For many World Am players, golf is the sport of a lifetime, but some find their passion for the game later in life.
Guys like George Poppe, for instance.
The native New Yorker grew up on Long Island and didn’t begin playing until he was 58 years old, and even then he only played nine holes at a time, and it was as much social as it was competitive.
“I played nine holes with some guys on Sunday, and then we would go watch football,” Poppe said. “That was about it.”
Poppe’s relationship with golf changed when he moved to Myrtle Beach, where the game is an integral part of the community’s culture.
“I came down here and the guys in the neighborhood said, ‘We are going to go play golf,’” the now 76-year-old said. “I told them, ‘Okay, but I’ve never played 18 holes before.’”
Poppe went from being a 9-hole golfer to playing multiple times a week, which inevitably led him to the World Am in 2022.
“I just like the vibe,” he said of what makes the tournament special. “Everything is run so well. I’m going to play every year as long as I can.”
Poppe, who convinced a couple of friends to sign up and play this year, isn’t expecting to win his flight, but he has a clear goal in mind.
“I want to be on the leaderboard when I take my wife into the 19th hole,” he said. “I just want to see my name in the top 10 once.”
He finished T26 in 2022 and T28 in 2023, but Poppe will be at the World’s Largest 19th Hole all four nights, giving him multiple opportunities to see his name on the tournament’s jumbotron-style leaderboard.
Playing in flight 48, Poppe’s golf course lineup will take him to Burning Ridge Golf Club, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Lion’s Paw Golf Links, and The Wizard.
