Reflections on golf and life with Raleigh Country Club’s longest-serving member
The year: 1973. Stove Top Stuffing hit store shelves, “All in the Family” was the top show on TV and the U.S. economy was plagued by an oil crisis and inflation. In the midst of changing times, Jim Barnes joined Raleigh Country Club. “Oh, it wasn’t like it is today,” he reflects with a chuckle. “It was really just a golf club, there wasn’t much more, and it wasn’t in the best of shape. They had some kind of a deal during a membership drive. It cost $200 to join and dues were $47.50 a month.”
And just like the Doobie Brothers song, Barnes became a “Long Train Running.” Today, the 76-year-old is the longest-serving member at RCC, with this spring marking 50 years. The sites and stories he’s witnessed could fill the clubhouse locker room and then some. “I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly,” he laughs. “The golf course back then was only good six months out of the year because the greens didn’t drain well. In the early days, when we had the Parent/Child Tournament, there were only three teams. The pro and his son, one other father-son, and my son and I typically finished third in the field!”
Despite dubious numbers and conditions, his love of golf and family never wavered. As he told his wife Beth back then, he just needed a course and the opportunity to play. He’d grown up with the sport in Fayetteville, North Carolina. “I started playing with my mother when I was about 12 years old. We played a lot,” he says. “I played in college at Louisburg (College) and then The University of North Carolina. It’s always been an important part of my life.”
He confides there were years he was embarrassed to bring friends to play RCC, but then, John McConnell came along.
“When I first talked to him about purchasing the club, he told me those days were over,” Barnes shares. “I was hoping for green greens and fairways, but his vision was to redo the clubhouse and purchase land to expand the range. Major renovations and so much more. I’m honored to say our visions were miles apart and his was so much better!”
Barnes is in awe of not just the physical improvements, but programming and membership growth. “When I joined, we had probably 200 members. Now we’ve more than doubled in size, we have a waitlist,” he says. “And the juniors program? To see all the kids lined up for the Parent/Child nowadays? And the Operation 36 program? To see these great numbers is great!”
Three generations of Barnes now play the course, with the retired cement executive’s son and grandson picking up the sport. Barnes himself tees it up at least four times a week. He doesn’t hold any club titles but has sunk two holes-in-one on 17.
While the aces were great, Barnes says his most treasured golf experience was a trip to St. Andrews in Scotland, which the club pro put together. “When I got out on the first tee, I was so nervous,” he reveals. “To know every great golfer, from Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan, to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, has stuck their tee in the ground right where I stuck mine? I couldn’t get my breath; I was so excited.”
He’s also excited to have been part of the club’s transformation to one of the premier clubs in the region. “This is my home,” he explains. “I was just telling my grandson; this is a special place, and we need to take care of what we’ve been given. When you’re a member of Raleigh Country Club, you can say it with pride. It’s a wonderful place to be. It’s been a privilege to have been on this 50-year journey.”