Six-time golf major championship winner Sir Nick Faldo once asked legendary Hall of Fame golfer Ben Hogan what the “secret” was to his incredible consistency on the golf course.
Just as he did will all others that asked that question, Hogan simply said, “I dug it out of the dirt.”
Hogan was referring to the countless hours of practice honing what was considered by many as the perfect golf swing.
Beckley native Mike Mays has earned the right to be considered the best golfer to ever compete in the annual BNI Tournament, now known as the Mountain State Golf Classic, which is in its 45th year. Mays has also been known as one of the best golfers across the state of West Virginia during his time on the links.
How did the Beckley native earn such status? Simply by digging it out of the dirt.
“I was more of a self taught player. I fell in love with it,” Mays said. “I would hit a lot of wedge shots growing up and short game shots in the back yard and stuff. Just dig it out of the dirt like Hogan and Lee Trevino. Put it in front of you and try to keep it in play at all times.”
This weekend, the veteran golfer is once again competing in the Mountain State Golf Classic. The 2024 event is the 40th anniversary of the first of six tournament wins for Mays, the most by any player.
“I have thought about it a lot and I can feel it too everyday. I have the gray hair to show,” Mays said, laughing, “But, no, I hadn’t thought about the 40 years. It is interesting and hard to believe it has been 40 years. Times flies. I have hit a lot of golf shots in those 40 years, good ones and bad ones.”
Now a three-day tournament on three different courses, back in 1984, the event was a two-day affair and both rounds were played at Grandview Country Club.
Just three years removed from high school, Mays was the young gun battling a very talented field with the likes of Ira Lee, Dennis Vass, Bob “Wheel” Thomas, Joel Davis, Larry Hickman, Burl Rose, Jerry Hickman, Jimmy Jones, Greg McGraw and Tom Broyles just to name a few.
“I remember playing with Chris Ward. We carried our bags and walked the course. I remember coming down 18 and I was two-under par. Chris said, ‘You might be leading this thing,'” Mays said. “I played with Ira Lee the second day and beat Ira. I remember that well because that was one of the things I wanted to accomplish was to beat Ira. You always have that one person that you want to beat. That is the good thing about golf and competitive golf, seeing yourself improve.”
Mays credited the legends that played at Grandview with helping him develop into the accomplished player he became over the years.
“Back then you also had Foncie Campbell and he would wear you out from 100 yards in with a 7-iron. They just learned how to play the game on the ground,” Mays said. “I played most of my golf with better players like Jeff McClung. Jeff is a super player. We were always playing for $2. That goal was to beat Jeff and I finally beat Jeff. Then I kept taking it to another level. That is the way it should be. That is the nature of the game. Competition is healthy.”
“You need to play with better players and play as many different golf courses as possible,” Mays went on to say. “That is where you learn your game. You have to learn how to hit the easy shots and the hard shots. Growing up I would come out to Grandview and walk carrying odd number clubs one day and even numbers the second. You learn how to hit the ball easy and how to hit it hard. That is how we learned.”
When Mays picked up the game in the mid-1970’s, it was by no means guided by the popularity that the game has today.
“My dad would come out to Grandview when it was just a nine-hole course with my next door neighbor,” Mays recalled. “I went with them one day and I thought I might like this. Next thing I knew I saved up some money and bought a set of junior clubs. It was just one step after another.”
While he was more than willing to put in the work to get better, Mays also developed a beautiful rhythmic swing that served him well.
“That is just a blessing. I have always had good tempo and my iron play has been good,” Mays said. “Growing up I couldn’t hit the driver a lick. Now I love my driver, but my putter has been my nemesis. Golf is a humbling game, but it is a rewarding game if you put your heart and effort into it.”
Over a span of 21 years in the prestigious tournament, Mays hoisted the championship trophy six times (1984, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2005).
Agreeing that all of his wins were special, the last win in 2005 does stand out for a couple of reasons.
“I think my last win in 2005 is big just because I was seven shots behind. I made a hole-in-one on 13 (on The Cobb Course) at (The Resort at) Glade (Springs) and tied Brandon Reece. We went to a playoff and I birdied the first playoff hole,” Mays explained. “My cousin’s little boy at the time was suffering with childhood cancer, so I donated that trophy to them in honor of him. He passed away 19 years ago.”
Along with being a dominant player in The Classic, Mays was also a very successful player in the big time state events over the years.
“I finished sixth one year (at the W.Va. Am), but my claim to fame, to me, is something nobody talks about,” Mays said. “My personal best was finishing runner-up amateur at the W.Va. Open one year. I think that was 2005 as well. (Professional) Barry Evans won it and Pat Carter and I tied to finish runner-up. That is big when you are playing against those guys.”
Over his career, Carter has won 13 State Am titles, including 10 in a row from 1995-2004.
While golf is still part of his life, it doesn’t hold the same status it once did, but it doesn’t change the fact that Micheal Mays will always be known as one of the best players to ever roam the links from southern W.Va.
“I still have the desire to play, it is just not the top priority,” Mays said. “My wife Kelly and I ride the motorcycle a lot. It’s our release and that is what we like to do.”
