Harold Payne (photo not in original article)

By Dave Miller
CHARLESTON GAZETTE
January 4, 2012

When it comes to playing golf in the state of West Virginia, very few can compare to the likes of Harold Payne. Payne, of Hurricane, was inducted into the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, joining Bill Campbell, Ed Tutwiler Jr. and Sam Snead as the hall's only members.

"It was pretty overwhelming, considering the company I joined," said Payne of his induction. "Those three guys are nationally known and have done much of what the world's greatest golfers have done. It was truly a humbling experience."

Payne's parents were charter members of Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in 1955, the same year he was born.

"Some of my earliest memories are of them out on the course at Sleepy Hollow," said Payne. "I didn't take up the game seriously until I was around 11 or 12. Golf just became a passion of mine."

Payne's list of career accomplishments date back to his days on the golf team at South Charleston High School. He was named to the all-state golf teams in 1971 and 1973 after third-place finishes in both state tournaments.

He went on to play at Marshall, helping the Thundering Herd to 17th place at the 1976 NCAA Championship in Albuquerque, N.M., while finishing 19th among individuals. Payne was inducted into the Marshall Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.

He won his first of five West Virginia Amateur titles in 1979 at the Greenbrier and won his first of four West Virginia Open titles in 1986 at his home course of Sleepy Hollow.

Payne holds winning both the Open and the Amateur in the same years of 1986, 1987 and 1993 as his greatest accomplishment in golf. He joined Bill Campbell as the only golfer ever to win both tournaments in the same year and is the only one to win both in back-to-back years.

Payne adds that he's proud of the job that the West Virginia Golf Association has done in promoting the game of golf to children, especially those from the inner city, and its partnership with the First Tee of West Virginia program. But he still has advice for anyone taking up the game he loves.

"Golf is a game of a lifetime," said Payne. "It's something that someone in their 70s who has their health can enjoy like someone in their 20s. It's a great game and it's challenging, so just enjoy it."

Reach Dave Miller at 304-348-1749 or davemiller3@gmail.com.

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