christian.malone@gaflnews.com



VALDOSTA — Dynamite Goodloe’s name and golf legacy live on today, when his alma mater hosts the tournament bearing his name.

Fourteen teams will converge on Valdosta Country Club today for the second Dynamite Goodloe Invitational. A shotgun start is set for 2:30 p.m.

The high school golf tournament will include host Valdosta High and Lowndes High, as well as Bainbridge, Vidalia, Lee County, Tift County, Coffee, Hardaway, Union Grove, Glynn Academy, Colquitt County, Camden County, Brantley County and Worth County. Worth was the most recent addition, added to the field on Saturday.

For both Valdosta and Lowndes, it will be a good opportunity to see the rest of the region. Seven of the eight teams in Region 1-AAAAA will be playing at the Goodloe. Ware County won’t compete because it is on spring break.

“This will be good for the whole region, because it will let all of us see what the other teams have, and how each of us compare to the others,” Valdosta boys head coach Jerry Don Baker said.

Two of the state’s perennial golf powers, Glynn Academy and Columbus Hardaway, will also be playing in the tournament. Glynn is the defending AAAAA state champion. Glynn is looking forward to its rematch with Valdosta, which outshot the Red Terrors in a tournament last weekend in Statesboro.

The Goodloe Invitational will also contain a nine-hole girls tournament on VCC’s Bellemeade course, the first time the Goodloe includes a girls tournament.

“We’re having a girls tournament this year, which we’re excited about,” said Len Carter of Valdosta Insurance Services, the tournament sponsor. “Five girls teams will compete, including Valdosta.”

Baker said the course at Valdosta Country Club was in good shape for the tournament.

In a sense, it will be the past of local golf meeting the future. Goodloe was a local sports legend, having played football and golf for Valdosta High from 1934-37. He went on to play both sports at Georgia Tech, as well as diving. William L. Goodloe, Jr. was inducted into the Valdosta-Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame in 1978, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1984.

Though a multi-sport athlete, it was golf where Goodloe achieved the most success. Goodloe played in the Masters three times, the U.S. Amateur four times, and the British Amateur twice. At the very course his tournament will be played, Valdosta Country Club, Goodloe won the Jack Oliver Invitational nine times.

“He was a good man, and a great golfer,” Baker said. “He did a lot for this town.”

The tournament was primarily the brainchild of tourney sponsor Valdosta Insurance Services, where Goodloe worked years ago.

“We came up with this tournament to honor Dynamite Goodloe,” said Carter, who worked with Goodloe.

The tournament has grown from 12 to 14 teams this year, and Baker expects it to grow more each year.

“This tournament’s going to grow,” Baker said. “One day, it’s going to be a big tournament attracting even more teams.”