BIG STONE GAP, Va. — Wise County boasts several scenic spots within its boundaries and one of its most picturesque, and oldest, lies in the valley wedged between Big Stone and Norton.
Lonesome Pine Country Club occupies over 250 acres in the tranquil Powell Valley community and has done so for over 100 years.
LPCC hit its 100th year of operation in 2024 and with the new year, its leadership says it’s looking to continue its growth as a multi-faceted jewel in the crown of Southwest Virginia, including as an enhancement for economic development in Wise County and the surrounding area.
“I certainly think that it’s a draw for the county, LPCC President Jeff Elkins said. “It’s attractive for people who want to come in and locate their businesses here and for people to move who move into the area.”
Lonesome Pine Country Club past President Robert England, left, and current President Jeff Elkins hold a putter autographed by Willard C. Qualkenbush, LPCC’s first club pro, who started in 1924.
KEVIN MAYS, BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Past LPCC President Robert England agrees with Elkins that the country club is an economic development incentive for the region. He said when potential businesses are looking to locate in an area, they look for specific things and recreational opportunities rank high along with good housing, public education and low crime rates.
LPCC offers recreational and entertainment incentives for current and futures residents of the region, England said.
Elkins and England are not sure if economic development were one of the top items on the agenda for the founders of LPCC when they purchased a 154-acre farm owned by the family of the John M. Willis.
Most of the early records of the club were destroyed in a fire that claimed LPCC’s original clubhouse in the spring of 1975.
A document written by the late Bruce Robinette, the former director of the Lenowisco Planning District Commission and two-time LPCC president, provides most of the history of the club.
According to Robinette’s writings, the club was founded by executives from newly located coal companies in the area, along with executives and employees of the National Bank of Norton and the National Bank of Appalachia.
With the golf course being planned, Robinette wrote that the club hired its first pro, Willard C. Qualkenbush, who was a former PGA Professional at the Middlesboro, Ky. Country Club.
Robinette wrote that Qualkenbush “was very experienced in course design, turf management, and instruction.
“In addition, a line of A. G. Spalding clubs carried his endorsement and engraved signature. The October 1922 edition of “Golfers Magazine” listed him as one the leading golf professionals in the country.”
The golf course, which was completed three holes at a time, and the original clubhouse — that was opened in the spring of 1928 — quickly became the social spot in the county and the initial goal of 150 members was met quickly.
England said the initial charter was ambitious and strived to make LPCC the outdoor attraction of the region.
“When you look at the original charter with golf, and horseback riding and skeet shooting, they had a wide plethora of roles they wanted to explore,” England said. “And I’m sure at that time that they probably, like any other business or corporation that they might’ve thought how long this is going to last. It would really be neat if they knew it would last 100 years.”
LPCC purchased more land in 1963 and began its expansion from a 9-hole course to 18 holes.
With the course expansion, the club’s membership also grew from 125 to 300.
The fall colors provide a scenic backdrop for the Lonesome Pine Country Club course.
CONTRIBUTED
“I think one of the really neat parts of the course is that it has everything,” England said. “You’ve got elevations, you’ve got ditches, you’ve got ponds, you’ve got sand traps, you’ve got bushes. But you also have a postcard view on almost every single hole that you go to.”
KEEPING STRONG IN THE FUTURE
The new nine holes provided challenges for golfers, including the notorious 12th hole that goes nearly straight up hill from the tee box to the green.
“Where you have to hit from a blind tee,” Elkins said.
The development of the back nine was created with the land the club had to work with, England said. But, he said, it turned out to be a challenging course with one of the best set of views in the entire region.
Elkins said with a declining population, keeping the membership strong has been a challenger for LPCC. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that while membership numbers have dipped from 412 in 2007 to about 280, the club is staying strong and continues to work to build membership.
“We’d love to see it grow. Obviously, we’ve made every effort that we can to continue, and we think that it’s on stable ground now,” Elkins said. “We’re financially stable, but it depends on how many people come in in the future.
“Your life is in your future members, and we want more young people to come out and get interested in golf.”
Elkins said LPCC has implemented a lot of programs focused on youth golfers.
Ironically, the club that is centered on an outdoor sport, received a boost from a pandemic that kept most people inside.
During the COVID pandemic in 2020 just about everything was shut down. Except for golf. That attracted several people to the golf course just to get a chance at being outside.
“It really forced families who wanted to be together and wanted to be together and wanted to be outside and do something socially out to a golf course somewhere,” England said.
While England would never wish for a pandemic, he was pleased that so many people who had to deal it found a renewed or new love for golf. And that golf provided an outlet for many when so many other activities were shut down.
He said that COVID is the latest of major challenges that LPCC has gone thrown and came out of stronger in the last century.
“We’ve gone thrown in 100 years, you think about the second World War, and the Korean War and the Vietnam War and, of course, ups and downs in the economy. And you know, we’ve been successful enough to survive all that at this point,” England said. “And I’m always grateful to the people who have dug in and helped us do that. It takes a lot of dedicated people to make that happen.”
As long as the dedicated people stick around, Elkins said he expects LPCC to be around for a long time to come.