Larry Martin – 2015
Larry was a PGA Professional, Callaway Golf representative and Junior Golf Pioneer.
In 1976, Larry Martin was the youngest Class A Golf Professional in the United States at the age of 23. Larry spent 25 years with the Parkersburg Country Club and 18 of them as both General Manager and Head Golf Professional, doing everything he could to promote the game of golf in West Virginia. Larry was one of those responsible for bringing approximately half a million dollars to Parkersburg area charities through the annual Sour Mash Open, as well as fundraisers for the Bryce/Lietzke/Martin scholarship, which is presented to high school seniors with high academic achievements and a strong interest in golf.
One of the biggest things that Larry enjoyed most was promoting junior golf. In 1984 Larry Martin began the 7-Eleven Tour with the promise to provide an affordable junior golf experience for West Virginia’s youth. Parkersburg Country Club, Golf Club of West Virginia and Moundsville Country Club hosted the first events in 1984, which later became the state’s largest junior golf program, the Top Flite Junior Tour, now known as the Callaway Junior Tour.
Over the years, Larry earned several honors voted on by his peers. Starting with the West Virginia PGA, he was named PGA Golf Professional of the Year 10 times, as well as Merchandiser of the Year in 1986. He was also named Junior Leader of the Year six times by the PGA of America Tri-State Section and in 2005 was awarded with the Bill Strausbaugh Award given for his dedication to golf. And with his dedication to his job with Callaway Golf, in 2005, Martin was named Golf World Business Top 25 sales representatives in the country. In 2014 Larry was enshrined into the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2008 Callaway Golf named him Salesman of the Year.
Larry was the son of William and Betty Martin of Seymour, Indiana. Larry was married to his wife Becky for twenty-four years and are the parents of three children, Keri, Lucas, and Jessica and the grandparents of seven. Larry was also very passionate about his golden retrievers, Whiff, Joey and Divot.