|
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV - "When I say Jim, you say Justice!"
"Jim - Justice."
"Jim - Justice."
I can't decide what's more abnormal - a resort owner being serenaded with the sound of his own name or the prim and proper gentleman dressed like a Polo Rugby store manager who's leading the cheers. Rascal Flatts is about to take the stage, but the princes of country power ballads are being overshadowed by an unlikely rock star.
This scene isn't one typically associated with the reserved PGA Tour. But Jim Justice, who purchased the regal Greenbrier Resort out of bankruptcy for a yard sale price of $20.1 million in May of 2009, has always done things his own way. The magnanimous coal magnate who oozes humility says he's as common as an old shoe, but the community who proudly shouts his name into the August night views him as more of a Mountaineer Moses who's about to lead them out of the financial desert.
Justice, who was born and raised 60 miles from The Greenbrier in Beckley, is a cross between Robin Hood and Richard Branson. He spent the week of the inaugural Greenbrier Classic hobnobbing with the gallery, hanging with the likes of Brad Paisley, John Daly and Arnold Palmer and monitoring the proceedings on the 18th hole - where he pledged to dole out more than $1 million of his personal wealth for an ace. 
Locals admit that many of the businesses and organizations in Greenbrier County are at the mercy of Justice, whose estimated fortune of $800 million affords him significant influence. But you won't hear anything but praise for the man who preserved one of the enduring symbols of West Virginia and poured money into a string of projects to reenergize “America’s Resort.”
"You have to thank god for a guy like Justice to come in," said Ray Painter, head golf professional of the Lewisburg Elks Country Club. "Before the Justice era there was a lot of uncertainty. Without the Greenbrier, I don't know how...you're not just affecting the White Sulphur, Lewisburg and Fairlea area. You would affect the whole southern tier of West Virginia. It's our biggest employer, in probably the state."
Under CSX Corporation, The Greenbrier was hemorrhaging cash - a reported loss of $90 million in five years. Buried in the red, the transportation giant was looking to unload the resort.
Marriott International was nearing an agreement to acquire the property until Justice swooped in at the 11th hour. The global chain only intended to keep a workforce of 700-900. Justice immediately brought back employees who had been furloughed when the Greenbrier was struggling to fill its 720 rooms. At the time of the Greenbrier Classic, the resort was employing 1,850 workers and had posted 400 more job openings.
Justice has succeeded where more ambiguous stimulus packages have failed. When the going gets tough, he invests in projects that quickly have a tangible effect.
"When things were tough, what did we do before?" he questioned. "Let's say we had money; we didn't stand on the sidelines and wait for things to get better before we invested our money. We invested our money and we created jobs.
"What did we do if we didn't have the money?" Justice asked. "We didn't stand on the sidelines with our hands out waiting for somebody to come and help us. We went to work."
In recognition of everything he's done for the state, Justice was presented with the Distinguished West Virginian Award Wednesday of tournament week by Governor Joe Manchin, a popular democrat who wears 63 years well. It's the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a native West Virginian.
Manchin, who is seeking the West Virginia U.S. Senate seat vacated when the legendary Robert C. Byrd passed away over the summer, said Justice favors results over recognition. He's also thankful not to be opposing the Greenbrier owner for political office.
"Jim doesn't want to be known as the owner of The Greenbrier, he wants the Greenbrier to do what it needs to do to help our state and to help the people," Manchin said. "He's more proud of the people having jobs and security than say, oh, Jim Justice. He owns the Greenbrier; doesn't mean anything to him. I've always said this - when people get enamored with their titles, you have a problem sooner or later. Yeah, glad I'm not running against him. Or he's running against me, one of the two. We're on the same side."
To Justice, his work ethic was simple.
"My dad would have said, son, if you can't get it done in 24 hours, you're gonna have to work nights."
Prior to Justice taking the reins at the Greenbrier Resort in June of 2009, it was already an all-inclusive playground steeped in American history. The amenities subsequently added to this escape in the Alleghenies and the speed at which they were built is staggering.
On Oct. 1, 2009, The Greenbrier introduced Prime 44 West, an upscale steakhouse named for native son and NBA legend Jerry West. Exceptional cuts of beef dominate the menu, and the walls are decorated with an impressive collection of West Virginia memorabilia.
Bringing gaming to the century-old resort proved more complicated than building a restaurant.
The Greenbrier’s status on the National Register of Historic Places paved the way for a casino to be constructed on the property. But a local referendum had to be passed first. Perhaps it was a referendum on the confidence locals have in Justice, or a reflection of the desperation the economic crunch was breeding, but the measure finally received the necessary support. Voters had twice defeated similar gaming proposals in the county.
The debut of the Casino Club at the Greenbrier was a Fourth of July weekend extravaganza, as celebrities like Ben Affleck, Jessica Simpson, Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Garner, Charles Barkley, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson walked the red carpet and had a look at the 102,000-square-foot gaming facility the resort describes as “Monte Carlo meets Gone with the Wind.” Celebrity attendees and distinguished guests were treated to a private concert by Lionel Richie. The resort was booked to the hilt.
Concerns about the Casino Club detracting from the resort’s reputation as a stronghold of Southern Hospitality and gentility were assuaged by building the establishment underground. It can be accessed by entering the main lobby and descending a level. And in accordance with state law, the gaming area is only open to registered guests of the Greenbrier, members and event attendees.
The last element of the initial Justice Era overhaul was put in place on Aug. 5, 2009, when the Greenbrier Classic was officially added to the 2010 PGA Tour schedule.
