The Roanoker - February 2014 - 84

DAVID HUNGATE

Head to the Links

There are almost a dozen public courses in and around
the Roanoke Valley, not to mention a half dozen private courses. On the public end, Brookside is a Par-3
course ideal for beginners. The more challenging Hanging Rock Golf Club in Salem features one-time PGA Tour
pro Chip Sullivan, who has battled the likes of Tiger
Woods and Phil Mickelson. Sullivan still qualifies for
the occasional PGA event and is available for lessons.
Head out of town to Westlake Golf & Country Club or
Mariners Landing CC at Smith Mountain Lake. (see
Area Golf Courses listing)
Tommy Firebaugh, who helps organize the Roanoke
Valley Senior Golf Tour (RVSGT), says Ole Monterey,
Blue Hills, Botetourt Golf & Swim Club and Hanging
Rock are good choices for senior golfers since they offer special rates. "All of these golf courses are [also]
friendly to occasional golfers," he adds.
Want a challenge? "Definitely the Pete Dye River
course along the New River," says Firebaugh. "Its difficult because of the long length and 'pot' bunkers."
Those 55 and over can log on to rvsgt.org to find out
about competing against other senior golfers in the
Roanoke area (for trophies and gift cards) at a number
of courses. -GM

SAM DEAN

Spectate!

Upper: The Roanoke River Greenway gets longer by the year, Lower: Get wet at the Y's!

Swim at the Kirk Family and Salem YMCA venues, at
the Roanoke and Botetourt Athletic Clubs, at Roanoke
County's Green Ridge Recreation Center and at the
Carter Athletic Center pool on the North Cross School
campus (currently undergoing a million dollar facelift).
There are also several public pools in the city (Fallon,
Washington Park) and any number of private neighborhood pools that offer membership every summer.
Most of those pools compete against each other
at all-comers meets each summer as members of the
Roanoke Valley Aquatic Association (swimrvaa.com),
culminating with the City-County meet. The local Y
pools, Carter Athletic Center and the Gator Aquatic
Center also offer year-round competitive swim clubs
for youths, often with practices beginning before 6am
(attention parents!). Select, gifted graduates of those
programs however have gone on to earn college athletic
scholarships. I

84 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

For those who would rather watch than participate,
at least once in a while, there are a handful of options locally when it comes to spectator sports. For the
first time in about a decade there were football tickets
available for Virginia Tech Hokies football games last
season, just down the road in Blacksburg. Tech also
plays big time Atlantic Coast Conference basketball
against the likes of Duke and North Carolina. (see
hokiesports.com for ticket information).
Virginia Tech has a club level ice hockey team (not
NCAA-sanctioned) that plays at the Roanoke Civic Center. The players must be full-time students and don't
get athletic scholarships, but they play the game hard.
See Virginiatechicehockey.com.
The advanced-A level Salem Red Sox (salemsox.com)
are the reigning Carolina League champions. The local
Sox have sent almost two dozen players up to Boston
or other big league clubs over the past half dozen seasons. Venture down to historic Calfee Park in Pulaski
for the short season, rookie league Pulaski Mariners
club, where first year pros often cut their teeth (pulaskimariners.net.)
The City of Salem hosts NCAA Division II and Division III championships every year, in football, basketball
and softball. (see salemciviccenter.com for a schedule).
Roanoke College has a proud sports tradition, especially
where lacrosse and basketball are concerned (maroons.
Roanoke.edu). The women's team at Hollins University
(female undergrads only) doesn't win many games - 10
two seasons ago is the high water mark - but appreciate
all the support they can get (hollins.edu/athletics). -GM
THE

R OANOKER.COM

http://www.rvsgt.org http://www.hokiesports.com http://www.Virginiatechicehockey.com http://www.salemsox.com http://www.pulaskimariners.net http://www.pulaskimariners.net http://www.swimrvaa.com http://www.salemciviccenter.com http://maroons.roanoke.edu http://maroons.roanoke.edu http://www.hollins.edu/athletics http://www.THEROANOKER.COM

The Roanoker - February 2014

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