An Historic Look at the GHSA Golf Championships and the upcoming host courses

GHSA

If there was an all-encompassing history book on golf’s illustrious existence, the state of Georgia would have several chapters devoted to it. Much would be dedicated to the legendary Bobby Jones, the Georgia Tech golfing great who founded Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters Tournament.

A 1919 graduate of Atlanta’s Tech High, now known as Midtown, Jones became the United State’s first golfing idol whose star was only outshone by Babe Ruth in the golden age of sport. His relationship with the incomparable Atlanta Journal writer Oscar Bane (O.B.) Keeler helped fuel not only his stardom, but the first golf craze which swept the nation in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

The GHSA caught on and began awarding boys state golf championships in 1938 when Newnan won the first boys golf title in the state and for the first five seasons, the event was open. There aren’t records for the 1939 and 1940 championships but in 1941, Canton won its first and only title and in 1942, Griffin won its first of eight titles.

In 1943, as Allied armies dealt with a two-front war against Japan and the Axis powers in Europe, the high school association expanded the event to Classes A, B and C with Lanier (A) and Albany (B&C) winning titles.

By 1957, the event expanded to five classes – 3A, 2A, A, B and C. The GHSA added a girls state championship division in 1998 with 4A-1A and expanded to include Class 5A in 2001. Also in 2001, the more standard classifications were organized 5A through 1A.

Now, thousands of high school golfers compete across eight classifications while walking in the footsteps of golfing history as they take to the course each Spring to hone their craft with the hopes of state championship at the end of the season.

A lot has changed since the time of Jones and now, eleven storied courses will play host to the GHSA golf state championships on high school golf’s longest days – May 20-21 – to bring the season to a close.

Between now and the season-ending tournaments, we will look at each of the host courses and give a classification catch-up on the boys and girls side of the state’s eight classes.

Below we will link to each of the courses and class profiles to see where each class stands, while giving an in-depth look at the tracks which will host the season-ending tournament.

See the links below.

7A Boys and Girls

Sunset Hills Country Club, Carrollton

6A Boys

Chattahoochee Golf Club, Gainesville

6A Girls

Apple Mountain Golf Club, Clarkesville

5A Boys and Girls

Okefenokee Country Club, Blackshear

4A Boys

Highland Country Club, LaGrange

4A Girls

The Fields Golf Club, LaGrange

3A Boys and Girls

LaFayette Golf Club, LaFayette

2A Boys and Girls

Chimney Oaks Golf Club, Homer

A-Division I Boys

Georgia Southern Golf Club, Statesboro

A Division I Girls

Willow Lake Golf Club, Metter

A Division II Boys and Girls

Southern Hills, Hawkinsville

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