LoCo Photo: A Tribute to a Friend at Westpark

I took today’s LoCo photo last weekend at Westpark Golf Club when I was on the 10th tee doing a hit the green promotion to support the Kiss a Pig fundraiser for the Loudoun County Fair.

From where I sat, I had a lovely view of both the 10th hole and the 18th as well, with the pond that the two share in between.  This photo shows the new fence that has been erected around the 11th tee in memory of the members of Westpark and the Leesburg Golf Association (LGA) that have passed away.  The inspiration for the fence came from Gordon Rosencrans, a longtime member of Westpark, and of the LGA who passed away recently after losing his battle with cancer.   The members of the LGA got together and raised the money to both erect the fence as well as place a fountain in the pond between the 10th and 18th holes.  The fountain will be installed soon, as will plaques along the fence to honor each lost member.

One of the best things about being part of a golf professional’s family (my husband Michael is the PGA Professional at Westpark) is the sense of family and community we have with the members of our club and the people that play there regularly.  The LGA are family to Michael and I, as well as our four children.  The most difficult part of his job is when we lose one of our family; Gordon was very special to all of us, and the speed at which cancer took him from us was breathtaking.  To lose someone that was such an integral part of the ‘Westpark family’ is painful and difficult.  Anyone that knew him would agree that his dry wit and wry smile will be sorely missed.

The next time you play Westpark, keep an eye out for the LGA memorial.  And if you look around, you will see several other remembrances of special people that the Westpark family has lost in recent years as well: the bench on the first hole honors Richard Thomas, the bench on the 18th tee remembers Gary Cochran, the crape myrtle on the second tee is in memory of Eric Grimes.  While I hope that we will not have to add any more of these emotional markers to the course anytime soon, it’s comforting to have them there to remind us.

Cheers,
Heather