Virginia golf legends walk and talk down memory lane

The banter started during a pre-round media conference.

Vinny Giles, Lanny Wadkins, Bobby Wadkins, Curtis Strange and Robert Wrenn, billed as Virginia’s Legends of Golf for a Skins Game exhibition, gathered in the Peery Room at Independence Golf Club.

Legend is an appropriate label for each of the quintet. All have long lists of accomplishments on the golf course. Giles, Wrenn and Bobby Wadkins still live in the Richmond area. L. Wadkins lives in Dallas, and Strange in Morehead City, N.C.

When asked how nice it was to be together, Bobby Wadkins answered quickly:

“I think we’re all glad to be here to play with Marvin Giles III since he’s a U.S. champion [again]. We’re all looking forward to playing with him.“

Giles, 66, is the oldest of the group and the only amateur. He won the U.S. Senior Amateur a couple of weeks ago. It was Giles, a sports representative, who helped get everyone together.

“Robert and Vinny are the only two I’m looking forward to playing with,“ said Strange, 54 and the last player to win back-to-back U.S. Opens. He’s a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Said L. Wadkins, who will be inducted into the World Hall in November: “We could have done without Curtis in heartbeat.“

The fivesome came together to raise money for the Virginia State Golf Association Foundation’s junior golf programs.

“You’ve got to get the young people interested. Junior golf is the best way to give the game a boost,“ Giles said.

About 1,800 tickets at $100 per were sold. The number in attendance on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon was about 1,500.

“I’ve watched all of them and followed their careers. I’m interested in what they do,“ said Steve Hanson, who played junior golf with the Wadkins boys.

The players’ caddies bid their way into the affair at an auction Sunday night. The bids totaled $7,500. The players donated their time.

Each hole was worth a $1,000. If a hole didn’t have a winner, the money carried over. All the players were miked for sound.

Giles struck first with a 10-foot birdie putt worth $3,000 on the third hole. A number of spectators commented that they thought Giles was the best player of the bunch.

As glossy as the résumés are, the golf wasn’t that pretty. Few putts found the cup on Independence’s slick, subtle greens.

“You look so good, you’re only off by a foot,“ L. Wadkins, 59, said after a miss at the sixth hole.

Although there was some ribbing throughout, none of these guys is Lee Trevino or Chi Chi Rodriguez as entertainers. All have been successful because they’re competitive grinders.

Carryovers made the ninth hole worth $6,000. B. Wadkins, 58, stuck his tee shot on the par-3 to 10 feet and rolled in the birdie putt.

“At least someone made a birdie,“ a spectator said.

Bobby picked up another $1,000 at No. 10 with a tap-in birdie. L. Wadkins rolled in an 18-foot birdie on No. 12, but Wrenn, who had let a couple of skin chances get away, topped it from 5 feet for a carryover. Giles earned $3,000 more with an eagle on the par-5 13th.

At the par-4 15th hole, Strange asked about the yardage to the hole. L. Wadkins’ response was, “You’re not that good anymore.“ Strange nearly holed the shot. He tapped in from 6 inches for a $2,000 skin.

B. Wadkins urged Wrenn, 50, to get on the board by sinking a 5-foot birdie try at 16, but the ball stayed out again. Wrenn’s wry smile told his story.

L. Wadkins earned the last skin, $2,000 at 17.

The gallery had dwindled through the back nine, but when the exhibition ended, there was one spectator speaking for everyone: “That was good. That was very good.“

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or