"He (Justice) did in 14 months what I don't think people could have done in five or ten years,” Governor Manchin applauded.
The Greenbrier Classic isn’t the first high-profile golf event hosted on the sprawling grounds. The resort was the first of two locations to host both of golf’s premier international team competitions – the Ryder Cup in 1979 and the Solheim Cup in 1994.
The PGA Tour’s all-time career wins leader Slammin’ Sammy Snead served as the club’s head professional from 1936 to 1975 and as the Greenbrier’s Golf Pro Emeritus from 1993 until his death in May 2002. Watson succeeded Sneed in that position.
Forty-one years before Stuart Appleby shredded the historic Old White Course with a final round 59, the fifth sub-60 recorded in the history of the PGA Tour, to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic by one shot, Snead fired a 59 on the Greenbrier Course in a Pro-Am event staged in conjunction with the resort’s annual Spring Festival.
“Although the PGA Tour does not recognize the feat in their record books, the world recognizes that Sam was the first golfer, either professional or amateur, to achieve that goal,” Robert Harris, director of golf and recreation, told the Register-Herald newspaper.
The golf courses at the Greenbrier (there are currently four) have also attracted occupants of the Oval Office over the years. President Woodrow Wilson, President Dwight Eisenhower and President Richard Nixon all teed up it up in White Sulphur Springs during their tenures as leaders of the free world. Golf icons Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, as well as famous supporters of the game like Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are too part of the Greenbrier’s tradition.
Access to the game has improved through programs like the First Tee and Get Golf Ready, but golf, as well as the Greenbrier Resort, predominantly remain the property of the affluent and influential. But there is no backlash to speak of in Greenbrier County, as the working crowd and upper crust co-exist harmoniously.
Many of the patrons who pushed the weeklong attendance figures over 173,000 at the Old White Course were rookies. For others, bringing the PGA Tour to town was the culmination of a lifelong obsession with the sport.
Just down the road at Lewisburg Elks Country Club the tee sheets were packed from Monday-Sunday. After all, it’s tough to resist the temptation to get out on the course yourself after watching the professionals shoot darts all day. The public club was one of many local businesses to reap the benefits of the Greenbrier Classic, and the new amenities recently added to the resort.
Ray Painter said his facility is up 22 percent for the year, and during tournament week the Elks scheduled morning and afternoon shotguns to meet increased demand. Play rose by almost 40 percent during that seven-day stretch. And the Monday after Appleby’s record round, the morning traffic on the first tee was steady instead of the usual “dead calm.”
Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar were the only golfers in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Rankings to play in the Greenbrier Classic, but Painter thinks that was just fine.
“If Tiger or Phil would come to this tournament, it could only get bigger without a doubt,” he said. But the guys that we had here related great to this population; John Daly and Boo Weekley wearing camo, that was perfect. I don't think any of our membership that I'm associated with would've said - well I'm not going because Tiger or Phil aren't going to be there.”
Greenbrier County residents were proud to see beautiful, high-definition images of their beloved resort beamed across the country on CBS and the Golf Channel. Positive exposure is much appreciated, but not always expected.
“Usually if somebody comes in to do some kind of a news story on West Virginia they'll pick out the seediest looking character that they can find with a couple of teeth missing to interview,” said Cliff Huffman, who grew up in Lewisburg, attended West Virginia and returned home to raise his family. “But you didn't see any of that.”
Huffman explained that while local residents can’t often fork out the money to stay at the 4-Star resort, the Greenbrier has always opened its doors to the community. His children attended Greenbrier East High School, and had the privilege of holding their senior proms in one of the resort’s lavish ballrooms. And when the tennis teams couldn’t practice outdoors because of inclement weather, the Greenbrier made their indoor practice facility available.
Justice, who played golf collegiately at Tennessee and Marshall, embodies that same charitable spirit.
During the Christmas season, he plays Santa Claus to a disadvantaged community, delivering presents and meals. Justice embraces the Holidays, greeting the people who stop to view the vivid light display he puts on at his modest home just outside of downtown Lewisburg. Upon hearing that the church he attends was in arrears on its taxes because of an accounting error, Justice wrote a check for $92,000 to ease the minds of the congregation. He spends his winters coaching the girl’s basketball team at Greenbrier East High, and foots the bill for the team’s annual trip to Walt Disney World.
Fast forward to Saturday night, and Justice is on stage looking out at a sea of people covering the hillsides of a natural amphitheater he converted into a concert venue on the West Virginia State fair grounds.
“We shook up the world this week,” he insists.
That’s been a popular refrain uttered by Justice. I can’t agree that he’s rocked the foundation of the world, but this community will certainly be feeling the aftershocks of what happened here for years.
Brad Paisley, headline act of the concert series that coincided with the Greenbrier Classic, launches into his new single “Water” and the heavens abide, sending the crowd scattering and soaking those who stand firm. The cold rain has a redemptive quality, reminiscent of the spring spewing sulphur water that remains at the center of the Greenbrier grounds.
The fabled resort that was transformed into a military hospital during the Civil War and World War II, and invited people to “take to its waters” to restore their health as early as 1778 has been born again in the image of its new owner. Visitors to the Greenbrier aren’t just overnight guests; they’re honorary members of the community.
“These people know generation from generation how to take care of people,” said Governor Manchin. “They know their livelihoods and their future depends on it.”
Editor's Note: This article was first published in the inaugural issue of Golfer's Guide Lifestyles. To get a copy of the new full-size magazine, visit your local Golf Galaxy. |
