Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2022

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
Setting
Milestones
Rory Nelson Named 2020 GSPGA Golf Professional of the Year
story by Tommy Snell photos courtesy of Windance Country Club
Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Rory Nelson took that to heart when he decided to enter the world of professional golf. The 2020 Gulf States PGA Golf Professional of the
RORY NELSON 2020 GSPGA Golf Professional of the Year.
Year takes
his career seriously, and the members at Windance Country Club couldn’t be happier.
Nelson is one of 29,000 PGA golf professionals whose motto is “Serving the Members and Growing the Game.”
Windance Country Club.
Nelson signed a scholarship with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and was part of a team that won two NJCAA District Championships. He continued his stellar career at William Carey University and turned professional in 2014. After a three-year stint at New Orleans Country Club, he made his way home to Windance Country Club in 2017.
“I’ve been playing golf my entire life, and I’m so happy that I can help grow the game that I love,” said Nelson. “To be nominated for Gulf States PGA (GSPGA) Player of the Year by my peers is incredible, simply incredible.”
Nelson’s fellow professionals took notice of the milestones that Nelson help set
at Windance Country Club. Several members of the GSPGA nominated the 29-year-old, and the vote was as easy as a vote for FDR or Ronald Reagan. “I love golf more now than when I first got into the business.”
Nelson loves running tournaments for his members, and the numbers back that up. The Windance Superbowl Scramble has grown from 50 players in 2017 to 124 in 2021. The 2020 GSPGA Golf Professional of the Year definitely has “grown the game” at Windance CC and on the Gulf Coast.
*Due to COVID-19, the conference to announce Nelson’s 2020 award was postponed to 2021.
Windance General Manager Michael Beyerstedt couldn’t agree more, “He’s always looking for ways to make the place better. I actually enjoy coming to work to see Rory every day.”
Although serving members stands at the forefront of his interest, championship golf is always riding in his cart. Growing up on the Lucedale Country Club
didn’t deter the junior golfer. He and his teammates set records at George County High School. “It helped having my dad as the golf coach,” admitted Nelson.
After five years of high school golf,
90 | January 2022
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