Tom Stevenson
A “Tees to Greens” Golf Expert
Tom Stevenson has been in the golf business since 1966 and a PGA Professional for 34 years. He is President of the Virginia Beach Golf Association and Director of Club Operations for The Signature at West Neck and Bay Creek Resort & Club.
A Virginia Beach resident since 1986, Tom loves the ocean, casual lifestyle, school system, the weather (most of the time), and the great gyms Virginia Beach offers. He has been married to his wife, Kim, since 1991 and has a daughter who was born on Christmas Day in 1992. Kim’s father and grandfather were also PGA Professionals.
Whether swimming, strawberry and blueberry picking, attending oceanfront festivals and events, going to high school football games, or enjoying the amazing local restaurants and seafood, Tom and his family know a thing or two about Living the Life in Virginia Beach.
Author Entries
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 by tstevenson
 The Signature at West Neck April is, of course, Masters month; the first major of the year and for many, the real start of the golf season. Most golf fans know that Arnold Palmer won the Masters four times and played in a then-record 50 Masters tournaments before finally calling it quits in 2004.
Long before anyone yelled “You da man,” Arnold Palmer was the man. When Palmer was winning the 1958 Masters, soldiers working the leader boards put up a sign announcing themselves as “Arnie’s Army.” The name caught on and all those Masters patrons and TV viewers quickly enlisted. So did millions of other golfers and even non-golfers, including the women, who considered Palmer to be golf’s version of Marlon Brando. When photos appeared in newspapers of Palmer playing golf with President Eisenhower, who had been supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, golf became a he-man’s game. Even after his many tournament wins, Palmer remained a regular guy and people all over the world who had never met him referred to him by his nickname, Arnie, as if they were best friends.
The other pros soon nicknamed Palmer “The King,” a crown he still wears into his early 80s; even as his old rival Jack Nicklaus went on to win a record 6 Masters and 18 professional major championships.
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Tags: golf packages, golfing in Virginia Beach, The Palmer Course at Bay Creek Resort, The Signature at West Neck, Virginia Beach
Posted in Golf, Living the Life
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 by tstevenson
 Virginia Beach is home to a number of great golf courses designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye, Rees Jones, Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus. When reading that sentence, even most non-golfers know instinctively that each will consist of 18 holes. But why are golf courses 18 holes in length?
Like many developments throughout golf history, the standardization of 18 holes did not happen as the result of a momentous and well thought out decision. And like many developments in golf, the standardization of 18 holes can be credited to the Old Course in St. Andrews, site of this year’s British Open. Prior to the mid-1760’s, and right up until the early 1900’s, it was common to find golf courses that were comprised of 19 holes, or 12, or 15, or 23, or any other number depending on the size of the parcel of land dedicated to golf.
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Tags: Bay Creek Golf Course, Golf, Heron Ridge Golf Club, Red Wing Lakes, Stumpy Lake Golf Course, The Signature at West Neck, VB National, Virginia Beach golf, Virginia Beach golf vacations
Posted in Golf, Living the Life
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 by tstevenson
Virginia Beach has had its share of famous visitors. In 1607 the first permanent English settlers arrived at Virginia Beach and traveled up the James River to found Jamestown. Neither Christopher Newport nor John Smith brought their golf clubs, but three and a half centuries later, quite a few famous course designers did.
 Arnold Palmer course at Bay Creek Golf Course Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was the first marquee designer to discover Virginia Beach when he built Stumpy Lake Golf Course in 1953. Rees Jones followed in his father’s footsteps in 1982 with his award winning design for Hell’s Point Golf Club. Since then Fred Couples, Pete Dye, Curtis Strange, Tom Fazio, George W. Cobb, Tom Doak, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have built courses in the area and most are open for public play. Not too bad of a line up for an area that is known more for its blue waters than its green courses. And all these course designers have stories to tell about their visits to Virginia Beach, but probably none as interesting as Arnold Palmer’s trip on 9/11/2001.
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Tags: Arnold Palmer, Bay Creek Golf Course, The Signature at West Neck, Tom Stevenson, Virginia Beach golf
Posted in Golf, Living the Life
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