A PROUD HISTORY
The beautiful Guyan Golf and Country Club that you see today is a tribute to the resourcefulness and courage of its members.
Guyan is a club that had to rise from the tragedy of fire on two occasions. In 1932, the old clubhouse, which was the home of John Ensign, was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. Instead, the Locker House and Golf Pro Shop were enlarged and made into the second clubhouse. This served the membership for more than twenty years.
Then, during the early morning hours of January 23, 1954, fire once again struck with horrible destructiveness. Exemplifying the faith of its founders, Guyan soon rose again. The membership set about the task of erecting a new clubhouse. It was built and opened less than a year and a half later. The speed with which the new building was planned, designed and made a reality stands as a tribute to the character of Guyan's membership.
In 1982, the renovation of Guyan began. A more modern look was given to many areas in the Clubhouse, creating additional dining and cocktail facilities and allowing a new cart and golf club storage area within the main building. The result of these efforts is what you see when you look around you today.
Guyan has a golfing heritage of which we can be proud. The Country Club has played host to some of the country's outstanding golfers. The largest crowd came in 1942 when 4,000 watched an exhibition between Arnold Browning and Denny Shute against Byron Nelson and Harold McSpahen. Arnold Browning was with Guyan for 50 years as caddie master and club maker and then as head golf professional.
The great Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead also appeared here in exhibition matches.
Guyan has hosted the West Virginia State Open on two occasions with Bill Campbell being the winner each time.
Guyan is proud of Bill Campbell's golfing accomplishments. Bill was the 1964 U.S. Amateur Champion, the 1979 and 1980 USGA Senior Amateur Champion, with numerous Masters appearances and a long list of other titles including the 1982 and 1983 Presidency of the United States Golf Association. In 1987, he was named Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, just the third American to hold that post, becoming the first person to head both of golf's main governing bodies. Guyan is fortunate to have a member of such acclaim.
The USGA Girls' Junior Amateur Championship was hosted here in 1977. The winner was Althea Tome of Hawaii.
Together with the beautiful new facilities and the golfing tradition of our fine club, the future of Guyan Golf and Country Club looks brighter with the dawning of every new day.