This story originally appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of Northern Ohio Golfer Magazine. The next phase of the Akron District Golf Association will be announced soon on this website, along with the tournaments that make up the 2024 ADGA schedule.
After Years of Service, Tim Davis Retires from the Akron District Golf Association
Amateur golf in Northeast Ohio has always been as solid as Ben Hogan’s swing.
From talent to tournaments to administrative entities and beyond, amateurs in the area have been well-represented, dating back to the early 1900s.
Along the way, there have been many local ambassadors to the game, men such as Hank Myers, Bobby Lewis, Frank Stranahan, Barry Terjesen, Eddie Preisler, and Glenn Apple.
The game will lose another ambassador and administrator at year’s end as Tim Davis steps down as the director of the Akron District Golf Association, a job that could be as demanding as rewarding.
No matter how you slice it – no pun intended – Tim Davis has been an ambassador to the game. He has been an ambassador as a player, as a teammate, as a playing partner, as a competitor, and as an administrator.
Most of all, however, he has been a friend to many, many golfers.
“It’s just time,” said Davis, 63. “I have spent a lot of time with the ADGA, and I think I’ve had enough. I just feel it is too much for one person to handle.”
During his heydays as a player in the 1990s Davis was a force in local amateur golf. He possessed an amazingly powerful swing and a competitive streak that was just as mighty.
During that time, it was unusual not to see his name at the top of a tournament leaderboard. If he wasn’t winning, he was contending and if he wasn’t contending it was because he wasn’t playing.
Davis grew up in Green, graduated from Green High in 1978, played three years at Malone College, and still lives in Green today. While in college he played on three teams that reached the NAIA national tournament.
“We had a lot of success as a team but I really didn’t do much as an individual,” he said.
That all changed when Davis joined the ADGA in 1980. He eventually became a constant force in many events, winning the Northeast Ohio Amateur Championship in 1993 then the Summit County Amateur in 1994. He finished as Summit County Am runner-up again in 1995.
He was a major contributor on the Public Course team in the now-defunct Shaw Cup, an event patterned after the Ryder Cup pitting teams comprised of players who played at public courses against those from private clubs. The Shaw Cup, which raised money for Edwin Shaw Hospital, was a major event in Summit County for years.
Twice (1988 and 1992) he teamed with Larry Horner to win the Ungvary Cup, a partnership that lasted well into the 2000s.
“He was the best partner I ever had,” said Horner. “I was lucky to have him. He was good, plenty good and a great teammate.”
Together, Davis and Horner roamed Northern Ohio in search of two-man scrambles, winning or at least cashing in most events.
“We couldn’t wait for the next scramble to play in,” said Horner. “We’d drive all over. I’m sure we won, or at least cashed, more than we didn’t.”
Horner tells a great story about one shot that he saw Davis hit during an event at Tannenhauf.
“It was on the 16th hole, a par-5 that hardly anyone could reach in two,” he said. “I don’t know how much we had left after the tee shot but I remember we were blocked out by some trees. Timmy said he was going to hit a 5-iron over the trees and I wasn’t going to stop him. So, he blasts this thing over the trees and onto the green. We made eagle. Without a doubt it was the longest 5-iron I ever saw and I’ve seen a lot. It was so long, so unimaginable, we laughed about it for years.”
After joining the ADGA Davis quickly became “one of the guys.” He was a constant at the unofficial headquarters at Good Park and was an unofficial part of the organization.
“Timmy was always asking to help out and a lot of times he did,” said Larry Zimmerman, the former general manager of the city-owned golf course and the ADGA Director from 1990 to 2007. “He was a great guy to be around, a lot of fun. Of course, we all had a bunch of fun in those days. And, he was a great player too.”
Davis added the Northeast Ohio Amateur title to his resume in 1993, the same year he went to Portland, Oregon and reached the Sweet 16 of the U.S. Mid-Am.
“How about the year Timmy won the Summit County Am and hit 4-wood off the tee?” Zimmerman said. “He never took the driver out of his bag all weekend. It as unreal. I mean never to hit driver at Good Park?”
Zimmerman, Horner, Dave Chapple and Davis were the heart and soul of the ADGA until Zimmerman retired.
Davis became the organization’s director following Kevin Larizza, who served one year.
“I wanted to keep the association going,” Davis said in explaining his decision when it would have been easy to walk away. “The ADGA helped me improve as a player and as a person and I wanted to give back.”
Zimmerman said he had no qualms about turning over the ADGA reins to Davis.
“I always thought that it was a natural progression for Timmy to take over after we left,” said Zimmerman. “He was the kind of guy who held up the integrity of the game. He knew the rules and felt they should be enforced. And, he had been around.”
Knowing and enforcing the rules and upholding the integrity of the game are just a small part of running an organization as large as the ADGA once was. Obtaining sponsorships and donations and a myriad of other duties add to the stress.
“I did some research and during one summer I counted that we had 330 different players in our events,” said Horner. “They might have only played in one or two events but that is a lot of people to deal with.”
Replacing the Zimmerman-Horner duo was like replacing Ruth and Gehrig.
Unfortunately, Davis did not have a Horner or a Chapple to serve as Zimmerman’s aides. The workload became too much, especially after Davis was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic and began dialysis treatments three times a week to deal with kidney issues.
“I really don’t think Timmy had the resources that we had,” said Zimmerman.
Davis retired from Cargill International in 2023 after starting at Diamond Crystal in 1984 and working at Akzo Salt, all as a factory worker. For the last nine years of his working career he was the local president of the United Foods & Commercial Workers union.
Will he miss not being involved?
“I’m sure I will to a certain extent,” he said. “I’ll miss the comradery, for sure. I am feeling better and I am hoping to be able to get back to playing.”
That would be great news for amateur golf and all those who know Tim Davis. Ambassadors don’t come around every day.
