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By Glenn Makin, Publisher
There’s a New Leader in the Clubhouse as Keith McElroy takes on Royal Oaks The announcement was made last December of a new PGA Professional hired at Royal Oaks Golf Club. There wasn’t a lot of fanfare over the value of Keith McElroy taking on the position as Head Professional but those who know Keith immediately new that Royal Oaks was making a move to the top. Keith began his path to golf as a young man living in North Knoxville and has paid his dues with each position and opportunity that has come his way. “It all started back in 1989 at Knoxville Driving Range on Clinton Hwy,” says Keith. “I spent two years working and learning the game from Scott Strike and knew pretty quickly that golf would be my profession.” In the early 90’s during the golf boom in the Knoxville Area, Keith received his first opportunity from Sam Newgent, then Head Pro at the new Three Ridges Golf Course in Northeast Knoxville. From 1991 to 1997 Keith worked under Newgent and earned his PGA status. Keith recounts the experience highlighted by his ability to organize two major golf tournaments that still run today. “Promoting and growing the Knox County Championship was a challenge that grew to be very successful,” said Keith. “I remember the first year we had about 70 players and
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exciting for me because my mentor Scott Strike was the first winner,” he added. The tournament reached a record crowd of 130 players just a couple years later with the winner of that event, Jeff Golliher. One of the area legends of golf. The tournament is still held today under Mark Brown and draws 120 players yearly. The other hallmark of Keiths career at Three Ridges was the Monday Senior Game. “I recall the first year we started with eight players and quickly grew to 60 players each week before I left,” said Keith. Today that number exceeds 80 players at times and stronger than ever. In 2000 Keith was approached by the Knox Area Junior Golf Assoc. with an offer to take over the Concord Par-3. “Some of my most satisfying moments have come from working with local juniors, well over 2000 in fact,” Keith
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stated. Some of those juniors included Kory Webb (UTC), Ben Reeves (UTM) and Mitchell Thomas (TTU). His first major award came in 2007 when he was named the TN PGA Section Junior Golf Leader of the Year. In 2011 he changed course and became the Hiwassee College Golf Coach while also working at The Golf Academy of TN and helping with the TN Junior Golf Staff, running junior tour events. Keiths first priority at Royal Oaks was to make certain the Invitational at the club would grow and thrive again as an important event in the area. Keith understands the importance of competitive golf among amatuers. His experience in operating tournaments where players appreciate knowing there concern is to show up and focus on their game, not, worrying about how the flights will be broken, how much will be offered in prizes. Keith knows the golf business and particularly the tournament business. His encouragement of juniors to move in to the adult tournaments playing the same tees, dependent on the division they select, will help their mental competitive growth. Golfers whom do not know Keith will soon come to learn what the rest of us know. He is a winner and a shining star with a PGA badge. Play the Royal Oaks Invitational and look to the tournament schedule for other Royal Oaks events including the 3-man, the Sundays couples golf and the Guys & Dolls event in September. Follow golfnews4friends.net for full stories, photo’s and video’s of golf news in Tennessee. Florida Golf Central • Volume 15, Issue 3