Through the love for my wife, Wanda, and the desire to share some of the better moments of our marriage over the past 28 years. Whoa!! Slow the pace a few minutes…these years have been full of all kinds of pleasantries and cordiality. The sincere affection and kindness we share is absolutely something to share with others.
As I gather my thoughts and attempt to arrange them, I find myself recalling some of those evenings we spent together after our getting acquainted which was set into motion by a phone call. After several phone conversations, we had a few dinner dates and an occasional movie. Wanda was one who dedicated most of her time to caring for her two beautiful daughters and operating her own calibration engineering business which she seemed to do quite well. Her travels limited our time, but it all continued to work in our favor.
After several months of randomly seeing each other and spending quiet time together, things were not much different than any other couple starting out with a new personal relationship with each other. There were moments of joy, doubt, misunderstanding, and confusion, but it was something special that attracted us to one another. Somewhere in the relationship, we bonded. It grew and today, 27 years later, we are husband and wife. I then moved my residence to Spartanburg, SC, her hometown and where her family resides. The transition was not easy but doable, as time has proven.
After settling in Spartanburg, it began to feel more and more like home. Traveling to Greenville, SC each day for work became routine for several years until 2007 when the company I was working for, Hitachi Electronics, closed. I was able to find work in Spartanburg which thankfully eliminated that daily Greenville commute. New employment was not easy for me, but I made it through to semi-retirement. At first, I missed the daily routine of working in a plant environment, but I was able to overcome that feeling quickly! It felt strange walking away, but I knew it was in my best interest to transition into my “golden years”. My plans were to play golf every day to perfect my game and enjoy life with our families.
Wanda wanted to continue operating her business but from home. In 2009, we modified our home to accommodate her business which successfully lasted until her health began to decline. During our many discussions of common interests, golf and bowling were our top two. We decided to start with golf and if it didn’t work, we’d give bowling a try. The rest is history because we have yet to bowl! Together we enjoyed the times at the practice range that had a short par 3 course on its grounds. For weeks which turned to months, we played that par course in Anderson, SC learning to keep the ball in play so that once we played 18-holes, we would not play slow looking for golf balls.
Wanda Green
We continued to occasionally play with a group from Greenville and eventually joined the group as members. Oh, how we enjoyed our golf club membership and outings! Our four-year membership began with a group named Pin Seekers. Pin Seekers were heavily involved in community activities and sponsorship support of sickle cell anemia. They later sought after enrollees through community churches and groups via a program called First Tees. It had decent success with the assistance of group elders and local golf courses who donated used golf equipment.
Jonathan and Wanda leaving the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina (circa mid-2000’s). “I believe this would have been around the time Wanda’s walking ability slowly started to be noticeable to me. We sat at the 9th hole and watched Harold Varner III, McIlroy, and many others play through. Moments like these are what I enjoyed.” —Jonathan Green
Upon the end of Pin Seekers, we connected with a couple of other clubs in the Greenville area: The Upstate Elite and The Upstate Birdies. Wanda was elected the Recording Secretary for the Upstate Elite and later served as Presiding Officer. Under her leadership, the Upstate Elite successfully thrived until she was diagnosed with diabetes. With her health issues becoming more and more prevalent, we noticed a decline in club participation. It was very concerning to me to see my wife and fellow golfer encounter this ailment after years of actively playing golf. For so many years, golf was our life. We planned trips around golf. We had both discussed and found that common interest that we enjoyed so much and to think about having to waver from the game was detrimental for both of us.
Maintaining our family livelihood, we also dedicated hours to practicing golf from trying to coordinate our alignment with putting and our golf swing. Striking the ball with desired results was more complicated than Wanda and I anticipated. We did not stop. We continued weekend after weekend learning about the thing closely connected to the golf club and our body, the golf grip. We eventually learned how to hold the clubs and the tension required to make a decent slightly controlled full swing. As beginners, we were excited that we now swing with more confidence. I used the interlocking grip and Wanda’s best grip seemed to be the baseball-type golf grip. I tried my best to get her to use the overlap or the interlocking golfer’s grip, but she felt more comfortable and confident with the baseball grip. She played very well with that type of grip and began to have a few pars during our rounds of golf. Man, golfing was really starting to be even more fun and challenging than I ever imagined.
Bouncing forward a few years, she and I played IGA (Interstate Golf Association) tournaments held in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Florida, and even Arizona where she placed in a flight! Her skills were perfecting, and we really enjoyed the fellowship with other golfers of ALL levels. We have played and earned many flight golf trophies and awards over the 20+ years of amateur golfing.
Wanda readies to tee off at South Carolina Amateur Women Golf Event, Woodfin Ridge Golf Course, Inman, SC (4/14/2013)
As I give thought to some of the events, I cannot help but feel great joy knowing that we both have learned not just about golf, but we have learned to arrange a golf tournament. From finding sponsors, players, and courses to awarding amateur golfers the chance to win great prizes.
Wanda Green media coverage following the Electric City Annual Golf tournament (Anderson, SC )
For many years, a Martin Luther King Memorial Event was held at River Falls Plantation championship golf course located in Duncan, SC. On occasions like celebrating with a tournament for golfers on or near January 17th, special recognition went out to a dear friend of mine, fellow golfer, Michael Vick.
Wanda (left) with a friend while in Charlotte, NC competing at a tournament.
A well-known competitor in the golf circle, we played in MLK annual tournaments that were held all over. Michael eventually moved away, so Wanda and I thought it would be imperative to continue the MLK Day Tournament tradition in our area.
By no means was carrying on in Mr. Vick’s absence an easy task. We gave it our best efforts. Wanda was diligent in taking care of the details for every tournament for a few years. Once participation began to decrease, we found that we were spending a lot of our own money to keep the tradition going. With a saddened heart, we made the decision to end the MLK annual tournaments. There were many reasons for the decline in participation – weather, aging golfers, and other tournaments.
Moving forward, while we were beginning to pars and birdies, which is normal while playing in local events. Improving as we played two or more times per week, I noticed how Wanda was playing better than me! My hard work proved fruitful (laughing). It was me that spent time sorting the basic training for us while helping her as much as possible to correct issues that caught my attention. We BOTH were learning. Some kind of way, there was a reversal in the way I planned things. I had planned to play golf after work and on weekends with the groups we joined over time, while she maintained her career. That role reversal was that I worked longer hours and she had more time to play on weekdays and weekends. She began shooting higher scores and the groups we played with all appeared to play far better than me. I realized it was time for me to step aside and let her shine as I offered encouragement and help keep her motivated.
Wanda continued her great competitiveness and placed well in various tournaments as listed at the ending of this acknowledgment of my sweet wife’s stamina and dedication to the game of golf. She could and did outplay most of the golfers in the events at the time. There is much more that can be said about her journey from start to present as an amateur golfer. But before ending this acknowledgment, I must add that she has been a creditable influence in my life. We’ve let God, our Father in Heaven, guide us and today we are still together. I pray this acknowledgment be witness that through faithfulness of our beliefs and dreams yields positive memories.
View some of the many trophies won by Wanda Green below.
