Country club plans new memorial tourney

After losing one of their longtime golf teaching professionals last summer, members and staff of Inverness Country Club plan to honor him with an upcoming golf tournament. 

The Inverness v. Cancer Tournament in honor of Dave Ragan Jr. will be April 1 at Inverness Country Club with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. 

Ragan taught at ICC for more than 20 years. Golf Director Troy Raybon met Ragan while he was a college student playing golf at UAB and took lessons from him. The two eventually worked together at Pine Tree Country Club and at Inverness.

“Dave was a dear friend of mine and one of the best guys you could ever meet,” he said. “He was a consummate golf professional and the ultimate gentlemen. Everyone thought really highly of him.”

Ragan played collegiate golf for the University of Florida. He was named an All-American his junior year, won the SEC Championship individual title as a senior and was later elected into the University of Florida Sports Hall of Fame, before turning pro in 1956. He played on the PGA tour in the late 1950s and ’60s. He coached for many years, until his retirement three years ago, and Golf Digest magazine recognized Ragan as one of the top golf instructors in the state of Alabama in 2007. 

Ragan passed away March 14, 2018, at the age of 82. Soon after, the group at Inverness Country Club was discussing ways to honor him. 

“I wanted to do something more than just name one of our club tournaments after him,” Raybon said. “Inverness is a community-type country club. Lots of other members here have been affected by cancer over the years, so we thought what better way to get everyone involved?”

All proceeds raised at the tournament will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Raybon said they plan to make the tournament better each year. A lunch and ceremony honoring Ragan will take place before the tournament, which will be followed by an awards presentation. The entry fee is $150, and hole sponsorships are $250 per hole. 

For information, email troy@diamondclubs.com or call 991-8610.