Jimmy Anderson was the golf pro at Jacksonville Country Club in Jacksonville, NC for almost 30 years.  During his tenure there he was well known for his passion of teaching youth golf and getting new players involved in the sport.  Many of his protégés went on to multiple accomplishments including the Jacksonville High School golf team’s state championship in 1987.  And an individual state Championship for one of his players in the same year. 

 

Jimmy  was also known to impart many life lessons along with his golf knowledge.  And he was good with the “tough love” that some of his players needed and even if they didn’t need it, they got it anyway.  If you wanted to play or practice, you had to work for it and he taught many a kid about the ethic of hard work so they could earn their time on the course and the driving range. This included arriving before he did to the course, cleaning clubs and golf carts, gathering range balls.  Many a day, Jimmy would arrive to the course with his “work crew” waiting for him. 

 

After becoming adults and continuing their love of golf that Jimmy instilled in them, a group of the players collaborated and decided to create the Jimmy Anderson Jr Invitational in his honor.  He, in his typical self effacing style did not see the need  and tried to discourage this recognition.  Fortunately, the players prevailed and this coming year, it will be in its 17th year. 

 

Jimmy passed away in early 2022.  And although he would continually say “I don’t know why they go through all this fuss for me” this tournament was one of the events he was most proud.  He looked forward to seeing the level of play get better and better at his tournament. He would discuss the players coming for months ahead of time trying to anticipate who was going to capture the trophy.  And he’d tell everyone “not just anybody gets to play in my tournament.  They have to qualify for it” with a smirk of pride.  

 

Jimmy was a good old boy from the mountains of North Carolina who became passionate about golf and made it his life’s work to pass that love on to future generations.  Although Jimmy isn’t with us anymore physically I know without a doubt he’s sitting at “the 19th hole” watching the players and admiring their accomplishments.