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.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into 4 series. Series 1. Administrative and season materials, Series 2. Student-athlete and coach files, Series 3. Pictorial materials, and Series 4. Publications. Materials in Series 1 and 2 are arranged alphabetically and materials in Series 3 and 4 are arranged chronologically.
Series 1. Administrative and seasonal materials primarily relate to general operations and oversight of the men's golf team such as scheduling, correspondence, facilities management, as well as funding and budget information. Series 2. Student-athlete and coach files primarily contain correspondence and biographical information such as newspaper clippings.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- This collection was processed by Ashelee Gerald Hill, 2025 August
- Conditions Governing Access
- This collection is open for use.
- Conditions Governing Use
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Athletics Department. Men's Golf Records (RG 21.10m), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.